How to Delete LinkedIn Account Permanently (2024)

Linkedin is one of the most valuable social media platforms out there. People can make their living from it.  It’s a perfect place to connect with professionals who can help in developing your careers. 

So, it’s unfortunate if you’re looking for “how to delete a Linkedin account.” 

However, despite all the benefits, there are probably two reasons why you might want to delete your LinkedIn account:

1. You’re spending too much time on the platform, and it’s affecting your personal life. 
2. You don’t understand how to use the platform effectively. 

So, if you’ve decided to close your Linkedin account because of these reasons, we’ve shared a complete guide on how to do it easily. 

You may also think about what happens after deleting your Linkedin account. Will you be able to recover your account once deleted? How long does it take to delete your Linkedin account permanently? 

We’ve answered all these questions here in this article so that you can make an informed decision. 

So, without further ado, let’s get started!

How to Delete Linkedin Account From Desktop

Please follow the below-mentioned steps to delete your LinkedIn account from Desktop:

• Log in to your LinkedIn account with all the required credentials. 
• Click on Me, located right below your profile icon.

• Click on Select & Privacy from the drop-down menu.

• Select  Account Preferences and then click on Account Management. 

• Now scroll and select the Change option in the Close Account section.

• Now, from the list, choose a reason for closing your account. And describe why you’re closing your account. 

• Then, click on the Next button located at the bottom.
• Linkedin will ask you to verify your account by typing your password. Next, click on Close Account to complete the process. 

How to Delete Linkedin Account From Linkedin Mobile App

You can follow these step-by-step processes to delete your account from the Linkedin Mobile app. Android or iOS, no matter what device you use, the process will be the same. 

• Log into your LinkedIn account with your registered email id and password. 
• Tap on your profile icon, located at the top left corner.
• Tap on Settings, which is located next to the View Profile option.

• Now, tap on the Account Preferences option. 

• Tap on the Close Account option at the bottom of the app.

• Select Continue and provide a reason for deleting. 
• For confirmation, type your password and select Done.
• Linkedin will notify you that they’re sorry about seeing you go and data loss. But, once you tap on to continue, your account will get set for deletion. 

What Happens When You Delete Your Linkedin Account? 

So, now that you know how to delete a LinkedIn account easily, you may wonder what happens after. 

Well, to help you out here, we’ve summarized all the things you can expect after closing your account:

• You’ll lose access to all your networks or connections.
• Your LinkedIn profile won’t be visible to your connections or LinkedIn users. 
• You’ll lose all the saved information, recommendations, and endorsements on your profile. 
• If you’re subscribed to LinkedIn’s premium membership, you have to cancel the membership first. You have to continue with a basic membership to delete the account.
• Linkedin lets you download a copy of your data.

How Long Does it Take For a LinkedIn Account to Close?

Once you close your Linkedin account, your data will stop appearing to other users on LinkedIn within 24 hours. However, it will take around 30 days for LinkedIn to close all your account data completely. 

Here, you should note that your account may appear on search engines like Google and Bing even after a specific period. The apparent reason behind this is, search engines update slower than other individual websites. So, make sure to give it at least 14 days to clear all the caches and permanently delete your account. 

Can You Deactivate LinkedIn Without Deleting it?

Unfortunately, Linkedin doesn’t have an option to deactivate your account temporarily. 

Instead, what you can do is, pause or hibernate your account while keeping all your network and data intact. The Linkedin Hibernate feature will help you to do that. 

Here’s what LinkedIn hibernate feature can do: 

• Profile visibility: Your LinkedIn profile will be hidden. It won’t be visible to any of your connections. 
• Recommendations and endorsements: All the recommendations and endorsements you’ve given to your connections will stay the same. However, your profile will be shown as “A LinkedIn Member” until you reactivate your profile. 
• Messages: Messages you’ve sent or exchanged with others will remain unchanged. But, your profile will be visible as “A LinkedIn Member.”
• Searches: When you hibernate your account, it won’t appear in searches on LinkedIn. It won’t be visible even on other Linkedin products like Recruiter. 
• Posts and Comments: Your posts and comments will remain the same, but your profile photo will be replaced with a generic icon, and you’ll be identified as “A LinkedIn Member”. 

Here’s how you can hibernate your LinkedIn account: 

• Step 1: Click on the Me icon located at the top of your LinkedIn feed and tap on Settings and Privacy
• Step 2: Select the Account preferences option.
• Step 3: Now, tap on the Account Management option.
• Step 4: Next, select Change located right next to Hibernate account.
• Step 5: Now, LinkedIn will ask you to describe why you want to hibernate your account.
• Step 6: Lastly, enter your LinkedIn password and select Hibernate account to deactivate your account temporarily.

Note: If you’re an admin of a LinkedIn group, LinkedIn may ask you to take additional steps before hibernating your account. So, make sure to follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. 

Can You Get Your Deleted Linkedin Account Back?

Once you’ve deleted your LinkedIn account, you can get it back within the 14-day limit. Beyond the time limit, reactivation will fail. LinkedIn will permanently erase all your saved data like endorsements, pending invitations, group memberships, and followings. And you’ll not be able to get your profile back. 

You can follow the below-mentioned steps to get back your deleted account: 

• Step 1: Log in to your Linkedin account with the registered email address and password. 
• Step 2: Once logged in, tap on the Reactivate option.
• Step 3: Linkedin will send you a confirmation email to your registered email account. 
• Step 4: After receiving the email, confirm it to reopen your deleted account. 

Wrapping Up

There you go! We helped you to learn how to delete your LinkedIn account, how to deactivate it, and re-open it if needed. 

Before wrapping up, we’ll also suggest you not completely close your Linkedin account. After all, the platform can work like a wonder if you know how to use it, make sure to give little time and patience to understand Linkedin. 

However, if you’ve already made up your mind to delete your account permanently, we hope this step-by-step guide was helpful to you. 

We would love to hear your thoughts about this blog. So, make sure to leave a comment.