How to Delete LinkedIn Account Permanently

If you’ve ever stared at yet another random sales pitch in your LinkedIn inbox and thought “I’m done,” you know how tempting the delete button can be. Closing your account is quick, but there are a few permanent catches. The good news: the whole process only takes a couple of minutes once you know the steps.

Quick answers: what disappears when you tap “close”

• Your profile, posts and messages vanish for good.
• Endorsements, recommendations and group memberships never come back.
• You have 14 days to change your mind; after that the data is gone forever.
• Search engines may still show scraps of your profile for a short while—those clear out on their own.

Before you hit delete: 5 tiny chores

1. Save anything you want. In the app or on the site go to Settings → Data Privacy → Get a copy of your data, tick what you need and download.
2. Cancel Premium if you pay for it (see below).
3. Close any Groups you own; LinkedIn won’t let you delete your account until you do.
4. Tell people how to reach you off-platform—unless you want to vanish completely.
5. Decide which account to keep if you somehow have a duplicate.

Cancel Premium first (if it applies)

On phone

• Tap your photo → Premium features → Manage subscription → Cancel.

On computer

• Click Me at the top → Access My Premium → Manage subscription → Cancel.

When the billing cycle ends you’ll drop to a free account and can proceed with deletion.

How to delete on mobile (iPhone & Android)

1. Open the LinkedIn app and sign in.
2. Tap your profile photo (top left) → Settings.
3. Choose Account Preferences → scroll to Account Management → Close Account.
4. Pick a reason, tap Next, enter your password and tap Done.

You’ll land on a confirmation screen. That’s it—your profile is slated for removal.

How to delete on desktop

1. Sign in and click the Me icon at the top.
2. Choose Settings & Privacy → Account Preferences.
3. Scroll to Account Management → click Close Account.
4. Select a reason → Next → type your password → Close Account.

Duplicates? Merge before you nuke one

• Log into the profile you want to keep.
• Go to Settings → Account Management → Merge Accounts.
• Enter the other account’s email/password and follow the prompts.
• After the merge, delete the leftover account with the steps above.

Changed your mind? Here’s how to reactivate

You have 14 days to undo the closure.

1. Simply log in with your old credentials.
2. Hit Reactivate on the pop-up and confirm any security codes.
3. Your connections survive, but endorsements, group memberships and ignored invitations are gone for good.

Not 100 % sure? Hibernate instead

Hibernation hides your profile, stops all notifications and cancels Premium, but keeps your data intact for whenever you’re ready.

Phone or web

1. Settings → Account Preferences → Hibernate Account.
2. Choose a reason, enter your password and tap/click Hibernate.

You can flip the switch back on after 24 hours by signing in again.

What NOT to do

• Don’t assume deleting the app deletes the account—you must use the website or mobile settings.
• Don’t forget to cancel Premium first; the close-account button stays greyed out until you do.
• Don’t count on full recovery after 14 days. Once that window closes, rebuilding from scratch is your only option.

Conclusion

Shutting down LinkedIn is a permanent move, but it’s also simple: cancel Premium, close any groups you own, then choose Close Account in settings. Do a quick data download first if you want to keep your résumé details, and remember you can hibernate instead if you just need a breather. Whatever you pick, the power is literally a few taps away.