How to Change Your LinkedIn Password for Enhanced Security

With over 830 million members globally, LinkedIn is the world‘s largest professional networking platform. But its vast cache of sensitive user data also makes it a honeypot for cybercriminals.

To safeguard your personal and company information stored on LinkedIn, having a strong, unique password that you update often is absolutely critical.

In this comprehensive 2600+ word guide, we will walk you through:

• Why changing your LinkedIn password regularly is vital
• Step-by-step instructions for updating credentials on desktop and mobile
• What to do if you forget your password
• Expert tips for creating ultra-secure passwords
• Enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) for added security
• Troubleshooting help if you have issues updating your password
• And much more…

Let‘s get started with why changing your password routinely can protect your LinkedIn presence from malicious attacks.

The Critical Importance of Changing LinkedIn Passwords

Outdated or weak passwords open massive security holes for hackers and cybercriminals to exploit.

Consider these alarming statistics:

• 61% of data breaches occur due to weak or reused passwords, per Verizon‘s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report. This number jumps to 80% for hacking-related breaches specifically.

• The average internet user has over 100 online accounts secured with passwords, reports LastPass. Managing different credentials for every account is impractical. So password reuse runs rampant, greatly magnifying vulnerability.

• It takes just 3-6 months for a stolen password to get used by cybercriminals to access other accounts, according to Verizon.

And when it comes to LinkedIn, the stakes skyrocket thanks to the sheer amount of sensitive information housed on the platform:

• Personal identity information
• Employment history
• Company data
• Proprietary corporate information
• Contact details of business connections
• And more…

With millions of users globally, LinkedIn is a prime target. An analysis by VPN provider SurfShark revealed over 300 million LinkedIn user records are currently being sold on hacker forums and the dark web.

Source: SurfShark 2022 Report

Additionally, LinkedIn‘s member base grew by over 10% in 2022 alone:

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With more members added regularly, the growing LinkedIn user base provides ever-expanding attack surfaces for cybercriminals.

That makes changing your LinkedIn password on a regular basis absolutely vital to limiting your exposure by reducing the window of opportunity for credential stuffing attacks.

Additionally, enabling two-factor authentication and avoiding password reuse across accounts are also crucial best practices, as we will explore throughout this guide.

First, let‘s run through the quick process for changing your LinkedIn password on both desktop and mobile.

Step-by-Step Guide: Changing LinkedIn Password on Desktop

Resetting your LinkedIn credentials via the desktop website takes just a minute or two. Follow these simple steps:

1. Login to your LinkedIn account on any browser.
2. Click your profile icon at the top right corner and select Settings & Privacy from the dropdown menu.
3. Scroll down to the Account section and click the Change password button.
4. Input your current password first.
5. Type your new password, following LinkedIn‘s password rules:
   • Minimum 8 characters
   • At least 1 uppercase letter
   • At least 1 lowercase letter
   • At least 1 number or symbol
6. Retype the new password in the last field to confirm.
7. Click Save changes to update your LinkedIn password.

And that‘s all there is to it! Updating your credentials on LinkedIn‘s mobile apps works similarly.

Changing LinkedIn Password on iPhone or Android

You can also quickly change your LinkedIn password on iOS and Android mobile apps.

On iPhone:

1. Launch the LinkedIn app and tap your profile picture.
2. Tap the Settings icon in the top right.
3. Choose Account > Change password.
4. Enter current and new password. Tap Done.

On Android devices:

1. Tap your profile picture in the LinkedIn app.
2. Tap the menu icon to access Settings.

3. Select Account > Change Password.
4. Input existing and new passwords. Tap Done.

And your LinkedIn password will be updated on mobile! Pretty straightforward.

Now let‘s go over what to do if you get locked out by forgetting your password.

Forgot Your LinkedIn Password? Here‘s How to Reset It

We all forget passwords, so don‘t stress! Resetting a forgotten LinkedIn password takes just seconds.

On the LinkedIn login page, click the Forgot password? link and input the email or phone number on your account. LinkedIn will send a 6-digit verification code to that address.

Input the code you receive and create a new password that meets the requirements.

If you no longer access that email or phone number, click Need more help? and follow the account recovery prompts.

You‘ll likely need to provide info to confirm your identity, such as:

• Profile details
• LinkedIn contacts
• Companies you‘re associated with

After satisfactory verification, LinkedIn will email you a password reset link. Click it to create a new password and regain account access!

Tips for Creating an Ultra-Secure LinkedIn Password

When resetting your password, be sure to make it as strong as possible using these expert tips:

Analyze Password Crack Times Based on Length, Complexity

Use this table to guide minimum password length based on the sensitive data you store on LinkedIn:

Additionally, complexity elements dramatically impact cracking difficulty:

So a randomized 15-character password with upper/lowercase letters, multiple numbers and symbols can take hundreds of years to crack!

Use a Password Generator For Maximum Strength

Randomly generating passwords makes it nearly impossible for anyone to guess them. Sites like PasswordGenerator.net create ultra-secure credentials for you.

You can customize password length and required character types. I recommend setting a minimum length of 14-16 characters for LinkedIn passwords given the sensitivity of data it guards.

Never Reuse Passwords Across Any Accounts!

Password reuse is one of the biggest online security pitfalls. If your creds are leaked from one platform, cyber criminals can access all your other accounts with the same credentials.

• Over half of users reuse passwords across multiple sites, according to LastPass research.

