How to change LinkedIn URL: claim a clean custom profile address on desktop or mobile, and know what happens to the old one.

How to change LinkedIn URL: the short answer

How to change LinkedIn URL in one line: open your profile, click the Edit icon next to Public profile & URL, then edit the custom URL and click Save. You can only change the last part, the text after linkedin.com/in/. Everything else on your profile stays as it is.

LinkedIn calls the result a custom public profile URL. Most people call it a vanity URL. It replaces the address LinkedIn assigned when you created your profile, which often ends in a string of letters and numbers, with something readable such as your name.

Before you change it, know the rules. LinkedIn Help sets a length of 3 to 100 characters, bans spaces, symbols, special characters and the word LinkedIn, and allows up to five changes within six months. Your old URL stays linked to you for six months unless you unlink it.

Assigned URL vs custom public profile URL, the LinkedIn vanity URL

Your profile can have two kinds of address. LinkedIn Help separates them clearly, and the difference explains why some people see a URL they cannot edit.

On the Public profile settings page, LinkedIn shows the assigned one under the label Assigned URL cannot be changed. The custom URL is the one you share, and it is the one people see when they open your public profile.

Why customize your LinkedIn profile URL

LinkedIn Help says a custom public profile URL helps other members and recruiters identify your profile easily and connect with you. It also notes that some job applications ask for your LinkedIn public profile URL, which is where a clean address earns its keep.

• Easier to share: a name-based link fits on a resume, a business card or a slide, and people can type it without copying.
• Easier to trust: a link with your name in it looks deliberate in an email signature or a cold message.
• Easier to say: you can read linkedin.com/in/yourname out loud at an event or on a call.
• Consistent brand: the same handle on your profile, website and portfolio makes you easier to find.

How to find your LinkedIn profile URL

Before you change anything, find the current address. LinkedIn Help says the URL only appears if your profile is public, and that it always starts with www.linkedin.com/in.

On desktop

Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage, then View Profile. Your public profile URL is shown under Public profile & URL on the right pane. Copy it from there.

In the LinkedIn app

Tap your profile photo, then tap it again to open your profile. Tap the More icon next to the Add section button, then Contact info. The URL is listed under the Your Profile section.

In a mobile browser

Tap your profile photo and scroll down to the Contact section. Your public profile URL is listed under LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Help adds a desktop shortcut: click Resources on your profile and choose Send profile in a message to share the link inside LinkedIn Messaging.

How to change your LinkedIn URL on desktop

These steps follow the Desktop tab of the LinkedIn Help article on managing your public profile URL. If LinkedIn moves a button, look for the section names used here: Public profile & URL and Edit your custom URL.

1. Open your profile

   Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage, then click View Profile.

2. Open Public profile & URL

   On your profile page, click the Edit icon next to Public profile & URL on the right pane.

3. Edit your custom URL

   Under Edit your custom URL on the right pane, click the Edit icon next to your current public profile URL.

4. Type the new ending

   Type or edit the last part of the new custom public profile URL in the text box. Only the part after linkedin.com/in/ can be changed.

5. Save and check

   Click Save, then open the new address in a private browser window to confirm it loads your profile.

If the ending you want is not available, someone else already holds it. Jump to the section on taken URLs below.

How to change your LinkedIn URL on mobile

You can change your LinkedIn URL on mobile. LinkedIn Help documents two paths: one in the LinkedIn app and one in a mobile browser. Both end on the same Public profile settings page.

In the LinkedIn app (iPhone and Android)

1. Tap your profile photo, then tap it again to open your profile.
2. Tap the More icon next to the Add section button, then tap Contact info.
3. Tap the Edit icon on the upper right.
4. On the Edit contact info page, tap your Profile URL. You are taken to the Public profile settings page.
5. Under Edit your custom URL, tap the Edit icon next to your public profile URL.
6. Type or edit the last part of the new custom URL and tap Save.

In a mobile browser

1. Tap your profile photo.
2. Scroll to the Contact section and tap the Edit icon.
3. On the Edit contact info page, tap your Profile URL to open Public profile settings.
4. Under Edit your custom URL, tap the Edit icon, type the new ending and tap Save.

If a menu item is missing in the app, update the LinkedIn app first, or use the desktop steps in a browser. LinkedIn Help shows the same Edit your custom URL screen on every path.

LinkedIn URL rules: length, characters and case

LinkedIn Help lists the rules in the notes of its public profile URL article. This table puts them in one place, with what each one means in practice.

Because the ending is case insensitive, you can use capitals where they help reading, for example on a printed resume, and the link still works when someone types it in lowercase.

How often can you change your LinkedIn URL?

LinkedIn Help says you can change your custom public profile URL up to five times within six months. After the fifth change, you cannot change it again for another six months.

LinkedIn Help also warns that changing it several times may make it hard for people to find you. Every change breaks the copy of the link printed on old resumes, cards and slides once the previous URL is released.

If you change it and regret it, LinkedIn Help says you should be able to revert to your old URL immediately. If you cannot, it asks you to contact LinkedIn.

What happens to your old LinkedIn URL

The previous address does not disappear the moment you save a new one. LinkedIn Help describes a protected period, and then a short gap before anyone else can take it.

• Six months linked: the previous custom URL stays linked to you for six months unless you unlink it, and other members cannot claim it in that time.
• Seven days hidden: once a custom URL is unlinked, it is not visible to other members for seven days. After that, they can claim it.
• Profile Not Found: visiting a custom URL that has since been claimed may show a Profile Not Found page, so update every copy of the old link.
• Closed accounts: when an account is closed, its custom URL becomes available 180 days after the closing date.

