Create a LinkedIn account without a phone number

LinkedIn's sign-up form asks for an email address, not a phone number. A phone prompt can still show up partway through, and LinkedIn's help explains when.

Short answer: yes. You can create a LinkedIn account with just your name, an email address and a password. LinkedIn says it "may" ask for a phone number during registration if it detects suspicious activity, so the number is not a standard step. Once you are in, you can confirm your email and set up recovery without one.

Does LinkedIn require a phone number to sign up?

No. LinkedIn's help page Sign up to join LinkedIn lists the fields as your first and last name, an email address and a password. We loaded the live sign-up page at linkedin.com/signup on November 1, 2026, and the first screen had exactly four fields: Email, Password, First name and Last name, then an Agree & Join button. There was no phone field. We did not create an account, so the table below separates what the form shows from what LinkedIn says can come later.

Step	What LinkedIn asks	Phone needed?
Sign-up form	Email, password, first and last name	No
Security check, if shown	A CAPTCHA, with an audio option	No
Phone check, if shown	"A phone number to verify your registration"	Yes, when LinkedIn shows it
Confirm your email	A link sent to the address you used	No
Recovery and 2FA, optional	Second email, phone number or authenticator app	No, if you pick email and an app

LinkedIn also lets you join with Google or Apple sign-in, which it says "does not require a password." That route ties LinkedIn to your Google or Apple account instead of a password you set.

When LinkedIn asks for a phone number anyway

Two LinkedIn pages say a number can come up during sign-up. Its page on security verification during registration says: "We may use security prompts when you register for your account if we detect suspicious web activity." One of those prompts is phone verification: "When you sign up for an account, you may be asked to enter a phone number to verify your registration." The code arrives by SMS or voice call.

Its page on verifying your phone number puts it the same way: "When you sign up for LinkedIn, you may be asked to provide your phone number as a way to confirm your account."

LinkedIn does not publish what counts as suspicious activity. What it does publish is the other prompt it uses first, a CAPTCHA, which it describes as a way to tell people from "automatic, computer-generated attempts typically used by spammers." So the phone step is a fraud check, not part of the normal form.

Why LinkedIn wants your number

LinkedIn has a page called How LinkedIn uses your phone number, and it is worth reading before you hand one over. In LinkedIn's words, a number you provide may be used:

"To help secure your account if we detect suspicious activity", for two-factor codes.
"To prevent abuse": "we can ask you to provide your phone number as an additional authentication method to prove you're a real person."
"To help you reset your password", which LinkedIn switches on automatically for your first number.
"To help others find you": "If someone uploads their address book and your phone number is included, we may suggest them as a connection."
"To verify your identity", in limited cases.

LinkedIn adds that the number "won't appear on your profile unless you add it to the Contact Info section." The fourth item is the one most people don't expect. A phone number on your account can link you to anyone who has you saved in their contacts and uploads them. LinkedIn says you can control this in your phone number visibility settings.

How to create a LinkedIn account without a phone number

Go to linkedin.com/signup. This is the page LinkedIn's help points to.
Enter an email address you will keep. LinkedIn asks you not to use one "associated with an office, position, or task, such as marketing@company.com." A personal address is the safer choice anyway, since a work address disappears when you change jobs.
Set a password and enter your real first and last name. LinkedIn says "you must use your true name" and that company names and pseudonyms are not allowed.
Select Agree & Join. If a CAPTCHA appears, complete it. LinkedIn offers an audio version and a "Try a different image" link if the picture is hard to read.
If a phone prompt appears, decide whether to continue. LinkedIn's help documents no alternative to that specific prompt, so this is the point where a number becomes part of the account. If you add one here, you can remove it later (see below).
Confirm your email. LinkedIn's page on verifying your email says new accounts need it, and that a confirmed address is what lets you send messages and apply for jobs. If the email doesn't arrive, check spam, or resend it from Settings & Privacy > Sign in & security > Email addresses.
Add a second email. In the same Email addresses screen, select Add email address. LinkedIn says it "can only send a password reset link to confirmed email addresses," so a second confirmed address is your phone-free backup.

Set up recovery and two-factor without a number

LinkedIn's two-factor authentication overview offers two methods: text message or an authenticator app. It says LinkedIn "recommends the authenticator app as the preferred two-factor authentication method." An authenticator app runs on a phone, but it doesn't need your phone number on the account.

To turn it on, go to Me > Settings & Privacy > Sign in & security > Two-factor authentication, select Set up and choose Authenticator App. LinkedIn notes that Recruiter, Campaign Manager and Sales Navigator all require two-factor authentication, so if you use those, the authenticator app is the way to meet that rule without a number.

If you ever lose every email and phone on the account, LinkedIn's no access to email page says it can restore access by asking you to verify your identity with a government ID through Persona, its verification provider. That is slow, which is why the second email matters.

How to remove a phone number from LinkedIn

If LinkedIn made you add a number at sign-up, or you added one years ago, you can take it off. LinkedIn's page on adding and removing mobile numbers gives the path:

Click the Me icon, then Settings & Privacy.
Select Sign in & security, then Phone numbers under Account access.
Click Remove next to the number. You may be asked for your password, a code sent to your email, or an approval in the LinkedIn app.

Before you remove it, check two things. If the number is your text-message two-factor method, switch two-factor to an authenticator app first. And make sure you have at least one confirmed email you can open, because that becomes your only way to reset your password.

What not to do

Don't use a "receive SMS online" number. Those numbers are public, so anyone can read the codes sent to them. If LinkedIn later uses that number for a password reset, a stranger could get the reset code.
Don't open a second profile to dodge the prompt. LinkedIn's sign-up page says "creating multiple profiles is not allowed," and its account restrictions page says profiles that "do not reflect your true identity" can be restricted.
Don't sign up with a work address only. LinkedIn's own advice is "at least one personal address and one work address," so you can still get in after you leave a job.

The email you sign up with matters too

The address you give LinkedIn is the key to the account. Recovery links go there, and so does every job alert and connection request. If your email provider made you hand over a number, the phone has come back in through a different door. We cover what Google and Microsoft ask in creating a Gmail without a phone number and creating an Outlook account without a phone number, and what to do if you get locked out in recovering an email account without a phone number.

Secria Mail's sign-up is a name, the address you want and a password: no phone number and no card. You save a 12-word recovery phrase when you sign up, so recovery doesn't depend on a number either. The free plan includes 1 GB and 2 email aliases, so you can give LinkedIn an alias and keep your main address private. Our email without a phone number page has more, or you can create a free account.

However you sign up, finish with a second confirmed email and an authenticator app, and the phone number becomes optional for good.

FAQ

Can I join LinkedIn without a phone number? Yes. The sign-up form asks for your name, email and password. LinkedIn says it may ask for a phone number only if it detects suspicious activity during registration.

Why is LinkedIn asking for my phone number when I sign up? LinkedIn says it uses security prompts "if we detect suspicious web activity," and phone verification is one of them. It also says it may ask for a number "to prevent abuse" and "to prove you're a real person."

Can I remove my phone number from LinkedIn after signing up? Yes. Go to Settings & Privacy > Sign in & security > Phone numbers and select Remove. Switch two-factor to an authenticator app first if the number receives your codes.

How do I reset my LinkedIn password without a phone number? Use Forgot password on the sign-in screen and enter your email address. LinkedIn sends reset links only to confirmed email addresses, so confirm a second one in advance.

Does LinkedIn show my phone number on my profile? Not by default. LinkedIn says numbers added for security "won't be displayed on your LinkedIn profile" unless you add them to the Contact Info section yourself.