LinkedIn provides a great place to make business contacts which are important to your company in the long run. With more than 600 million members, LinkedIn is a great and easy way to make connections online. As of 2016, LinkedIn is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Microsoft and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with offices in various countries including India, China, Japan, France, among others.
If for whatever reasons, you have to delete your LinkedIn account, here we provide you with a step-by-step guide. Follow the instructions as given in the article and you can delete your LinkedIn account easily.
How to delete LinkedIn account on PC?
To delete your LinkedIn account, follow the steps given below.
- Go to the profile at the top-right corner.
- Click on Settings and Privacy form the drop-down menu.
- Under the Account section, scroll down and click on Closing your LinkedIn account.
- Select the reason from the given list or write down the reason in the box and then click Next.
- Enter the password and then click on Close account.
Note: Click on this direct link to go to the Close your LinkedIn account page.
Another important thing is that your LinkedIn account won’t close immediately. It’s deactivated first and then deleted eventually. We’ve discussed more about this after the steps for the LinkedIn app for Android and iOS.
How to delete LinkedIn account on the app?
You can delete the LinkedIn account by using the app. Just follow the steps given below.
- Tap on the profile pic at the top-left of the screen.
- Now, tap on the Settings option at the top of the screen.
- Scroll down and then tap on Close account option under the ACCOUNT heading.
- Tap on Continue.
- Choose the reason and then tap on Next.
- Enter the password and then tap on Done.
Also read: 7 most common Scams on Snapchat
What happens after deactivating or deleted LinkedIn account?
According to LinkedIn, the following things will happen to your account after you have closed the account.
- Access to your account connections will be lost.
- Your account page will not be visible to others.
- All recommendations will be lost.
However, your account will be temporarily shown in the search engines. The thing to notice here is that once you close your LinkedIn account, it deactivates first before deleting eventually after 20 days.
Can I reopen my account?
Yes, you can reopen your account after up to 20 days of closing. However, even after you reopen, you will lose the following information.
- Endorsements and Recommendations that were given to you.
- Invitations, both ignored and pending.
- Group memberships, if any.
- If you have followed any companies or individuals, that information will be lost too.
Just re-enter your username and password and you are good to go.
We hope that with this detailed tutorial, you will be able to delete your LinkedIn account. Do let us know if you have any other such topic in mind, that we can write on.
Also Read: LinkedIn 101: How to find and edit your LinkedIn URL?
Deactivating vs deleting your LinkedIn account
There is quite a difference between deactivating and deleting your LinkedIn account. You should understand these two terms before deciding for yourself:
Deactivating LinkedIn account
When you deactivate your LinkedIn account, your account and all activities will be hidden from others on the platform. However, all your data, including your followers and preferences, will remain intact.
If you plan to reactivate your account again, sign in with your email or phone number and the password within 14 days. When you do this, you’re good to go.
Deleting LinkedIn account
Conversely, deleting your LinkedIn account will wipe out all your data from the platform, including all your activities, preferences, and contacts.
As we mentioned in the above section, you will not be able to reactivate the account after you delete it. If you miss logging in on LinkedIn within 14 days of deactivating the account, the account will be deleted, and all your data will be lost.
Why you should deactivate or delete your LinkedIn account?
Although LinkedIn is a popular platform for professionals, it is not for everybody. Here’s why you should deactivate or delete your LinkedIn account:
- Privacy concerns: Like all major social media platforms, LinkedIn collects substantial personal information, including your education and professional skills, work history, and connections. Hackers or spammers can use these details to target you, so you may want to keep these details private.
- Spam and notifications: LinkedIn uses the data to send emails and notifications to users. Sometimes, the notifications may become overwhelming, and deactivating or deleting the account is the last option.
- Redundant platform: LinkedIn may not be as relevant to your professional goal as you previously thought. To engage with an audience, you can use other platforms, such as your website, blog, or other online methods.
Also read: What does 1st mean on Linkedin?
