What happens to recommendations I wrote for others?

When you close your LinkedIn account, all recommendations you wrote for other people are immediately removed from their profiles. There's no way to preserve these for others. If you've written important recommendations, consider informing those people before deletion.

Will I lose my LinkedIn Premium benefits immediately?

Yes. All LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, Recruiter, or Learning subscriptions are immediately terminated when you close your account. Any unused InMail credits, job posts, or learning credits are forfeited without refund. Make sure to use or cancel these services before account closure.

Can I reuse my email address to create a new LinkedIn account?

Yes. After your account is closed and the data deletion process is complete, you can use the same email address to create a new LinkedIn account. However, you'll be starting completely from scratch with no connections, history, or content.

What happens if I'm an admin of a Company Page?

If you're the only admin of a Company Page, you must designate a new admin before closing your account, or the page may become inaccessible. LinkedIn recommends having at least two admins for company pages. Transfer ownership or add another admin before deletion.

How long does LinkedIn keep my data after account closure?

LinkedIn states that data is deleted from their active servers within a reasonable timeframe after account closure. However, some data may be retained in backups for up to 90 days. Information required for legal or operational purposes may be retained longer per their privacy policy.

Will closing LinkedIn affect my Microsoft account?

No. LinkedIn accounts are separate from Microsoft accounts, even though Microsoft owns LinkedIn. Closing your LinkedIn account will not affect your Microsoft, Outlook, or other Microsoft services. They remain independent unless you specifically linked them.

What happens to messages I sent to other people?

Messages you sent will typically be removed from recipients' inboxes when you close your account. However, there may be a brief period where messages remain visible as from '[Deleted Account]' before being fully removed from LinkedIn's servers.

How to Delete Your LinkedIn Account - Step-by-Step Guide (2025)

Written & Verified By

Delete.Directory Content Team

Our team of privacy advocates and former social media employees verify every deletion process through hands-on testing.

This guide helps you permanently delete your LinkedIn account. We believe in digital autonomy: your right to leave any platform should be as easy as joining it. Follow these verified steps to ensure complete account deletion.

How We Verified This Guide

Methodology: Hands-on testing with live accounts

Quick Information

Time Required

5 minutes

Difficulty

easy

Steps

5 steps

Official Resources

LinkedIn Help - Closing Your Account

Official deletion guide from LinkedIn

Additional Resources

[1]

Download Your LinkedIn Data

Official guide for downloading your complete LinkedIn data archive

[2]

LinkedIn Privacy Policy

Understanding how LinkedIn handles your professional data and privacy

[3]

Managing Your Account Settings

Learn about account management and privacy control options

Step-by-Step Guide

Access Account Settings

Log into LinkedIn and click on your profile picture in the top right corner. From the dropdown menu, select 'Settings & Privacy'.

Tips

•This process works on both desktop and mobile web browsers
•Consider downloading your data before proceeding with deletion

Navigate to Account Management

In Settings & Privacy, click on the 'Account preferences' section on the left sidebar (or 'Account' on mobile). Then select 'Account management' from the options.

Tips

•Make sure you're in the correct account if you manage multiple LinkedIn profiles
•This section also shows your account creation date

Select Close Account Option

Under Account management, you'll see the option 'Closing your LinkedIn account'. Click on 'Change' next to it. LinkedIn will ask you to provide a reason for closing your account.

Warnings

•Closing is immediate and permanent - no grace period like other platforms
•Consider temporarily hibernating your account if you're unsure

Select Reason and Provide Feedback

Choose a reason for closing your account from the dropdown menu. Optionally provide additional feedback. Review the information about what will happen when you close your account.

Tips

•Your feedback helps LinkedIn improve their service
•You can select 'Other' if none of the reasons apply to you

Confirm Account Closure

Enter your password to verify your identity. Check the box confirming you understand the consequences. Click 'Close account' to permanently delete your LinkedIn profile.

Warnings

•This action is immediate and cannot be easily undone
•All profile data, connections, and recommendations will be removed

Important Warnings

Immediate and Permanent Account Closure

Unlike most social platforms, LinkedIn does not have a grace period. When you close your account, it's immediately and permanently deleted. Your profile, connections, messages, posts, and recommendations are removed right away and cannot be recovered. Make sure you're absolutely certain before proceeding.

All Professional Connections Lost

All your LinkedIn connections, endorsements, recommendations, and networking history are permanently deleted. You cannot transfer these to a new account. If you've built a professional network over years, consider alternatives like hibernating your account instead.

