Navigating the labyrinth of LinkedIn can be a daunting task, especially when dealing with matters like account merging. In this article, we’ll take you step by step through the process of how to merge LinkedIn accounts.
In some cases, it’s possible to end up with more than one LinkedIn account. This could be due to forgetfulness, creating an additional account with a different email, or a variety of other factors.
Such situations lead to a dilemma of managing multiple accounts, which is where the concept of merging LinkedIn accounts comes in handy.
Creating multiple profiles is not allowed as stated in LinkedIn’s Professional Community Policies and User Agreement. That’s why merging your LinkedIn accounts is super important to make sure you don’t get removed from the network.
The Concept of Account Merging
Account merging is a feature provided by LinkedIn for users who have more than one LinkedIn account and wish to combine them into a single account. This process ensures that the user has a single, unified profile to manage, which alleviates the difficulties of concurrent account management.
Merging accounts involves consolidating all of your connections, followers, and endorsements from the secondary account into your primary account.
So, instead of having multiple separate profiles, you will have one consolidated profile that includes all your professional information, connections, and interactions, giving you a single, professional digital identity.
Reasons for Merging LinkedIn Accounts
There are a multitude of reasons why someone might end up with more than one LinkedIn account. In some cases, it might have been intentional, while in others, it could be unintentional. No matter the reason, it’s crucial to consolidate these profiles for several reasons.
Firstly, managing multiple LinkedIn accounts can be time-consuming. Switching back and forth between different accounts and managing message threads and connection requests separately can be unnecessarily complex and can lead to missed opportunities or connections.
Secondly, having multiple profiles on the professional platform might confuse your contacts. For instance, people could send connection requests or messages to an account you no longer use or have forgotten about.
Lastly, having multiple profiles can dilute your online professional image or tarnish your personal brand. It might indicate to others that you’re disorganized or unprofessional, or could even get you in trouble with LinkedIn’s user policy.
Impact of Merging LinkedIn Accounts
Merging LinkedIn accounts can have several positive impacts. The most significant one is the ease and simplicity it provides. With a single account, all your professional connections, messages, and content are in one place, making it more manageable and organized.
Secondly, a single professional account makes it easier for others to find and connect with you. With only one profile to look for, your contacts won’t be confused about which account to send requests or messages to.
Lastly, merging accounts can help heighten your professional image. A singular, cohesive digital presence can make you seem more professional by demonstrating organization and dedication to maintaining an up-to-date and accurate profile.
Merging LinkedIn accounts can be an excellent solution for many people who find themselves with multiple profiles on the platform.
It offers a way to combine all of your professional interactions into a single, organized, and easy-to-manage place. It not only simplifies your professional networking journey but also enhances your professional representation.
Eligibility for Merging LinkedIn Accounts
Whether you have unintentionally created multiple LinkedIn accounts or have two accounts for different purposes, merging your LinkedIn accounts is a straightforward process.
However, there are certain requirements that LinkedIn places on merging accounts, so not everyone will be eligible. It’s important to make sure you fit the criteria for merging your accounts before starting the process.
Requirements to Merge Accounts
There are several primary requirements that LinkedIn sets out for those wishing to merge their accounts.
Firstly, you need to have access to the email addresses associated with both the LinkedIn accounts you wish to merge. This is because LinkedIn will send a verification email to both email addresses to confirm that they are in fact both your accounts.
Secondly, you can only merge two LinkedIn accounts that belong to the same person. LinkedIn prohibits individuals from merging accounts that belong to different people. This is to ensure LinkedIn remains a platform for individual professionals, rather than companies or organizations.
Thirdly, only personal LinkedIn accounts can be merged. Company pages, groups, career pages, or showcase pages cannot be merged with a personal profile. If there are any associated accounts to these pages or active LinkedIn ads, they must be detached first before performing the merge.
Finally, the LinkedIn accounts to be merged can’t have the Sales Navigator feature active. If you have activated Sales Navigator on one or both of the accounts, it has to be deactivated before starting the merging process.
This is to ensure that all your important data and leads from Sales Navigator are safe and secure.
Possible Challenges of Merging
Even if you meet all the necessary requirements, there may still be some challenges that arise during the merging of your LinkedIn accounts.
