How to Change Your Email on LinkedIn Without Getting Locked Out

The email address on your LinkedIn account is the key to the front door. It's where password resets go, where verification codes land, and where LinkedIn sends anything important about your account. Yet loads of people are still signed in with an old work address they lost access to the day they left that job.

If that's you, changing it takes a couple of minutes, as long as you do it in the right order. Below I'll cover the steps on a computer and in the app, how to make the new address your main one, and how to avoid locking yourself out. It all follows LinkedIn's Help Center article on managing your email address.

How to change your email on LinkedIn: the order that works

You can't simply type over your old address. LinkedIn makes you do it in three stages, and skipping one is the usual reason people get stuck:

1. Add the new email address.
2. Confirm it from the message LinkedIn sends you.
3. Make it primary, then remove the old one if you want to.

LinkedIn's help is clear that your primary email address can only be replaced with a verified one, so that confirmation step isn't optional.

Adding a new email address to LinkedIn on a computer

1. Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
2. Choose Settings & Privacy.
3. Click Sign in & security.
4. Under Account access, click Email addresses.
5. Click Add email address.
6. Type the new address, enter your LinkedIn password and click Submit.
7. Open the email LinkedIn sends to the new address and follow its prompts to confirm it.

Changing your LinkedIn email address in the mobile app

1. Tap your profile photo, then Settings & Privacy.
2. Tap Sign in & security.
3. Under Account access, tap Email addresses.
4. Tap Add email address and type the new one.
5. Enter your LinkedIn password and tap Submit.
6. Confirm the address from the email LinkedIn sends you.

For security, LinkedIn may also ask for a verification code sent to your current primary address, or ask you to approve the change in the LinkedIn app. That's why it's so much easier to do this while you can still get into the old inbox.

Make the new LinkedIn email your primary address

Once the new address is confirmed, go back to Email addresses and click Make primary next to it (on the app, tap Make primary below it). From then on, it's the address LinkedIn uses for your account.

To get rid of the old one, click or tap Remove next to it. I'd only do this when you're sure you'll never need it again, because there's a good reason to keep a backup, which I'll come to in a moment.

Why I'd keep two email addresses on LinkedIn

The platform lets you add more than one address, and you can sign in with your primary or any of the others. Its help page recommends having at least one personal address and one work address, so you can always get into your account.

That advice is worth taking seriously. The classic lockout goes like this: someone signs up with a work email, leaves the company, the mailbox is closed, then they forget their password. With a personal address on the account as well, that's a two-minute fix instead of a support ticket.

Address	Why it's on my LinkedIn
Personal email (primary)	Never disappears when a job ends
Work email (secondary)	Handy for work tools and colleagues finding you
Old address	Remove once the new primary is confirmed

Changing your LinkedIn email for work tools and licences

If your employer gives you access to something like Sales Navigator, you may notice a toggle next to a newly added, confirmed address. LinkedIn says to switch it on if you need that address to activate a licence or a product, and that turning it on won't prompt a password reset.

Your LinkedIn email and the people who want to reach you

Changing your sign-in address doesn't change how prospects find you, but it's a good nudge to check the contact details people can see. If you're a business owner or freelancer, make it easy for the right people to get in touch. My guide on sharing your LinkedIn profile with clients and leads covers that, and if you're updating your email signature at the same time, here's where to find your LinkedIn profile link to paste in.

While you're in the settings, it's worth running through my LinkedIn profile optimisation checklist too. It's the quickest way to spot anything else that's quietly out of date.

If you can't change your email on LinkedIn

1. No confirmation email: check spam and promotions folders in the new inbox, and make sure you typed the address correctly.
2. Make primary is missing: the new address hasn't been confirmed yet, so finish that step first.
3. Asked for a code you can't receive: try approving the change in the LinkedIn app if you're signed in there.
4. Can't get into your old email at all: use LinkedIn's Help Center, which has a dedicated article for people who've lost access to their email address, and contact LinkedIn from there.

Don't trust anyone offering to change or recover your LinkedIn email for you through messages or comments. LinkedIn's own Help Center is the only place to go.

Frequently asked questions

Can I change my LinkedIn email without the old address?

You can add a new address while you're signed in, but LinkedIn may send a verification code to your current primary email. If you can't access it, try approving in the app or use LinkedIn's Help Center.

Why can't I make my new email primary on LinkedIn?

It has to be confirmed first. LinkedIn says your primary email can only be replaced with a verified address, so open its email and confirm.

Can I keep more than one email on LinkedIn?

Yes. You can add several addresses and sign in with any of them. LinkedIn recommends keeping at least one personal and one work address.

Does changing my LinkedIn email change my login?

Yes and no. You can sign in with your primary or any additional address on the account, so both work until you remove one.

Will my connections see that I changed my email?

Changing your sign-in address is an account setting, so it isn't announced to your network.