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Change Your LinkedIn Email Address, or “Email Address Is Already Registered”

You can have several email addresses on LinkedIn and sign in with any of them. To change your main one, add the new address, confirm it, then click Make primary. If LinkedIn says an email is already registered, that address is already on a LinkedIn account. Often it’s an old account of yours, or a Gmail address with dots in it.

Reviewed 5 min read 2 fixes Login & access

Quick answer

Change email: Me > Settings & Privacy > Sign in & security > Email addresses > Add email address, confirm it from your inbox, then Make primary. Already registered: use Sign in (not Join now), or Forgot password to get into the existing account. For Gmail, try the address without dots.

What do you need?

Does this match what you see?

  • You want LinkedIn emails to go to a new address.
  • LinkedIn says your email address is already registered or in use.
  • Your employer or email provider gave you an address someone else used before.

Computer (browser)iPhone & iPadAndroid

Based on three LinkedIn Help articles supplied by the site owner. Steps cover desktop and the apps.

Why this happens: the possible causes

Why LinkedIn says an email is already registered.

Cause and fix
CauseFix
You clicked Join now instead of Sign inUse Sign in with that email
You made an account before, or accepted an invitationSign in, or use Forgot password
Gmail address typed with dots (a.b.c@gmail.com)Enter it without dots (abc@gmail.com)
Employer or provider re-issued an address someone used beforeContact LinkedIn Support
  • An old accountCheck this first

    LinkedIn says you may have created an account or accepted an invitation in the past.

  • Gmail dotsPossible

    LinkedIn says Gmail addresses with periods in the first part can trigger this; enter it without them.

Try these 60-second checks first

  • Make sure you’re on the Sign in page, not Join now.

How to fix it, step by step

Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and only move to steps that sign you out or remove data later.

Fix 1: Add, confirm, change or remove an email address

Safe & reversible5 minComputer (browser)iPhone & iPadAndroid

LinkedIn says your primary email can only be replaced by a verified one, so you add and confirm the new address first.

iPhone & iPad

  1. Tap your profile photo > Settings & Privacy.
  2. Tap Sign in & security, then Email addresses under Account access.
  3. Tap Add email address. LinkedIn may ask for a code sent to your primary email, or for you to approve the change in the LinkedIn app.
  4. Enter the new address and your LinkedIn password, then tap Submit.
  5. Open the email LinkedIn sends and follow the prompts to confirm it.
  6. To make it your main address, tap Make primary below it.

Android

  1. Tap your profile photo > Settings & Privacy.
  2. Tap Sign in & security, then Email addresses under Account access.
  3. Tap Add email address. LinkedIn may ask for a code sent to your primary email, or for you to approve the change in the LinkedIn app.
  4. Enter the new address and your LinkedIn password, then tap Submit.
  5. Open the email LinkedIn sends and follow the prompts to confirm it.
  6. To make it your main address, tap Make primary below it.

Computer (browser)

  1. Click Me > Settings & Privacy.
  2. Click Sign in & security, then Email addresses under Account access.
  3. Click Add email address. LinkedIn may ask for a code sent to your primary email, or for you to approve the change in the LinkedIn app.
  4. Enter the new address and your LinkedIn password, then click Submit.
  5. Open the email LinkedIn sends to the new address and follow the link to confirm it.
  6. To make it your main address, click Make primary next to it. To get rid of an old one, click Remove next to it (you may need your password, a code or app approval again).

LinkedIn recommends keeping at least one personal and one work address so you can always get in, and says you can sign in with any of them. See a toggle next to a new address? LinkedIn says to turn it on if you need that email to activate a license or product, such as Sales Navigator; it won’t make you reset your password.

Did it work? The new address shows as confirmed (and Primary, if you chose that).

Fix 2: Remove an old email address

Read first: can remove data2 minComputer (browser)iPhone & iPadAndroid

LinkedIn says you can’t remove your primary email until another confirmed address is primary.

iPhone & iPad

  1. If it’s your primary address, make another confirmed email primary first.
  2. Tap your profile picture > Settings (under your name) > Sign in & security > Email addresses.
  3. Tap the X next to the address. Enter your password, a code sent to your email, or approve in the LinkedIn app if asked.

Android

  1. If it’s your primary address, make another confirmed email primary first.
  2. Tap your profile picture > Settings (under your name) > Sign in & security > Email addresses.
  3. Tap the X next to the address. Enter your password, a code sent to your email, or approve in the LinkedIn app if asked.

Computer (browser)

  1. If it’s your primary address, first click Make primary next to another confirmed email. LinkedIn says the Remove link only appears after that.
  2. Click Me > Settings & Privacy > Sign in & security.
  3. Click Change next to Email addresses.
  4. Click Remove next to the address. Enter your password, a code sent to your email, or approve in the LinkedIn app if asked.

LinkedIn says you must have a primary email to send invitations. Our tip: don’t remove an address until you’ve confirmed you can sign in with the one you’re keeping.

Did it work? The old address no longer appears in your list.

“Email address is already registered”

LinkedIn says this means the address belongs to an existing LinkedIn account. To get into it:

A recycled email address

If your employer or email provider gave you an address someone else used before, LinkedIn says to contact LinkedIn Support (external site, opens in a new tab) to add it to your account. It warns this can take a while, and sometimes isn’t possible.

How to know it worked

  • You can sign in with your email, and LinkedIn emails go to your primary address.

Still not working? Your next steps

  1. Can’t reach your old email at all? See no access to your email. Emails not arriving? See LinkedIn emails not received.

Official help routes

SocialAppFix can’t see or change your account. For account decisions, recovery and appeals, only the platform’s own tools can help. These links go to the official sites.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change my primary email on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn says to add the new address in Settings & Privacy > Sign in & security > Email addresses, confirm it, then click Make primary.

Why does LinkedIn say my email is already registered?

LinkedIn says the address is on an existing account: maybe an old one of yours, a Gmail address typed with dots, or a recycled address.

Why can’t I remove my primary email on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn says you must make another confirmed email primary first; only then does the Remove link appear.

Can I sign in to LinkedIn with a secondary email?

Yes. LinkedIn says you can sign in with your primary or any additional email on your account.

Sources and how we checked this guide

We base steps on the platforms’ own help pages and the phone makers’ official guides. Menu names change often and can differ by device, app version and region. Where a platform page could not be independently read, we link it so you can check the current wording yourself.

  1. Manage your email address (external site, opens in a new tab)LinkedIn Help · checked 6 November 2026
  2. Email address is already registered (external site, opens in a new tab)LinkedIn Help · checked 6 November 2026
  3. Remove an email address from your LinkedIn account (external site, opens in a new tab)LinkedIn Help · checked 6 November 2026

Last reviewed 6 November 2026 by the SocialAppFix editorial team against the sources above. Next scheduled review: 6 May 2027. How we write and review guides.

What changed
  • 6 November 2026: First published.

SocialAppFix is an independent guide and is not affiliated with or endorsed by LinkedIn or Microsoft. We never ask for passwords, login codes or payment to fix an account.