Unable to log in or reset password in linkedin. "Something unexpected happened" and "Challenge failed" errors

This requires a LinkedIn Member Support case; Microsoft Q&A and Microsoft 365 support cannot inspect the LinkedIn account, remove a restriction, or perform identity verification.

Submit the account-access issue to LinkedIn

LinkedIn’s official support-routing guidance directs member account configuration, policy-enforcement, and platform UI problems to LinkedIn Customer Support.^1^

1. Open LinkedIn Member Support.
2. Use the Help Center’s support assistant or contact option.
3. Select the closest category for:
   • Sign-in and account access
   • Password reset not working
   • Restricted or compromised account, if offered
4. Explain that you cannot sign in, so any reply and verification instructions must be sent to an email address you can currently access.
5. Include:
   • The exact errors: “Something unexpected happened” and “Challenge failed.”
   • The email address or phone number associated with the account.
   • Your LinkedIn public profile URL, if known.
   • Approximate date of the last successful sign-in.
   • Screenshots with personal data and verification codes redacted.
   • A concise list of the browser, app, device, and network tests already completed.
6. Complete only the identity-verification process supplied through LinkedIn’s official support flow. Do not send an identity document through an ordinary email or public Q&A post.

Suggested case description:

I cannot access my LinkedIn member account. Website sign-in and password recovery both return “Something unexpected happened,” while Google sign-in in the mobile app returns “Challenge failed.” The problem occurs across multiple devices and networks after clearing site data, disabling extensions, updating the clients, and disabling VPN/private DNS. Please review the account’s access status and provide the appropriate identity-verification or recovery process. I can receive replies at my accessible contact email.

Important distinctions

• These errors alone do not establish that LinkedIn placed a security flag or policy restriction on the account. LinkedIn Support must determine the account state.
• An empty Where you’re signed in list does not provide a recovery path when the account itself cannot be accessed.
• Do not use Microsoft account-recovery forms: they recover Microsoft accounts, not LinkedIn member accounts.
• The LinkedIn developer vetting appeal form is also inapplicable; it is for API application-access decisions, not personal account login recovery.^1^
• Since private browsing, cache removal, different browsers, updated clients, and different networks have already failed, repeating those local troubleshooting steps is unlikely to add useful diagnostic information.

If the Help Center requires authentication before showing contact options, use its signed-out support assistant and look specifically for the cannot access account path. The available Microsoft documentation confirms the LinkedIn Member Support destination but does not document the current signed-out form screens or promise that LinkedIn can manually remove a particular account restriction.

References

1. LinkedIn API Partner Support