LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 740 million members worldwide. As a professional networking platform, LinkedIn allows users to make connections, search for jobs, publish content, participate in industry forums, and more. However, there may come a time when a user wants to deactivate their LinkedIn account temporarily or permanently.
Reasons to Deactivate LinkedIn Account
There are several common reasons why someone may want to deactivate their LinkedIn account:
- Take a break from social media and online networking
- Avoid job recruiters and other unwanted messages
- Prevent current employer from tracking profile changes
- Reevaluate how much personal info to share publicly
- Prepare for an extended leave of absence from work
Deactivating an account gives users the option to take a break from LinkedIn without permanently deleting the profile. The account will remain in deactivated status until the user decides to reactivate it.
How to Deactivate LinkedIn Account
Deactivating a LinkedIn account is simple but not obvious within the platform’s settings. Here are the steps to deactivate a LinkedIn account:
- Login to your LinkedIn account on the desktop site (cannot be done via mobile app)
- Click on your profile image at the top right of your homepage
- Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu
- Scroll down and click “Account preferences” under the Account section
- Click on “Closing account” under the header “Account status and visibility”
- Select “Deactivate account” and click “Continue”
- Confirm account deactivation on the next page
Once you confirm deactivation, your public profile and network connections will no longer be viewable to other members. You can still reactivate your account anytime by logging in with your email and password.
What Happens When You Deactivate LinkedIn
Here’s what happens when you deactivate a LinkedIn account:
- Your profile, connections, and content will no longer be visible to other members
- You won’t appear in search results or “People You May Know” suggestions
- You can’t sign into LinkedIn or use it for authentication
- Job alerts, notifications, & messages will stop
- Your inbox becomes read-only until you reactivate
- You can still reactivate your account at any time
Essentially, deactivating makes your account go dormant, but all your information will still be there when you log back in. However, keep in mind:
- If you deactivate for over 30 days, your connections will need to re-confirm
- After 120 days deactivated, your public profile URL may become available to others
How Long Does Deactivation Last?
A deactivated LinkedIn account can remain dormant indefinitely. There is no time limit on how long deactivation can last. You have complete control to reactivate your account whenever you like. The main timelines to keep in mind are:
- 30 days – Connections will need to re-confirm if account remains deactivated for over 30 days
- 120 days – Your unique public profile URL may become available for others to claim after 120 days of deactivation
- 365 days – After 365 days deactivated, LinkedIn’s user agreement allows them to permanently delete your account and data
So in summary, you can safely deactivate your LinkedIn account temporarily for weeks or months at a time. Just be aware that connections and profile custom URL could be affected after extended deactivation. To keep your account indefinitely, simply log in periodically before 365 days elapses.
How to Permanently Delete LinkedIn
If you want to completely remove your LinkedIn presence instead of temporarily deactivating, you can permanently delete your account. Here’s how:
- Login to account and go to account settings
- Click “Closing account” under “Account status and visibility”
- Select option to “Permanently close account”
- Choose reason for permanently closing account
- Re-enter password to confirm account closure
- Click “Close account”
Once confirmed, your profile and all personal data will be permanently removed from LinkedIn’s servers within 24 hours. This is irreversible, so only delete if you have no need to ever reactivate the account.
Conclusion
In summary, here’s what you need to know about deactivating a LinkedIn account:
- Deactivation removes profile from view temporarily
- Takes only a few clicks to do in account settings
- Account can stay deactivated indefinitely
- You can reactive account anytime by logging in
- Connections may need re-confirm after 30 days deactivated
- Profile URL could become available after 120 days
- Permanent deletion is also an option if you never want to return
Deactivating LinkedIn provides a simple way to take a break from the platform while preserving your profile and connections for later. Just be mindful of the 30 day and 120 day thresholds if you plan to deactivate your account for an extended period of time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deactivating LinkedIn delete your account?
No, deactivating a LinkedIn account does not delete it. Deactivation simply hides your profile and makes your account inaccessible temporarily. All your data remains stored and intact in LinkedIn’s system so you can later reactive with no loss of connections or content.
Can someone see my LinkedIn if deactivated?
No, once your LinkedIn account is deactivated, your public profile and network become hidden and inaccessible to anyone else on LinkedIn. You essentially disappear from view on the platform while deactivated.
Does deactivating LinkedIn delete connections?
Deactivating will not immediately delete your connections. However, if your account remains deactivated for over 30 consecutive days, your connections will need to send a new connection request once you reactivate your profile.
Can I browse LinkedIn deactivated?
No, you cannot browse LinkedIn while your account is in deactivated status. You will be logged out of the platform completely and unable to sign in or view content until you choose to reactivate your account.
Does deactivating remove you from searches?
Yes, deactivating your LinkedIn account will remove your public profile from all search results and “People You May Know” suggestions. You will essentially disappear from view on LinkedIn until your account is reactivated.
Key Takeaways
- Deactivating a LinkedIn account removes your profile/connections temporarily.
- Takes just a few clicks in account settings to deactivate.
- Account can stay deactivated indefinitely with no time limit.
- You’ll disappear from LinkedIn search results while deactivated.
- Can reactivate account anytime by logging back in.