For instance, you may not be able to retrieve and transfer certain information from the account you’re closing to the one you’re keeping. A notable example of this is your recommendations.
Even though your connections will be transferred over to the new account, recommendations will not. You will have to ask your connections to re-recommend you in the account you’re keeping.
Also, if the email address tied to one account is associated with a company or group, you may not be able to merge your accounts without impacting the company or group page. It’s, therefore, crucial to review and understand all the implications and potential challenges that may arise when you merge your LinkedIn accounts.
Lastly, it’s important to bear in mind that the process cannot be reversed. Once you have merged your LinkedIn accounts, it’s not possible to unmerge them. It’s, therefore, crucial to be absolutely sure that this action is what you want before proceeding.
Solutions to LinkedIn Account Duplication: Merging Vs. Closing
LinkedIn provides two major solutions for handling account duplication – merging and closing. Closing an account essentially means deleting it, along with all associated data.
It should be taken into consideration that some features like the experience section, education, skills, and certain account settings cannot be transferred during merging. You have to manually add these features to the primary LinkedIn account after merging.
If you decide to close your account, Endorsements and recommendations, Ignored or pending invitations, Followings, and Group memberships will be gone forever.
Steps to Merge LinkedIn Accounts
Merging LinkedIn accounts can be advantageous when you’ve accidentally created more than one profile or if you’ve used different email addresses over time.
This process allows you to retain your connections and recommendations from both accounts. This section discusses the steps that you need to take in merging your LinkedIn accounts.
Identifying Main and Secondary Accounts
The first step in merging accounts is determining which one should be your primary account. The primary account here refers to the LinkedIn profile that you mostly use and want to keep. Meanwhile, the secondary account is the profile that you deem less important and is ready to be merged into your main account.
Some factors to consider when deciding which account to keep include the number of connections, information accuracy, endorsements, and recommendations. It’s also important to consider which account reflects your current career path and aspirations better.
Starting the Account Merge Process
Once you’ve identified the main and secondary accounts, you can start the merge process. This requires you to be logged into one of your accounts. From there, visit Settings, and select “Account preferences” from the left side. Now scroll all the way down till you see the “Account management” and “Merge accounts” options in it.
When you click the link, you’ll see a screen where you’ll be prompted to enter the email addresses associated with each of your LinkedIn accounts. Here, you should correctly input your primary and secondary accounts.
On the other hand, if you don’t see it, you need to contact support.
Handling Login Credentials During Merge
After entering your accounts, you’ll be prompted to provide the passwords for each account. Remember, you should enter the login credentials accurately to avoid any issues during the merge.
If you cannot remember the password for one of the accounts, opt for the ‘Forgot Password’ option to reset it. However, be sure that the secondary account’s email is still accessible. If it isn’t, fix this issue first before proceeding to merge your LinkedIn accounts.
LinkedIn will send you an email to each account to confirm the merge request. Click on the confirmation link in these emails to authorize the process.
After the confirmation, it will take LinkedIn about seven days to complete the account merge. During this time, both accounts remain active.
If you don’t see the e-mail in your inbox when you reset the password, check the spam folder as well.
Transitioning Network to the New Account
Post-merging process, the subsequent move involves transitioning the network over to the new account. This is important in order to ensure access to all applications and systems that were in use prior to the merge. Review the network configuration to make sure that all settings are correct.
During the transition, make sure sufficient support is provided to all users. It’s inevitable that there’ll be teething problems as everyone adjusts to the new system and processes. Therefore, thorough training and adequate resources should be provided to enable users to successfully navigate the new system.
Finally, the transition to the new account network should be monitored and assessed continuously. This is advantageous not only for identifying potential improvements but also for troubleshooting any challenges that may arise.
Timely and effective management of any impediments is key to maintaining the new network smoothly.
Post-Merge Activities
Post-merge activities are important to ensure the smooth functioning of your merged LinkedIn account. Managing connections and endorsements is an essential part of this.
Updating Profile Information
Updating profile information is another key post-merge activity. This includes manually entering any work history, education, or skills that were not transferred during the merge.
Updating your About section, background photo, location, and headline are also crucial to maintaining a professional image.
