LinkedIn guide
By
Elias Brandt
Elias Brandt writes about marketing, email and analytics tools for Appcyclopedia, working on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 and a Galaxy S25.
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Short answer
Go to linkedin.com and select Join now. Enter your first name, last name and email address, create a password, and select Join now again, or sign up with your Google or Apple account. Confirm the code LinkedIn emails you, then fill in your location and current job.
Use your real name: LinkedIn allows one account per person, in your own name. Company names and nicknames break its rules.
Below: the sign-up steps on a computer and a phone, the profile basics to add first, and the settings to check before you start connecting.
How to sign up for LinkedIn, from Join now to a first profile
To create a LinkedIn account, sign up first and build the profile second. The first group gets you an account in a few minutes; the second makes the profile worth looking at.
-
Create the account
Open linkedin.com and select Join now
Go to linkedin.com in a browser, or install the LinkedIn app on your phone and open it. Select Join now. Check the address bar says linkedin.com before typing anything: fake sign-up pages exist.
-
Enter your name, email and a password
Type your first and last name as they appear on your CV and an email address you use personally. Create a password and select Join now. To skip the password, choose to continue with your Google or Apple account instead.
-
Confirm the code LinkedIn emails you
LinkedIn sends a code to the address you entered. Open the email and type the code into the sign-up page. If it has not arrived after a few minutes, check the spam folder.
-
Add your location and current job, or say you are a student
LinkedIn asks where you live and your most recent job title and company. Students can say so instead. These answers start your profile and shape the people and jobs LinkedIn suggests. The later screens, such as importing contacts, can be skipped.
-
Fill in the profile basics
Add a profile photo
Select Me at the top, then View profile, and select the circle where your photo goes. A clear head-and-shoulders photo is enough. On a phone, tap your photo at the top left, then the circle on your profile.
-
Write a headline
The headline is the line under your name in search results and invitations. It defaults to your job title. Edit it from the pencil icon at the top of your profile to say what you do in a few words, such as “Payroll specialist, Manchester”.
-
Add past jobs and education
Use Add profile section on your profile to add earlier jobs, education and skills. Each one works like a line on your CV, and it is what recruiters search when they look for people like you.
A student looking for a first job: sign up with a personal email address, set the headline to “Business student at the University of Leeds”, add the degree under education and a photo, then turn on job alerts. That is enough for recruiters to find the profile.
Sign up with an email address you will keep: a work address stops working the day you change jobs, and with it your way back into the account.
More about LinkedIn
The professional network for work history, job hunting and industry news.
If the LinkedIn sign-up gets stuck
- The confirmation code never arrives
Check spam and any filters that sort mail into folders. Request a new code from the sign-up page. If the address was mistyped, start again with the right one.
- LinkedIn says the email address is already in use
You, or someone who once had that address, already has an account. Select Sign in and use Forgot password to get into it instead of creating a second one, which the rules do not allow.
- LinkedIn asks for a phone number or more verification
LinkedIn sometimes asks for extra checks when a new account looks unusual to it. Complete the check it shows. Use a number you keep, since it can help you recover the account later.
What to put on a new LinkedIn profile first
A profile with a name and nothing else rarely gets found. These four parts do most of the work, in this order.
| Profile part | Where it shows | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Photo | Next to your name everywhere | People accept invitations from faces they recognise |
| Headline | Under your name in search and invitations | It is what people read before clicking |
| Current job | The top of your profile | It decides which colleagues LinkedIn suggests |
| Education | The education section | Classmates and alumni find you through it |
Fill in the photo and headline before you connect with anyone: they are what people see in the invitation.
Settings to check on a new account
LinkedIn shares some activity with your network by default. Two settings are worth looking at in the first week, both under Me, then Settings & Privacy:
- Share profile updates with your network, under Visibility. With it on, adding a new job tells your connections. Turn it off while you edit the profile, so a dozen small changes do not become a dozen notices.
- Data for Generative AI Improvement, under Data privacy. It decides whether LinkedIn may use your profile and posts to train its AI features.
Which email address to sign up with
The address you sign up with is how you get back into the account, and a LinkedIn profile usually outlives a job.
Sign up with a personal address, not a work one. You can add a work address later as a second email in the settings. Then, if you change jobs, the account stays yours.
What to do after creating your LinkedIn account
The account exists once the code is confirmed; the profile becomes useful once someone would recognise you from it. Ten minutes on the photo, headline, current job and education gets most of the way.
Sign up with your real name and a personal email, then fill in the four profile basics before you start connecting. When you are ready to look for work, turn on job alerts under Jobs for the roles and places you want.
Before you join LinkedIn
- Is LinkedIn free?
- Yes. A free account covers a full profile, connections, messages to your connections and job applications. Premium is an optional paid plan.
- How old do you have to be to join LinkedIn?
- At least 16. Where local law sets a higher age for using the service without parental consent, that age applies.
- Can I have two LinkedIn accounts?
- No. The rules allow one account per person, in your real name. Merge or close a duplicate instead of keeping both.
- Can I sign up without a password?
- Yes. Signing up with your Google or Apple account needs no separate LinkedIn password; you sign in through that account.
Share this guide
Link copied
Was this guide helpful?
What was missing?
Thanks, that helps us.
Test log
Followed the steps? Tell us how it went on your device. Entries appear here after we check them.
- Worked Every step, start to finish · Marta Kowalczyk Team
I tested this
Steps performed and confirmed 11 days ago
When you need this
If you want a LinkedIn profile for job hunting or keeping in touch with colleagues, sign up at linkedin.com with your real name and an email address you will keep. You must be at least 16.
- Describes
- LinkedIn in a browser on a computer · LinkedIn app for iPhone and Android
- Takes
- Five minutes to sign up, ten to fill in the basics
- Platforms
- Web · iOS · Android
- Published
- 12 October 2026
- Facts checked
- 10 October 2026
Steps repeated and verified by 
Marta Kowalczyk
on
- Marta Kowalczyk: the iPhone steps on an iPhone 16 Pro (iOS 27.0.1), the Android steps on a Galaxy A55 (Android 16) and the web steps on a MacBook Air (macOS 27.0.1).
Part of How to create an account in popular apps .
LinkedIn