Many LinkedIn users may wonder, how long does it take for a LinkedIn account to be permanently deleted after requesting account closure? The answer depends on a few key factors.
When you request account closure on LinkedIn, the platform goes through a two-step process: account deactivation followed by permanent account deletion. During deactivation, your profile and data become inaccessible to other users on LinkedIn. Permanent deletion occurs after a period of time, which removes your data from LinkedIn’s servers.
The exact timelines vary based on the type of account and local data regulations. But in most cases, closure and permanent deletion take between 1-3 months.
Here’s a more detailed look at the account closure process on LinkedIn and how long it takes at each step:
How to Close a LinkedIn Account
To begin the account closure process, you need to access LinkedIn’s privacy settings and request account closure. Here are the steps:
- Log into your LinkedIn account on the desktop site.
- Click on the Me icon at the top of your homepage.
- Select Settings & Privacy from the dropdown menu.
- Click the Privacy tab.
- Scroll down and click Close account.
- Select a reason for closure from the dropdown menu.
- Re-enter your account password.
- Click Close Account.
Once you complete these steps, LinkedIn will immediately restrict access to your profile and begin the account deactivation process.
Step 1: Account Deactivation
After you submit a request to close your account, the first step is account deactivation.
During deactivation:
- Your profile will no longer appear in LinkedIn’s search results or be viewable by other members.
- You will be logged out of LinkedIn on all devices.
- You won’t be able to log back into your account.
- Your connections will no longer see your profile or be able to interact with you on LinkedIn.
Account deactivation happens immediately after you request closure. So as soon as you complete the steps above, your profile and account will essentially “disappear” from LinkedIn’s platform from the perspective of other users.
However, your data is still retained on LinkedIn’s servers during the deactivation period. Full deletion happens later.
Step 2: Permanent Account Deletion
After a set period of time, LinkedIn will permanently delete your account data from its servers. The length of time depends on your account type:
Account Type | Time Until Permanent Deletion |
---|---|
Individual member accounts | 30 days after deactivation |
Premium Business & Sales Navigator accounts | 90 days after deactivation |
Employer company pages | 14 days after deactivation |
Educational organization pages | 30 days after deactivation |
So for most individual LinkedIn members, it takes about 1 month (30 days) for permanent account deletion after initiating closure.
For Premium Business accounts, Sales Navigator licenses, and employer company pages, it takes 90, 90, and 14 days respectively.
The waiting period allows you to reactivate your account if you change your mind. But after the set time elapses, LinkedIn will permanently purge your data from its servers.
What Gets Deleted During Account Closure?
When your account is permanently deleted, LinkedIn removes all of your personal data from its platform, including:
- Your profile details – info, work experience, education, etc.
- Your connections list and contact details
- Group memberships
- Posts, comments and reactions
- Messages and conversations
- Notifications and preferences
- Any other personal data associated with your account
Essentially, it will be as if you never had a LinkedIn account after deletion is complete. All records of your presence on LinkedIn will be erased.
However, there are a couple of exceptions:
- Public profiles and comments – If you engaged with public figures, those public posts may still be visible after your account closure.
- Insights based on your data – While your personal data is removed, LinkedIn may retain aggregated analytics to improve their services.
But all identifying information tied to your account will be deleted. You effectively “disappear” from LinkedIn after permanent account deletion.
Can a Deleted LinkedIn Account Be Recovered?
No, a deleted LinkedIn account cannot be recovered or reactivated. The account deletion process is designed to be permanent.
Some key things to know:
- During the deactivation period before permanent deletion, you can still log back into your account and cancel the closure request.
- But once the waiting period is over, your deletion cannot be reversed.
- LinkedIn does not have mechanisms to retrieve or restore deleted accounts.
- Getting your old username or vanity URL back isn’t possible either.
So if you do decide to close your LinkedIn account permanently, be certain before you click that closure request button.
However, nothing stops you from creating a brand new LinkedIn account in the future if you change your mind. You’ll just be starting fresh without your old data.
Why You May Want to Delete Your LinkedIn Account
There are a few common reasons people request permanent account deletion from LinkedIn:
- You’re leaving the professional world entirely.
- You want a fresh start for your career or online presence.
- You’re concerned about your privacy and data security.
- You want to limit social media use and online distractions.
- You had a bad experience on LinkedIn.
- Your account was hacked or compromised.
Essentially, permanent deletion allows you to completely disconnect and remove your personal data from LinkedIn’s platform. For some, that’s important for privacy and mental health reasons.
What Happens to Your Data After LinkedIn Account Closure?
When your waiting period ends and permanent account deletion goes through, LinkedIn removes all your personal data from its live databases.
However, LinkedIn may retain some data in backups and archives that are disconnected from its active systems:
- Backups are taken regularly for emergency recovery purposes.
- Archives compile long-term records and insights without personal identifiers.
So remnants of your data could continue to reside in those disconnected systems. But your information will be inaccessible to other users and removed from LinkedIn’s visible platforms.
Ultimately, LinkedIn aims to get rid of unnecessary data over time when reasonable. But backups and archives allow them to comply with legal obligations, analyze long-term trends, and reconstruct data if systems fail.
Is It Possible to Delete a LinkedIn Account Without Closing It?
No, LinkedIn does not allow users to selectively or partially delete account information without fully closing the account.
Some key points on partial deletion:
- You can manually remove some information from your profile before closing your account. But it’s still stored in LinkedIn’s systems.
- There are no options for requesting selective or partial deletion of data while keeping your account open.
- The only way to fully purge your information from LinkedIn is to go through the account closure process.
- Alternatively, you could manually remove all meaningful data from your profile but that does not force deletion.
So ultimately, fully closing your account is the only path to comprehensively removing your personal data from LinkedIn servers.
How to Protect Your Data Before Closing Your LinkedIn Account
If you do plan to request permanent account deletion from LinkedIn, here are some tips to protect your data in the process:
- Review all your account data first so you have records of your connections, messages, and other information.
- Disconnect LinkedIn from any external apps or services to cut off data access.
- Change your account password to something unique to enhance security.
- Remove personal info from your profile that you don’t want to linger during the deactivation period.
- Ask connections to remove any sensitive info they hold about you.
- Check LinkedIn’s privacy settings to limit data use as much as possible before closing your account.
Taking precautions allows you to close your account with confidence and avoid surprises during the deletion process.
Can You Rejoin LinkedIn After Deleting Your Account?
Yes, it’s perfectly fine to create a brand new LinkedIn account at any time after deleting your previous one. Account deletion just removes your specific personal data.
When setting up a new LinkedIn account after closure, a few things to note:
- Use a different email address than your old closed account.
- Go through LinkedIn’s standard signup process like any new user.
- You’ll start fresh without any of your old connections or activity.
- Your new profile will have a different URL and username.
So rejoining LinkedIn essentially gives you a clean slate. It doesn’t reconnect you to your past identity and data.
One advantage to this is being able to reinvent your professional brand if needed. But the downside is losing your established network which takes time to rebuild.
Closing Your LinkedIn Account
To wrap up, here are the key things to keep in mind when closing your LinkedIn account permanently:
- Deactivation happens right away, preventing access by other users.
- Permanent deletion takes 30-90 days depending on account type.
- All personal data is removed from LinkedIn’s live systems after deletion.
- Backups may retain data remnants for some time.
- Account recovery or reversal of deletion is not possible.
- You can always create a new LinkedIn account afterwards.
Overall, LinkedIn’s account deletion process is designed to be transparent and give you control over removing your presence and data. But full removal takes time to go into effect. So be 100% sure before starting the closure process.