Many LinkedIn users decide at some point that they would like to delete their LinkedIn account permanently. However, fully deleting a LinkedIn account is not as straightforward as simply clicking a “delete” button. LinkedIn has a multi-step process for account deletion that can take up to 90 days to fully complete. So how long does it actually take to permanently delete a LinkedIn account? Let’s take a closer look at the steps involved and how many days you can expect the process to take.
Steps to Permanently Delete a LinkedIn Account
Here are the key steps involved in permanently deleting a LinkedIn account:
Step 1: Deactivate Account
The first step is to deactivate your LinkedIn account rather than fully deleting it right away. To do this, go to your account settings and select “Close account” under the “Account management” section. LinkedIn will then walk you through some confirmation screens to deactivate the account.
Once your account is deactivated, your profile and data will no longer be viewable on LinkedIn. However, LinkedIn does not yet delete your data during this stage.
Step 2: Wait Out 30-Day Deactivation Period
After deactivating your account, LinkedIn initiates a 30-day waiting period before your account can be permanently deleted. During this time, your account remains in a deactivated state.
You will not be able to reactivate your account during this 30-day deactivation period. LinkedIn does this as a precaution in case users change their minds about deleting their account.
Step 3: Submit Account Deletion Request
Once 30 days have passed since you initially deactivated your account, you can submit an official account deletion request to LinkedIn.
To do this, you’ll need to sign back into LinkedIn using your deactivated account credentials. Then go to your account settings and find the “Close account” section again. This time, you’ll see an option to “Request account deletion.” Click this button to start the deletion process.
LinkedIn will ask you to confirm your password and then officially submit the permanent deletion request.
Step 4: Wait Out Second 30-Day Period
After submitting the deletion request, LinkedIn initiates a second 30-day waiting period. During this time, your account remains deactivated but some data may still be present on LinkedIn’s servers.
You cannot cancel the deletion request once submitted. LinkedIn imposes this second 30-day period to give itself time to carry out the operational tasks to fully delete all of your data.
Step 5: LinkedIn Completes Deletion
After the second 30-day waiting period completes, LinkedIn will fully delete all remaining account data from its servers. This includes your profile, connections, posts, messages, and any other personal data associated with your account.
Once this step is complete, your LinkedIn account is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. LinkedIn states the entire deletion process can take up to 90 days from initial deactivation.
How Many Days Does Account Deletion Take?
Based on LinkedIn’s multi-step deletion process, here is a summary of how many days account deletion takes:
Step | Duration |
---|---|
Account deactivation | Instant |
First 30-day waiting period | 30 days |
Submit deletion request | Instant |
Second 30-day waiting period | 30 days |
LinkedIn completes deletion | Up to 30 days |
Total Time | 90 days max |
As the table summarizes, the full account deletion process can take up to 90 days from the initial deactivation date. This includes two 30-day waiting periods as well as time for LinkedIn to fully execute the data deletion.
The two 30-day periods are set at a fixed duration. The final deletion execution by LinkedIn could take less than 30 days, but they give themselves up to 30 days just to be safe.
So in total, you can expect it to take a minimum of 60 days (two 30-day holds) and a maximum of 90 days for permanent LinkedIn account deletion.
What Happens During the Deletion Process
Now that we’ve looked at the steps and timeline for LinkedIn account deletion, let’s discuss in more detail what happens during the process:
After Initial Deactivation
Once you deactivate your account, your profile and activity will no longer show up in LinkedIn. Other users will simply see a message that your profile is unavailable.
However, LinkedIn does not yet remove your data because the deletion is not permanent at this point. Your data remains in a deactivated state on their servers.
During the 30-Day Waiting Periods
During each of the two 30-day waiting periods, your account remains deactivated but all of your data stays on LinkedIn’s servers. You cannot reactivate or use your account during either waiting period.
LinkedIn keeps your data during the waiting periods in case you change your mind about deleting your account. But if you take no action, your deletion request will automatically proceed once each period expires.
When LinkedIn Completes the Deletion
After both waiting periods pass and you have not canceled the request, LinkedIn will execute the permanent deletion. This involves removing all your personal data from their servers and databases.
Your profile, connections, messages, posts, and any other account details or activity traces will be wiped from LinkedIn’s systems. Once finished, your account will no longer exist on LinkedIn in any form.
Important Things to Know
Here are some important things to keep in mind about the LinkedIn account deletion process:
You Cannot Cancel After Submitting Request
Once you submit the official account deletion request after the initial 30-day waiting period, you cannot stop the process. Your deletion request gets automatically executed after the second 30-day hold.
Data May Persist in Backups or Caches
While LinkedIn will delete all your data from their active servers, copies of your data could still exist in backups or cached systems. However, this data will eventually get deleted as backups are erased or caches cleared.
Some Data Stays If Others Shared It
If other LinkedIn members shared your profile or content, that data will persist after your account deletion. For example, if someone sent another user a message that had your name in it, LinkedIn won’t delete that person’s message. So traces of your data could remain if it got shared prior to deletion.
LinkedIn May Keep Some Analytics Data
LinkedIn may retain some usage analytics associated with your account even after it gets deleted. However, they claim this aggregated data is anonymized and not linked to you.
You Must Wait 6 Months to Create New Account
LinkedIn’s policy prohibits creating a new account for 6 months after deleting your previous account. So you’ll need to wait at least 6 months before signing up for LinkedIn again.
How to Download Your Data
Before deleting your LinkedIn account permanently, you may want to download a copy of your account data for your records. Here is how you can download your LinkedIn data before account deletion:
Step 1: Go to Settings
Log into your LinkedIn account and go to your account settings. Look for the “Get a copy of your data” section.
Step 2: Request Data Archive
In the “Get a copy of your data” section, click the button to “Request archive.” LinkedIn will start preparing a comprehensive data file with your account details.
Step 3: Wait for Email
It may take up to 72 hours for LinkedIn to assemble and prepare your full data archive. You’ll get an email when it’s ready to download.
Step 4: Download Archive
Go to the link in the email from LinkedIn and you’ll be able to download a ZIP file containing your account data. You can then save this for your personal records before deleting your account.
Alternative to Account Deletion
If you don’t necessarily want to permanently delete your LinkedIn account, an alternative is to simply deactivate your account instead. This removes your profile and visibility on LinkedIn, but allows you to later reactive your account if desired.
To deactivate rather than deleting your account, follow the initial steps above to deactivate through the account settings. But then simply leave your account in this state rather than proceeding with permanent deletion.
Your account will remain deactivated until you log back in and reactivate it. All of your data will be preserved in the background. This spares you from having to delete your account entirely.
Conclusion
Deleting your LinkedIn account permanently is a process that takes between 60-90 days to fully complete. This includes a 30-day deactivation period, followed by another 30-day wait after submitting your deletion request. LinkedIn then takes up to 30 additional days to permanently remove all of your account data from their systems.
While account deletion takes time, it ensures all of your LinkedIn presence and personal data gets completely eliminated for your privacy. Just be certain you want to delete your account, as the process cannot be undone or canceled once initiated. As an alternative option, you can simply deactivate your account if you may want to use LinkedIn again down the road.