Update Your LinkedIn Email Address: A Step-By-Step Guide

Understanding Why You Might Want to Update Your LinkedIn Email Address

Your LinkedIn email address serves as the primary contact method LinkedIn uses to reach you. It's the address where you receive notifications about profile views, job recommendations, messages from recruiters, and security alerts. Over time, your email needs might change. You may have switched jobs and no longer use your work email. You might have created a new personal email account that's more secure or easier to manage. Perhaps your old email provider closed your account, or you're consolidating multiple email addresses into one main account.

Many people maintain LinkedIn profiles for years without updating their contact information, even when their circumstances change. This can lead to missed opportunities—a recruiter might not reach you because your email is outdated or inactive. You might miss job notifications that match your skills. LinkedIn security features depend on having current contact information, so an old email could leave your account vulnerable if you ever need to recover it.

Understanding the role your email plays on LinkedIn helps you see why keeping it current matters. LinkedIn uses your email to verify your identity when you log in from new devices or locations. It's also how LinkedIn contacts you about changes to its terms, privacy policies, or important account security matters. By maintaining an up-to-date email address, you ensure you stay connected to opportunities and maintain control over your account.

Practical Takeaway: Before you begin the update process, identify which new email address you want to use. Make sure this email account is active and one you check regularly. Write down both your current email and your new email so you have them ready.

Locating Your Email Settings on LinkedIn's Desktop Version

The desktop version of LinkedIn offers a straightforward interface for managing your account settings. To begin, log into your LinkedIn account using a web browser on your computer. Once you're logged in, look at the top right corner of the screen. You'll see your profile photo or initials in a circular button. Click on this button to reveal a dropdown menu with several options.

In that dropdown menu, you should see an option labeled "Settings and privacy." Click on this option. LinkedIn will take you to your account settings page. This page contains multiple categories on the left side, organized into sections. You're looking for the section called "Account." Under this section, you'll find several subsections, including one specifically for email settings.

Click on the "Email addresses" option under the Account section. This page displays all the email addresses associated with your LinkedIn account. You might see your current primary email listed here, and potentially other email addresses you've added to your account over time. LinkedIn allows you to have multiple email addresses connected to one account, though only one serves as your primary contact address.

The email addresses page shows which address is currently designated as your primary email—this is the one LinkedIn uses to contact you. You'll see buttons or options next to each address. Some addresses might show options to remove them or change them to primary. Take a moment to review what's displayed. This helps you understand your current email setup before making changes.

Practical Takeaway: Take a screenshot or write down all the email addresses currently listed on your account. This record helps you remember which addresses were previously connected and proves useful if you need to troubleshoot access issues later.

Changing Your Primary Email Address Step by Step

Once you're on the email addresses page in your settings, you'll see your current primary email address displayed. Near this address, there should be an option to add a new email address. Look for a button or link that says "Add email" or similar wording. Click on this option. LinkedIn will open a field where you can type in your new email address. Enter the email address you want to use going forward, making sure you spell it correctly and include the proper format (for example, yourname@emailprovider.com).

After you enter your new email address, LinkedIn will send a confirmation message to that email account. This is a security measure—LinkedIn wants to verify that you actually own and have access to the email address you're claiming. Check the inbox of your new email address. You should receive a message from LinkedIn with a subject line like "Confirm your email address" or "LinkedIn email confirmation." Open this message and look for a confirmation link or button. Click on this link to verify ownership of the email address.

Once you've confirmed the new email address, you'll return to your email settings page. Now you should see both your old email and your new email listed. Your old email will still show as the primary address at this point. Look for an option to change which address is primary. This might appear as a button labeled "Make primary" or "Set as primary" next to your new email address. Click on this option to designate your new email as your primary contact address.

LinkedIn will ask you to confirm this change. This final confirmation step protects your account—it makes sure you intentionally want to change your primary contact information. After you confirm, your new email address becomes your primary address. LinkedIn will now use this address to contact you about account activity, security alerts, and job recommendations. You can leave your old email address associated with the account if you want, or you can remove it entirely by clicking a delete or remove option next to the old address.

Practical Takeaway: Check your new email account's spam or promotions folder if you don't see LinkedIn's confirmation message in your main inbox. Email providers sometimes filter LinkedIn messages. If you still can't find it after checking spam folders, you can request a new confirmation message from LinkedIn's settings page.

Updating Your Email on LinkedIn's Mobile App

If you prefer managing your LinkedIn account through the mobile app on your smartphone or tablet, you can also update your email address there. The process is similar to the desktop version but adapted for mobile screens. First, open the LinkedIn app and log in if you're not already signed in. Tap the profile icon at the bottom of the screen—this usually appears as your photo or initials in a circular button. This takes you to your profile page.

From your profile page, look for a settings icon or menu option. This typically appears as three horizontal lines (called a hamburger menu) or a gear icon. Tap on this. A menu will appear with various options including settings. Select "Settings and privacy." This opens your settings menu. Look for "Account" or "Account settings" in this menu. Tap on it to access your account options.

Within the account settings, find the option for "Email addresses" or "Email settings." Tap on this option. You'll see your current primary email address displayed. To add a new email, look for an "Add email" button or similar option. Tap this button and type in your new email address. Make sure you type it carefully—mobile keyboards can make typos easy.

LinkedIn will send a confirmation message to your new email address. Open that confirmation email and tap the confirmation link. Once confirmed, return to the email settings page in the app. You should now see both email addresses listed. Find the option to make your new email the primary address. This is often shown as a radio button, checkbox, or a "Make primary" button next to your new email. Tap on this to set it as your primary address. You may be asked to confirm this change one more time for security purposes.

Practical Takeaway: If the mobile app interface looks different than described here, LinkedIn occasionally updates its design. The general steps remain the same: navigate to settings, find email options, add and confirm a new email, then set it as primary. You can always switch to the desktop version if you find mobile settings confusing.

What Happens After You Update Your Email and Account Security Considerations

After you've successfully changed your primary email address, your LinkedIn account immediately begins using the new address for all future communications. LinkedIn will send you a confirmation message to your new email address acknowledging the change. This message is informational—it lets you know the update was successful. From this point forward, all LinkedIn notifications, job alerts, and security messages will go to your new email address instead of your old one.

If you've completely removed your old email address from your account, you won't receive any more messages at that address. If you've left the old email address on your account without it being primary, LinkedIn will no longer contact you there, but the address remains associated with your profile. Some people keep an old email address on file as a backup in case they forget their password or need account recovery options. If you choose to do this, understand that you cannot log in using the old email address anymore—you'll need to use your new primary email or your LinkedIn password.

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