• Reused passwords are behind 81% of hacking breaches, reports Verizon.

So using 100% unique passwords for every online account is an ironclad best practice for security experts.

Since that‘s impractical to manually manage, the next sections cover dedicated password management tools.

Password Managers Comparison – Pros and Cons of Popular Options

Creating dozens of distinctive passwords that you can actually remember is essentially impossible without leveraging password management apps like:

• LastPass
• 1Password
• Dashlane
• Keeper

These tools securely store login credentials in encrypted vaults, autofill them for you, and even randomly generate tough-to-crack passwords.

Many leading password managers offer free versions covering core functionality:

LastPass is hugely popular given its vast platform integrations and free offering for desktop/mobile use with robust core features.

Meanwhile, 1Password is considered the most secure and user-friendly option by many cybersecurity experts. However, it lacks a free tier beyond trial offers.

Enabling Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on LinkedIn

In addition to strong unique passwords, enabling two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of login security.

With 2FA, accessing your LinkedIn account requires two forms of verification – your password plus:

• One-time code from an authenticator app
• Text/SMS code
• Back-up recovery code

So even if cybercriminals steal your password, they can‘t access your account protected by 2FA.

Here are step-by-step instructions to activate LinkedIn two-factor authentication:

1. Click your profile picture and choose Settings & Privacy.
2. Select Security (under Account).
3. Toggle on the button to enable two-step verification.
4. Choose your 2FA method – authenticator app or SMS text message.
5. Follow the setup prompts for your selected 2FA type.

Be sure to store any recovery codes in a safe place, like a password manager, should you lose access to your authentication method.

With both a strong password and 2FA guarding your LinkedIn account, your professional identity and connections have powerful multilayered security.

Up next, let‘s go over troubleshooting tips for common LinkedIn password issues.

Troubleshooting Guide – What If You Still Can‘t Change LinkedIn Password

Despite carefully following the steps above, you may still run into problems changing your LinkedIn password.

Here are fixes for the most common changing password errors:

Invalid Password Error

Double check you are meeting all LinkedIn password criteria:

• Minimum 8 characters
• At least 1 uppercase letter
• At least 1 lowercase letter
• At least 1 number or symbol

Use a password strength checker to validate before trying again.

Connection Issues

Error messages like "We‘re having connection issues" often indicate browser/site conflicts.

Try the following steps:

1. Clear cookies and site data in browser settings then revisit LinkedIn.
2. Disable any VPN connections and reconnect to access LinkedIn.
3. Change to a different web browser or device and attempt password change.

SMS Verification Code Not Received

If resetting a forgotten password, verify your mobile number listed under account settings is correct.

Then attempt resending the verification code – expired codes only remain valid a few minutes.

Check spam folders as filters sometimes block LinkedIn texts. You can also add their number – 347-504-0822 – as a contact.

If issues continue, contact LinkedIn support to resolve potential account discrepancies causing verification failure.

Account Recovery Difficulties

When resetting a forgotten password without access to the registered email or phone number, be prepared to provide substantial verification details.

To reclaim account ownership, you may need to supply info like:

• Profile specifics – name, headline, photo
• Connections by name
• Companies you are associated with

If identity verification still fails repeatedly, again reach out to customer support. Agents can further assist recovering difficult accounts.

Additional LinkedIn Resources and Customer Service Contacts

Hopefully the thorough instructions provided above allow you to seamlessly change your LinkedIn password and enable two-factor authentication.

But if you need any extra assistance, LinkedIn offers customer service through the following channels:

Self-Help Articles

LinkedIn‘s extensive Help Center contains articles with step-by-step directions on account security topics including:

• Changing forgotten password
• Recovering compromised account
• Setting up two-step verification
• Managing backup codes

Contact Support

You can also contact LinkedIn support specialists directly via:

• Live chat from help center pages or your LinkedIn inbox
• Email by selecting "Contact Us" in account settings then choosing support inquiry type
• Phone – Call the number displayed atop your account settings page

Support hours are Monday to Friday from 9am – 6pm in your local time zone.

Key Takeaways – Protect Your LinkedIn Presence

As the world‘s premier professional networking platform used by over 830 million members, LinkedIn contains career gold – personal profiles, business contacts, company pages, messaging history.

That incredible cache makes it irresistible for hackers. An estimated 300+ million LinkedIn accounts are already being sold on dark web marketplaces.

So making full use of security features like regularly changing passwords and enabling two-factor authentication is mission critical.

By leveraging the detailed instructions provided throughout this 2600+ word guide, you can significantly strengthen your LinkedIn account protections with these vital best practices:

• Update Passwords Frequently – Change passwords every 90 days at minimum to limit attack surfaces from potential breaches across the web.

• Create Ultra Secure Passwords – Use randomly generated credentials that are 15+ characters and pack upper/lowercase letters with multiple special symbols and numbers to maximize complexity.

• Never Reuse Passwords – Identical credentials across multiple accounts make damaging domino effects from an individual breach much more likely.

• Use a Password Manager – Tools like LastPass eliminate the headache of trying to manually manage different complex passwords for every account.

• Enable Two-Factor Authentication – Adding an extra login step with one-time codes from an authenticator app or SMS texts blocks unauthorized access attempts.

So be sure to leverage these tips and step-by-step walkthroughs above to lock down your LinkedIn account. By proactively securing your professional identity and connections, you insulate your career from cyberattacks.