If you have two separate Lens accounts — for example, one created with a professional work email address and one created with a personal email address, or an institutional email address — you can request to merge them into a single account. Merging consolidates your data so everything lives in one place, making your data and profile even easier to manage.
Important: before you begin, please note the following:
- The account you initiate the merge from (Account A) will be permanently deleted after the merge is complete.
- The account you merge into (Account B) will be kept and will receive the transferred data.
- A merge cannot be undone once confirmed by both parties. Review all selections carefully before finalising. We recommend downloading your data from your Account Settings > Privacy > Data & Usage as a backup before you run this process.
- Any users with subscriptions on both accounts should contact us prior to attempting a merge if they want to retain their subscriptions.
How the Merge Process Works
Step 1 — (Account A) Submits a Merge Request
Log into the account you want to merge from (Account A). You’ll then need to navigate to Account Settings > Privacy > Data & Usage, and locate the Merge Account option. Fill in the request form:
- Email address of (Account B) — the account you want to merge into
- Captcha — to confirm you are not a bot (if applicable)
- Click Send Merge Request.
If an account with that email address exists in the Lens database, you will receive a confirmation email at Account A’s address with a link to proceed to Step 2. N.B: If no account is found for the email address you entered, you will see an error message. Double-check the email address or ask the owner of Account B to confirm which email they registered with.
Step 2 — (Account A) Confirms the Merge Details
Open the link sent to (Account A’s) email. This link takes you to a merge confirmation page where you review exactly what will happen. On this page you will need to:
Confirm account deletion
Check the box to acknowledge that (Account A) will be permanently deleted once the merge is complete. This step is required to proceed.
Review the data being transferred
Review all the data from (Account A) which will be moved into (Account B). Each data type shows the number of items available and weather there may be any potential conflicts.
Provide a reason
Enter a brief reason for the merge (for example, “Duplicate account created through my university”). This helps the Lens team if any issues arise.
Once submitted, (Account B) will receive an email asking them to review and approve the merge.
Step 3 — (Account B) Reviews the Merge Request
The owner of (Account B) receives an email notification with a link to review the incoming merge request. (Account B) should review this information carefully and only approve if they recognise (Account A) and consent to receiving the merged data. The review page shows:
- Which account is requesting to merge (Account A’s email and profile)
- The data selected for transfer and the quantities involved
- The stated reason for the merge
Step 4 — (Account B) Confirms and Finalises
To finalise the merge, the owner of Account B must confirm their identity:
- If already logged into (Account B): click Approve Merge to confirm.
- If not currently logged in: enter the (Account B) password when prompted, then click Approve Merge.
This password step ensures that only the legitimate owner of (Account B) can authorise the merge.
What Happens After Confirmation
Once (Account B) approves, the merge runs as a background process. You do not need to keep your browser open.
- (Account B) will receive email notifications with status updates as the merge progresses.
- (Account A) will be automatically logged out and the account will be deactivated. Once the merge is complete, Account A is permanently deleted.
- (Account B) will reflect the newly transferred data — collections, reports, inventorship, or whichever items were selected.
Processing time may vary depending on the volume of data being transferred. If you do not receive a completion notification within 24 hours, contact Lens Support.