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How to Add a Personal Recovery Email to LinkedIn
Add a second email address so losing your work account does not lock you out of LinkedIn.
Is this your situation?
Your LinkedIn sign-in runs on your work email, and you want a fallback before you leave that job. You want a personal email on the account so you can still sign in once the work inbox is gone.
The short answer
Add a personal email address by clicking Sign in & security on the left pane and clicking Email addresses under Account access. LinkedIn recommends adding at least one personal email address and one work email address to ensure account access.
Before you start
- Confirm you can sign in to your personal email now You will need to sign in to this inbox during setup.Verify: Check that you can log in to the personal inbox before starting.
- Have your LinkedIn password ready Adding an email requires entering the new address and your LinkedIn password.Verify: Check that you know your current LinkedIn password.
- Know you can sign in with either address afterward A member can log in using either the primary or an additional email address.Verify: Check the Sign in & security page lists both addresses once added.
How LinkedIn handles this
- LinkedIn members can add multiple email addresses to their account.
- A member can log in using either the primary email address or an additional email address.
- LinkedIn recommends adding at least one personal email address and one work email address to ensure account access.
- A new email address must be validated by logging in to it and following the prompts in the validation email.
Step by step
- Open your account menu Click the Me icon at the top of the LinkedIn homepage.Confirm: Check the top of the homepage for the Me icon menu.
- Open settings Click Settings & Privacy from the dropdown.Confirm: Check the dropdown for the Settings & Privacy option.
- Go to email addresses Click Sign in & security, then click Email addresses under Account access.Confirm: Check the left pane for Sign in & security.
- Start adding an address Click Add email address.Confirm: Check the Email addresses page for the Add email address button.
- Confirm the change if prompted You may be asked to enter a verification code sent to your primary email or to approve the change through the LinkedIn app.Confirm: Check your primary email or the LinkedIn app for a prompt.
- Enter the new address Enter the new email address and your LinkedIn password, then click Submit.Confirm: Check the Email addresses list for the new address.
- Validate the new address Log in to the new email account and follow the prompts in the validation email.Confirm: Check the Email addresses list for a validated status.If this fails: Check the spam folder of the personal account for the validation email.
- Keep the work address active until you leave A member's primary email address can only be replaced with a verified email address.Confirm: Check that the personal address shows as validated before changing the primary.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the work address as primary You keep signing in with the work address you plan to lose.Why it happens: A member's primary email address can only be replaced with a verified email address, so the personal address must be validated first.
- Skipping validation You add the address but never open the validation email.Why it happens: Validation requires logging in to the new email account and following the prompts in the validation email.
- Assuming one address is enough You keep only the work address on the account.Why it happens: LinkedIn recommends keeping at least one personal and one work email address on the account.Already happened: If you are already locked out, see recovery without email or phone access.
Roles at a glance
| Situation | Primary address today | Can you still sign in? | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work email active, no backup added | Work email | Yes, for now | Click Sign in & security, then Email addresses under Account access. |
| Personal email added, not yet validated | Work email | Yes, through the work email | Log in to the new address and follow the validation prompts. |
| Personal email added and validated | Work email | Yes, through either address | Keep both addresses on the account. |
| Leaving the job, personal email validated | Can switch to a verified personal email | Yes, once switched | Make the verified personal address the new primary. |
| Leaving the job, no personal email added | Work email, about to be lost | Not stated by LinkedIn | See recovery without email or phone access. |
| Already locked out | No address you can reach | Not stated by LinkedIn | Start the account recovery process LinkedIn provides. |
Keeping track of who has access
Once your personal email is validated, keep a record of it alongside your other access details. Delvia is where you track which email addresses and recovery methods are attached to each account you manage.
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