How to Cancel LinkedIn: Premium Subscriptions, Accounts, and Everything In Between
LinkedIn serves millions of professionals for networking, job searching, and business development — but at some point, you may want to cancel a Premium subscription, pause your account, or delete your profile entirely. Each of these is a different action, and the steps vary depending on how you signed up and what device you're using.
Understanding What You're Actually Canceling
Before diving into steps, it helps to clarify what "canceling LinkedIn" can mean:
- Canceling LinkedIn Premium — stopping the paid subscription while keeping your free account active
- Closing your LinkedIn account — permanently deleting your profile, connections, and data
- Unsubscribing from emails — reducing or stopping LinkedIn notifications without touching your account
Most people asking this question want one of the first two. They're meaningfully different processes with different consequences, so it's worth knowing which one applies to your situation.
How to Cancel LinkedIn Premium
LinkedIn Premium is a subscription that sits on top of your free account. Canceling it returns you to the basic (free) tier — your profile, connections, and history remain intact.
Canceling Through a Desktop Browser
- Log into LinkedIn and click your profile photo in the top-right corner
- Select Settings & Privacy from the dropdown
- Go to Subscriptions (sometimes listed under "Premium Subscription")
- Click Manage subscription or Cancel subscription
- Follow the confirmation prompts — LinkedIn typically asks for a cancellation reason before finalizing
Your Premium benefits continue until the end of the current billing period, after which your account reverts to free.
Canceling Through iOS (iPhone/iPad) 🍎
If you subscribed through the Apple App Store, LinkedIn itself cannot process the cancellation — you must go through Apple:
- Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad
- Tap your Apple ID at the top
- Select Subscriptions
- Find LinkedIn Premium in your active subscriptions
- Tap Cancel Subscription
This is a common source of confusion. If you cancel through LinkedIn's website but your billing runs through Apple, the subscription will continue. Always match the cancellation method to where you originally subscribed.
Canceling Through Android (Google Play)
Similarly, if you signed up via the Google Play Store:
- Open the Google Play Store app
- Tap your profile icon in the top-right
- Go to Payments & subscriptions > Subscriptions
- Select LinkedIn Premium and tap Cancel subscription
Canceling Through a Third-Party Employer or Organization
Some users access Premium features through a company-sponsored account or LinkedIn Learning license. In these cases, you typically cannot cancel directly — you'd need to contact the account administrator (usually in HR or IT) to have the subscription removed or transferred.
How to Close (Delete) Your LinkedIn Account Entirely
Deleting your account is permanent. Your profile, connections, endorsements, messages, and any content you've posted will be removed. LinkedIn states that once deleted, this data cannot be recovered.
Steps to Delete Your Account
- Log in and navigate to Settings & Privacy
- Under Account preferences, find Close account
- LinkedIn will walk you through a brief questionnaire and show you what will be deleted
- Confirm your password and submit the closure request
Account deletion typically processes within a few days, though LinkedIn may retain certain data for legal or compliance reasons as outlined in their privacy policy.
Important: If you have an active Premium subscription, cancel it before closing your account. Otherwise, you may continue to be billed even after your profile is gone, depending on timing and billing cycles.
Key Variables That Affect the Process 🔍
Not everyone's cancellation experience will look the same. Several factors shape how straightforward — or complicated — the process is:
| Variable | How It Affects the Process |
|---|---|
| Subscription source | App Store, Google Play, or direct billing each require different cancellation paths |
| Account type | Individual vs. company-sponsored accounts have different admin controls |
| Billing cycle timing | Canceling mid-cycle doesn't usually generate a refund |
| LinkedIn Learning add-ons | May require separate cancellation |
| Recruiter or Sales Navigator plans | These are enterprise-tier products with their own cancellation processes |
What Happens After You Cancel
If you cancel Premium only, your account stays live in its free state. You'll lose access to features like InMail credits, advanced search filters, who's viewed your profile (beyond the last five), and LinkedIn Learning (if included in your plan). The free tier still lets you maintain your profile, connect with people, and message first-degree connections.
If you close your account entirely, your public profile disappears, your URL becomes inactive, and anyone who tries to find you on LinkedIn won't see you in search results.
Common Issues People Run Into
- Still being charged after canceling: Almost always means the cancellation was done through the wrong channel (e.g., canceled on LinkedIn's site but billed through Apple)
- Can't find the cancellation option: LinkedIn's UI changes periodically — if the menu path above doesn't match exactly what you're seeing, check under Account preferences in Settings
- Free trial auto-renewals: LinkedIn's free trials convert to paid subscriptions automatically; canceling during the trial period follows the same steps as above
The Part That Depends on Your Situation
Whether you should simply cancel Premium or delete your account entirely comes down to factors only you can assess — whether you're actively job searching, how you use the platform professionally, whether your employer subsidizes the subscription, and what data you want to retain. The mechanics of cancellation are consistent, but the right move for your profile, career stage, and usage habits is a judgment call that no general guide can make for you.