Checking and Changing Privacy Settings
Privacy settings can be affected by merging accounts. It is essential to check your privacy settings and change them accordingly to reflect your preferences in the merged account. This includes settings for profile visibility, who can see your email address, and whether your network is notified about profile changes.
In the end, merging LinkedIn accounts is about making the most of your online professional presence. By taking the time to carefully prepare, consider the implications, and actively manage your account post-merge, a LinkedIn account merge can be a successful step towards professional online efficacy.
Dealing with Merge Errors
It is a common phenomenon to encounter merge errors when trying to blend two LinkedIn accounts into one. These errors may happen due to various reasons such as inconsistencies in email addresses, or when the platform cannot verify the ownership of the accounts.
In case such an error crops up, the first step a user should undertake is to ensure the login information for both LinkedIn accounts is correct. This includes the email address linked to each account and the corresponding passwords. You can edit this information by accessing the “Settings & Privacy” section on your LinkedIn profile.
Next, consider the possibility that two-step verification is enabled on one or both accounts. If this is the case, the merge will fail unless the two-step verification is temporarily turned off.
Lastly, ensure there are no currently running advertisements or campaigns connected to either account. Any pending sponsored content or active recruitment projects can cause problems in merging the accounts.
Retrieving Lost Data Post Merge
The merging of LinkedIn accounts is supposed to result in a unified repository of data, but often, users encounter problems with “lost data” as a result of the merge.
Before merging, LinkedIn recommends individuals download a copy of their data from the account they intend to close. This should include your connections, messages, and other activities. In the event of a lost data occurrence, this downloaded information can be manually re-added to the remaining LinkedIn account.
However, not everything can be restored manually following a merge. For instance, endorsements, followers, or recommendations pertaining to the now-closed LinkedIn account cannot be regained manually.
To avoid these losses, it’s advisable to request your contacts to re-add these items after the merging process is complete.
Best Practices in Merging LinkedIn Accounts
Merging LinkedIn accounts has become a necessary aspect for many individuals and businesses that have ended up with multiple LinkedIn accounts for various reasons. Whether it’s as a result of years of changing email addresses or simply a forgotten password, merging these accounts into one is a smart way to streamline your online presence.
Let’s look into best practices in merging LinkedIn accounts including protecting account data during the merge, proper timing for merging, and leveraging LinkedIn support for merging.
Leveraging LinkedIn Support for Merging
When planning to merge LinkedIn accounts, LinkedIn Support is your most invaluable resource. While the site has a self-service portal for merging accounts, you can also reach out to LinkedIn Support for step-by-step guidance
They are efficient in handling account merges, and will offer advice on the best way to handle it, what data will be retained or lost, and what to expect during the process.
LinkedIn’s Help Center provides comprehensive articles related to merging accounts. Before initiating the merge, make sure to read their resources thoroughly to understand the consequences and implications of your decision.
The successful merging of LinkedIn accounts requires knowledge, timely execution, and protection of account data. Ensuring these key aspects are taken into account will significantly smoothen the process, as well as preserve all necessary data during the merge.
1. What is the process to merge LinkedIn accounts?
To merge LinkedIn accounts, LinkedIn recommends deleting one of the accounts. Export all the important data before initiating the deletion process. Unfortunately, LinkedIn does not support a direct merge option, you can only request to merge accounts.
2. Can I combine connections from multiple LinkedIn accounts?
LinkedIn does not offer a feature to combine connections directly. However, you can manually connect with the contacts from the account you wish to delete, from your main LinkedIn account.
3. How to handle duplicate LinkedIn accounts?
For duplicate LinkedIn accounts, the suggested course of action is to close one of them. Before doing so, ensure that you export all essential data from the account you intend to delete.
4. Is there a limit to the number of LinkedIn accounts one can have?
LinkedIn’s user agreement specifies one account per user. If multiple accounts exist by mistake, LinkedIn suggests closing additional ones to avoid breaching the user agreement.
5. What happens to my connections when I delete my LinkedIn account?
When you delete your LinkedIn account, your list of connections is lost. Before you delete your account, send a connection request from your main account to maintain those connections.
6. Can I merge company pages on LinkedIn?
Merging company pages is not possible on LinkedIn. Create one robust company page with all the pertinent information and remove any duplicate or outdated pages.
