How to Permanently Delete Your LinkedIn Account (2026)

LinkedIn's deletion process ("closing" your account, in LinkedIn's own terminology) works a little differently than most social platforms, it offers a "hibernate" option as its reversible alternative rather than a simple deactivation, and its recovery window is shorter than Facebook or Instagram's. Here's exactly how it works.

Key Takeaways

• Close your account at Me icon → Settings & Privacy → Account preferences → Account management → "Close account," select a reason, and enter your password.
• LinkedIn doesn't offer a traditional "deactivation" — instead it has a separate "hibernate" feature that temporarily pauses your account while keeping your data and connections intact, as the reversible alternative to full closure.
• You generally have about 14–20 days to reopen your account by logging back in before it's queued for full deletion, a shorter window than Facebook or Instagram's 30 days.
• After that window, a complete system and backup purge continues for about 30 more days.
• Recommendations and endorsements you gave or received disappear from other people's profiles too, not just your own, a two-way effect worth knowing about before you close your account.

Hibernate vs. Close: Two Different Options

Hibernate is LinkedIn's temporary-pause feature. It keeps your profile, connections, and data intact while making your account inactive, without the finality of a full account closure. This is the better choice if you want a break but might come back.

Close account is what actually deletes your data. LinkedIn recommends downloading your data archive first, since recovery is impossible once the process completes.

How to Permanently Delete Your LinkedIn Account

Step 1: Download your data archive first

Before closing your account, go to Settings & Privacy → Data privacy → Get a copy of your data, and request an archive of your profile, connections, and messages. LinkedIn explicitly recommends this since there's no recovery after the closure window passes.

Step 2: Go to Account Management

Click the Me icon → Settings & Privacy → Account preferences → Account management.

Step 3: Select "Close account"

Choose Close account from the account management options.

Step 4: Select a reason and confirm your password

LinkedIn requires you to pick a reason for closing your account and re-enter your password to confirm.

Step 5: Wait out the reopening window

You have approximately 14–20 days (LinkedIn's own guidance suggests roughly two weeks as the commonly cited window) to reopen your account by simply logging back in. After that window passes, the account is queued for full deletion, with the complete system and backup purge taking about 30 more days to finish.

What Happens to Your Data

During the reopening window (roughly 14–20 days): Your account is inactive but recoverable, logging in restores everything.

After the window closes: LinkedIn begins the full deletion process, with backend systems and backups taking about another 30 days to complete the purge.

What disappears, including on other people's profiles: Recommendations and endorsements you gave to others, or that others gave to you, are removed as part of this process, meaning your account closure can visibly change content on profiles that aren't yours. This two-way effect is worth considering if you've written recommendations for colleagues you'd want them to keep.

No Forced Business/Ad Account Dependency

Unlike Meta's ecosystem, LinkedIn doesn't tie your personal account to a separate mandatory business or ad account structure in the same way. If you manage a LinkedIn Company Page, however, check who else has admin access before closing your personal account, since page administration is tied to individual member accounts.

Why Deleting LinkedIn Doesn't Remove You From the Internet

Closing your LinkedIn account removes your profile and content from that platform, but your professional history may already be referenced or cached on background-check sites, people-search brokers, or other pages that scraped your public profile information independently of LinkedIn itself.

See the complete data broker opt-out guide →

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to permanently delete a LinkedIn account?

You have roughly 14–20 days to reopen your account by logging back in. After that window, LinkedIn's full system and backup purge takes about another 30 days, so total permanent removal takes around 45–50 days from your original request.

Can I recover my LinkedIn account after closing it?

Only within the initial reopening window, generally cited as about two weeks, by logging back in. After that window passes and the deletion process proceeds, recovery is not possible.

What's the difference between hibernating and closing a LinkedIn account?

Hibernate is a temporary pause that keeps your profile, connections, and data fully intact and reversible. Closing your account is the permanent deletion path, download your data first, since there's no recovery once the process completes.

Will closing my LinkedIn account remove recommendations I wrote for other people?

Yes. Recommendations and endorsements you gave to others (or received from them) are removed as part of the closure process, which can visibly affect other people's profiles, not just your own.

Does closing LinkedIn remove me from background-check or people-search sites?

No. Those sites operate independently and may have already scraped your public profile information before you closed your account. You'll need to submit separate opt-out requests to remove that data.

Related Guides

• How to Delete Your Facebook Account
• Data Removal for Social Media Influencers and Content Creators
• Data Removal for Job Seekers and Professionals
• Complete Data Broker Opt-Out Guide