How to see and unlink prior custom URLs

LinkedIn Help lets you review old endings that might still point to you. On desktop, open Public profile & URL from your profile. In the app or mobile browser, go through Contact info and tap your Profile URL.

• See prior custom URLs: click See prior custom URLs that might be linked to you to get a list of earlier custom addresses, if any.
• Unlink one: click unlink next to the URL you want to release. The seven-day hidden period then starts.
• Check the assigned URL: it is displayed under Assigned URL cannot be changed.

Only unlink an old ending once your resume, signature and website use the new one. Until then, the old link keeps sending people to you.

LinkedIn URL format ideas

These patterns were written for this page, using a made-up name, Alex Rivera, as a placeholder. Swap in your own name and check availability in the edit box. LinkedIn Help recommends a variation of your name or your professional brand.

Keep the ending the same as the name on your resume and your email address where you can. If you are still building the rest of the profile, our guide on how to create a LinkedIn profile covers the sections that matter before you share the link.

Endings to avoid

• Job titles that will change: a URL with your current title goes out of date with your next promotion.
• Employer names: the link outlives the job, and your profile stays yours when you leave.
• Birth years and random numbers: they look like the assigned URL you are trying to replace.
• Nicknames and jokes: the address appears on applications and proposals.

What to do when the URL you want is taken

LinkedIn Help is direct about this: if the custom URL you want is not available, select a different one. LinkedIn cannot make custom URLs available to members on request, even if the current holder looks inactive.

Work down the format ideas above in order: middle initial, full first name, name plus field. Try the version you would be happy to say out loud. If someone recently changed away from the ending you want, LinkedIn Help's six-month and seven-day periods mean it may become free later.

How to change a LinkedIn company page URL

A company Page has its own address, and only a super admin can change it. LinkedIn Help gives these steps for a LinkedIn Page or Showcase Page:

1. Go to your Page super admin view.
2. Click Edit page in the left menu.
3. Click the Page info tab.
4. Click the LinkedIn Public URL box and type the new name.
5. Click the Save button in the upper-right corner.

The Page rules differ from the profile rules. LinkedIn Help says the primary URL can be edited at any time but not more than once in a 30-day period.

Changing the Page name does not change the URL, and LinkedIn asks you to update the company name first and match the URL to it as closely as possible.

After a change, both the old and new Page URL go to your Page. But if another admin requests your old URL, it can be reassigned to their Page and stop redirecting to yours. LinkedIn Help also says search engines may take a few weeks to direct traffic to the new address.

Profile URL vs company Page URL

Change the Page URL when you rebrand, not for style. The company Page address sits in ads, job posts and employee profiles, and it is the anchor of your LinkedIn marketing strategy.

Where to use your LinkedIn URL: email signature, resume and more

A custom URL only pays off where people see it. LinkedIn Help's page on promoting your public profile mentions creating a personal URL and adding a View profile badge to an online resume, blog or website.

If you use LinkedIn for outreach, the link also goes into cold emails and introductions. A clean address next to your name helps when you introduce yourself in an email to someone who will check you out before replying.

An email signature line with your LinkedIn URL

This signature was written for this page. Keep it plain text so it survives replies, forwards and mobile mail apps.

{{fullName}}
{{jobTitle}}, {{company}}
{{phone}} | {{email}}
linkedin.com/in/{{customUrl}}

Public profile visibility, search engines and country codes

A custom URL only works for people outside LinkedIn if your profile is public. LinkedIn Help says the URL will not appear at all without a public profile, and that you control which sections people who are not signed in can see.

• Visibility toggle: on desktop, the Edit icon next to Public profile & URL also holds Your profile's public visibility and a toggle for each section.
• Search engines: LinkedIn Help says changes can take several weeks or months to show in Google, Yahoo or Bing, and LinkedIn does not control that timing.
• Sign-in prompts: even with a public profile, people who are not members may be asked to sign in to see parts of it.
• Country codes: in some countries the URL starts with a two-letter code, such as ca.linkedin.com. Change your country and the URL changes too; LinkedIn Help says old URLs still work.
• Language profiles: they share your URL, with a language code such as fr added at the end.

Before and after you change it: a checklist

This checklist was written for this page. It keeps the change from breaking links you have already handed out.

If you do outreach, the CRM step matters more than it looks. Saved snippets and sequences keep the old address long after you have forgotten it. The same goes for profile links in your LinkedIn prospecting messages.

Common mistakes when changing your LinkedIn URL

• Changing it again and again. LinkedIn Help caps changes at five in six months and warns that frequent changes make you hard to find.
• Adding the word LinkedIn. LinkedIn Help says the custom URL should not contain it.
• Using symbols or spaces. They are not allowed; letters and numbers are the safe choice.
• Unlinking the old URL too early. Old resumes and signatures stop reaching you, and after seven days someone else can claim it.
• Tying it to an employer or title. The URL should outlast the job.
• Forgetting the profile is private. Without a public profile, there is no public URL to share.
• Expecting Google to update at once. LinkedIn Help says search tools can take weeks or months.
• Asking LinkedIn to free a taken URL. LinkedIn Help says it cannot make URLs available on request.

A clean URL is one small part of a profile that works. Pair it with a clear LinkedIn headline so the people who click the link understand what you do, and see LinkedIn networking for what to do once they connect.

The signature to copy

The template below is the plain-text signature from this guide, ready to paste into your mail client. Replace the placeholders with your details and the custom URL you just saved. More on the platform itself is in our LinkedIn glossary entry.

{{fullName}}
{{jobTitle}}, {{company}}
{{phone}} | {{email}}
linkedin.com/in/{{customUrl}}

Frequently asked questions