How to Merge LinkedIn Accounts: What Carries Over, What Doesn't and the Limits

That's the process as of October 2026, according to LinkedIn Help's article on merging or closing duplicate accounts. Here's the catch most people miss: a merge moves far less than you'd expect. LinkedIn Help says a self-merge only transfers the connections and the email address of the account you're closing. Everything else on that account is purged from LinkedIn's database.

There are hard limits too. LinkedIn Help says you can't merge an account with zero connections or one with more than 30,000 connections, and you'll lose all InMail credits when the merge goes through. And if you were hoping to keep both profiles running, LinkedIn's Professional Community Policies and User Agreement don't allow one person to create multiple profiles. I've covered that rule in more depth in how many LinkedIn profiles one person can have.

What a merge carries over and what it drops

This table comes straight from LinkedIn Help's list. If something on the duplicate matters to you, save it before you start, because it won't follow you across.

Item on the account you're closing	Merged into the account you keep?
Connections	Yes
Email address	Yes
Profile content, written or media	No
Edits	No
Endorsements	No
Recommendations	No
Saved articles	No
Group memberships	No
Pending invitations	No
InMail credits	No, they're lost on the merge

LinkedIn Help suggests downloading an archive of the account you want to close before you merge, so you've got a copy of its data. If the duplicate holds recommendations you're proud of, that archive is your only record of them once the account is gone.

Pick your route: merge, close or recover first

LinkedIn Help splits duplicates into a few situations. For any merge, the primary email address on both accounts has to be confirmed and you need access to both. Find the row that matches yours.

Your situation	What LinkedIn Help says to do
You can sign in to both accounts	Gather the login details and public profile URL for each, then contact LinkedIn to request the merge
The duplicate has zero connections	It can't be merged, so close it from Settings & Privacy instead
Either account has more than 30,000 connections	It can't be merged
You can't sign in to the duplicate	Use Forgot Password on the Sign in page to get back in, then follow the route above that fits
You know the email used but can't access that inbox	Follow LinkedIn's identity verification process

To check how many connections an account has, LinkedIn Help says to open the My Network tab on your homepage and select Connections. Do that on both accounts before you decide anything, because the number decides the route.

Clear these before you request the merge

LinkedIn Help lists a set of jobs you'll need to finish first, where they apply to the account being closed:

1. Cancel your Premium subscription. If you're not sure how, here's my guide to cancelling LinkedIn Premium.
2. Cancel any outstanding job postings or listings.
3. Cancel all advertising campaigns.
4. Cancel upcoming events if you're the organiser.
5. Close the group, or transfer group ownership, if you're a group owner.

LinkedIn Help says these need doing before the merge, so tick them off first rather than finding out halfway through.

How to find the duplicate account

1. Search for your own name on LinkedIn.
2. In the results, the profile showing the You icon is the account you're signed in to right now.
3. Any profile with your details that doesn't show the You icon is a duplicate.
4. Find the duplicate's public profile URL and note it down, because you'll need it for a merge request.

Is it a duplicate, or just an email clash?

LinkedIn Help says one sign of a second account is a message telling you the email address you're trying to use is already in use. That message can mean another account exists, but LinkedIn Help asks you to rule out a few other causes before closing or merging anything:

• You use several different email addresses.
• You're using a recycled address, one your employer or email provider once gave to someone else.
• You're using a canonical form of an email address.

If you're tidying up which address sits on your main account, my walkthrough on changing your email on LinkedIn covers that side.

Getting back into a duplicate you can't sign in to

You'll need access to the duplicate before LinkedIn can merge or close it. LinkedIn Help's recovery route is the standard password reset:

1. Go to the LinkedIn Sign in page and click Forgot password?
2. Enter the email address registered to the account you want to close and click Send code.
3. Check that inbox for the code, enter it on screen and click Submit.
4. Set a new password on the next page. You'll get an email confirming the change.

Can't remember which email you used? LinkedIn Help says to try every likely address, including current and past work, school and personal ones, plus variations such as a .com versus .co.uk ending, a googlemail address or a first initial and surname format. The code is only valid for a limited time, and you may be asked for a two-factor code or another security check along the way. My full guide to resetting your LinkedIn password walks through those checks.

Closing a duplicate with zero connections

This is the do-it-yourself route, and it's the one LinkedIn Help gives for an empty duplicate:

1. Sign in to the duplicate account, the one with 0 connections.
2. Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
3. Select Settings & Privacy from the dropdown.
4. Under Account preferences, in Account management, click Change next to Close account.
5. Follow the on-screen prompts to finish closing it.
6. Wait 48 hours, then add the closed account's email address to the account you're keeping.

That last step is easy to skip, and it shouldn't be. LinkedIn Help says adding the old address to your remaining account can stop another duplicate being created in future. Once an account's closed you lose access to its data, so download a copy first if there's anything on it you want.

Hibernation won't fix a duplicate

You'll see Hibernate account in the same Account management menu, and it's tempting if you're unsure. LinkedIn Help describes it as an alternative to closing: the profile disappears from view and from search, including Recruiter, and your posts, comments and messages show as A LinkedIn member. You can reactivate it 24 hours after hibernating. It hides the extra account, but it doesn't merge anything, and hibernating cancels an active Premium subscription immediately.

My advice

Count the connections on both accounts before you do anything else. If the duplicate's empty, don't bother asking for a merge: close it, wait the 48 hours and add its email to your main profile. If it's got connections worth keeping, download its archive, clear the checklist, then send LinkedIn the logins and URLs. Just go in knowing you're keeping the people, not the profile. Recommendations, endorsements and group memberships on the old account won't come with you, so ask your best contacts to re-endorse you on the account you're keeping.

Frequently asked questions

Can you merge two LinkedIn accounts?

Yes, as long as you can access both and their primary email addresses are confirmed. As of October 2026, LinkedIn Help says you gather each account's login details and public profile URL, then contact LinkedIn to request the merge. Accounts with zero connections or more than 30,000 connections can't be merged.

What gets lost when LinkedIn accounts are merged?

LinkedIn Help says only connections and the email address move across. Profile content, edits, endorsements, recommendations, saved articles, group memberships, pending invitations and InMail credits on the closed account are lost, so download its data archive first.

How do I find my duplicate LinkedIn account?

Search for your name on LinkedIn. The profile with the You icon is the one you're signed in to. Any other profile with your details and no You icon is a duplicate.

How do I close a duplicate LinkedIn account?

Sign in to the duplicate, click the Me icon, choose Settings & Privacy, then click Change next to Close account under Account management. LinkedIn Help says to wait 48 hours after closing, then add that email address to the account you're keeping.

Why does LinkedIn say my email is already in use?

It can mean you've got a second account on that address. LinkedIn Help says it can also happen if you use several email addresses, a recycled address once assigned to someone else, or a canonical form of an address.

Can one person have two LinkedIn accounts?

No. LinkedIn Help says creating multiple profiles isn't allowed under its Professional Community Policies and User Agreement, which is why it offers a merge or close route for duplicates.