Premium Subscriptions and Credits Forfeited

Any active LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter subscriptions are immediately canceled. Unused InMail credits, job post credits, or other paid features are forfeited without refund. Cancel and use up credits before closing your account.

Recommendations You Wrote May Be Affected

Recommendations you wrote for others will be removed from their profiles when you delete your account. If you've provided valuable recommendations, consider informing those people beforehand so they can seek alternative testimonials.

Job Applications and Recruiter Visibility

Any job applications submitted through LinkedIn will lose connection to your profile. Recruiters who saved your profile or sent you InMails will lose access to your information. Active job searches may be negatively impacted.

Company Pages and Group Administration

If you're an admin of any LinkedIn Company Pages or Groups, you must transfer ownership to another admin before deletion. Failure to do so may leave these pages/groups without proper management. LinkedIn may remove your admin access immediately upon account closure.

Alternatives to Consider

Hibernate Your LinkedIn Account

easy

LinkedIn offers a hibernation feature that hides your profile from everyone (except your 1st-degree connections) while keeping your account active. This is a middle ground between staying active and full deletion.

Pros

•Fully reversible at any time
•Keep all connections, recommendations, and history
•Your profile won't appear in searches
•Stop receiving LinkedIn notifications and emails
•Maintain your professional URL

Cons

•Your data continues to be stored on LinkedIn's servers
•1st-degree connections can still see your profile
•Doesn't address concerns about Microsoft's data practices
•You won't appear in recruiter searches

3 min

Download Your LinkedIn Data Archive

easy

Before closing your account, request a complete archive of your LinkedIn data including connections, messages, profile history, and all content you've posted. This process takes 24-72 hours.

Pros

•Keep a backup of all your professional connections and history
•See all the data LinkedIn has collected about you
•Includes complete message history and post archive
•Free service provided by LinkedIn
•Can be used for personal records or other platforms

Cons

•Takes 24-72 hours to process and receive download
•File size can be large for active users
•Requires separate request before account closure
•Data is in raw format (JSON/CSV), not human-friendly

5 min

Minimize Your LinkedIn Presence

medium

Rather than deleting, remove sensitive information from your profile, unfollow most content, turn off activity broadcasts, and use the platform minimally for essential networking only.

Pros

•Maintain presence for professional opportunities
•Keep your professional URL and connections
•Can still be found by recruiters if needed
•Reduce LinkedIn's data collection to minimum

Cons

•Requires manual cleanup of profile information
•LinkedIn still has access to your historical data
•Doesn't fully address privacy concerns
•Profile may appear abandoned or outdated

30 min

Frequently Asked Questions

Technically yes, but it's complicated. LinkedIn states that once you close your account, your data is scheduled for deletion. However, if you try to reactivate within approximately 24-48 hours by attempting to log in, LinkedIn may be able to restore your account. After that window, your data is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.

References & Citations

[1]
Download Your LinkedIn Data
Official guide for downloading your complete LinkedIn data archive
https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a1339364
[2]
LinkedIn Privacy Policy
Understanding how LinkedIn handles your professional data and privacy
https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy
[3]
Managing Your Account Settings
Learn about account management and privacy control options
https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a1337828

All citations verified as of 11/8/2025. We regularly review and update all external links to ensure accuracy.

Found incorrect information?

We strive for accuracy. If something's outdated or wrong, let us know.

Report incorrect information

Quick Navigation

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facebook

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Critical Warnings

Immediate and Permanent Account Closure
Unlike most social platforms, LinkedIn does not have a grace period. When you close your account, it...
All Professional Connections Lost
All your LinkedIn connections, endorsements, recommendations, and networking history are permanently...
Premium Subscriptions and Credits Forfeited
Any active LinkedIn Premium, Sales Navigator, or Recruiter subscriptions are immediately canceled. U...

Last Updated

November 8, 2025

LinkedIn Account Deletion

How We Verified This Guide

Quick Information

Official Resources

Additional Resources

Step-by-Step Guide

Access Account Settings

Navigate to Account Management

Select Close Account Option

Select Reason and Provide Feedback

Confirm Account Closure

Important Warnings

Immediate and Permanent Account Closure

All Professional Connections Lost

Premium Subscriptions and Credits Forfeited

Recommendations You Wrote May Be Affected

Job Applications and Recruiter Visibility

Company Pages and Group Administration

Alternatives to Consider

Hibernate Your LinkedIn Account

Download Your LinkedIn Data Archive

Minimize Your LinkedIn Presence

Frequently Asked Questions

References & Citations

Found incorrect information?

Quick Navigation

Related Guides

Critical Warnings

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