Having too many LinkedIn connections can make your profile messy and hard to manage. You may wish to prune your connections list from time to time by removing contacts you no longer interact with or who are not relevant to your professional network. However, directly removing a connection could cause offense or hurt feelings. Here are some tips on discreetly removing a LinkedIn connection without the other person finding out.
Gradually stop interacting
One easy way to pave the way for removing a LinkedIn connection is to gradually stop interacting with them on the platform. Slowly reduce liking and commenting on their posts, decline or ignore connection anniversary reminders, and don’t message them unless necessary. This will make the removal less obvious when it happens since you will have already created distance.
Remove yourself from their network
LinkedIn allows you to remove yourself from a contact’s network while staying connected to them. Here are the steps:
- Go to their profile page
- Click “More” at the top right and select “Remove from my network”
- Confirm you want to remove yourself when prompted
This will take you off their connections list without showing up as a notification. They may eventually notice you are gone and request re-adding you, which you can then decline.
Unfollow their posts
Another subtle way to disconnect is to unfollow them so their posts no longer show up in your feed. Do this by:
- Going to their profile page
- Clicking the “Following” button
- Choosing “Unfollow [name]” in the dropdown menu
They won’t be notified and will assume you are just less active on LinkedIn when their updates disappear from your feed.
Block them
Blocking a connection prevents them from viewing your profile or posts and removes you from their connections list. They will be unaware they are blocked unless they try to view your profile. Here is how to block a connection:
- Go to their profile page
- Click the “More” button in the top right
- Select “Block” to confirm blocking them
Use this method judiciously, as suddenly disappearing from someone’s network by blocking can come across as rude.
Remove them from your feed
You can remove a connection’s posts from your LinkedIn feed while staying connected. Do this by:
- Clicking the three dots next to their post
- Choosing “Remove from feed”
- Confirming you want to remove the member from your feed
This will prevent their posts appearing without them knowing. Re-add them anytime to resume seeing their activity.
Turn off notifications
Minimize notifications from a connection by adjusting email and feed settings. Go to your LinkedIn Settings and:
- Under “Communications”, uncheck “Emails you notifications for”
- Under “Feed filters”, check “Hide posts from…” and enter their name
This reduces reminders about that connection without them realizing.
Group them into filtered lists
LinkedIn allows organizing connections into lists to better manage your network. Put the connection into lists like “Acquaintances,” “Alumni,” or “Archived” to reduce their profile visibility.
Delete any messages
Having a messaging history with a connection establishes a closer tie. Before disconnecting, consider deleting any 1:1 conversations to limit this:
- Go to your LinkedIn messages
- Select the conversation with the connection
- Use the delete icon in the top right to delete the thread
This clears your messaging association with that connection.
Review privacy settings
Adjust your privacy settings to further distance yourself from the connection:
- Under “Profile viewing options,” select “Connections only” or “Connections of any level”
- Under “Sharing profile edits,” uncheck “Share profile edits with connections”
- Under “Activity broadcasts,” uncheck boxes like “Saving to Reading List”
Tightening privacy makes it harder for them to follow your activity when disconnecting.
Politely decline reconnecting
If the person notices you removed the connection and sends an invite to reconnect, politely decline while saving face:
- Thank them for the invitation
- Explain you are cutting back connections to focus on closer industry contacts
- Wish them the best
This avoids creating bad blood over the removal. Most people will understand trimming an unused connection.
Do a mass disconnection
If removing several contacts, do a mass “network cleanup” instead of individually disconnecting. Frame it as generally freshening up your connections, not personally removing them.
Use LinkedIn’s “Discard” button
When you get a connection invitation, LinkedIn provides a subtle “Discard” option to ignore it. Use this to gracefully avoid reconnecting if they send an invite.
Reconnect after some time
Disconnect without burning bridges by removing them temporarily and reconnecting down the road. This maintains the relationship but creates needed space.
Conclusion
Disconnecting on LinkedIn should be handled thoughtfully. Use strategies like unfollowing, adjusting privacy settings, and decluttering your connections list to subtly create distance from a contact. With care and discretion, you can remove someone without damaging professional rapport or causing offense.
Here are some final tips for gracefully disconnecting on LinkedIn:
Tactic | How To | Benefit |
---|---|---|
Gradually stop interacting | Slowly reduce engaging with their posts and messaging | Makes disconnecting less noticeable |
Unfollow their posts | Stop their updates appearing in your feed | Limits their visibility in your network |
Adjust privacy settings | Restrict profile viewing and activity sharing | Creates distance without actively disconnecting |
Politely decline reconnecting | Thank them but explain you are trimming contacts | Maintains goodwill if they notice and try reconnecting |
With the right approach, you can effectively remove LinkedIn connections while maintaining professionalism and a positive reputation.