You can delete a LinkedIn connection in two taps on mobile or three clicks on desktop

To remove a connection on LinkedIn mobile, open the person's profile, tap the three dots in the top right corner, and select "Remove connection." Confirm when prompted. On LinkedIn desktop, visit their profile, click the three dots next to the "Message" button, and choose "Remove connection" from the menu.

The person you remove will not receive a notification that you deleted them. They can still see your profile if it is set to public, but they will no longer appear in your connections list, and you will not appear in theirs. If you change your mind, you can send them a new connection request later.

LinkedIn does not limit how many connections you can remove or how often you can remove them. You can delete multiple connections at once using LinkedIn's bulk tools on desktop, though this requires a few extra steps.

Key Takeaways

  • Removing a connection takes two taps on mobile or three clicks on desktop and does not notify the other person.
  • The person you remove can still view your public profile but will no longer see you in their connections list.
  • You can send a new connection request to someone you removed at any time.
  • LinkedIn's desktop version lets you remove multiple connections at once using the connections management page.
  • Removing a connection is different from blocking, which prevents someone from viewing your profile or contacting you.

Step-by-step removal on mobile

Open the LinkedIn app and search for the person's name or navigate to their profile through your connections list. Once you are on their profile page, look for the three horizontal dots (the menu icon) in the top right corner of the screen. Tap it to open a dropdown menu.

Select "Remove connection" from the menu options. A confirmation dialog will appear asking if you are sure. Tap "Remove" to confirm. The connection is now deleted, and you will be returned to their profile page. You can close the app or navigate elsewhere.

Step-by-step removal on desktop

Go to LinkedIn.com and search for the person or find them in your connections list. Click on their profile to open it. Near the top of their profile card, you will see a "Message" button and a three-dot menu icon next to it. Click the three dots.

A dropdown menu will appear with several options. Click "Remove connection." A confirmation box will pop up. Click "Remove" to finalize the deletion. The person will no longer appear in your connections, and the page will refresh.

Removing multiple connections at once

LinkedIn's desktop version includes a bulk removal tool. Go to your profile, click "Connections" in the left sidebar, and you will see your full connections list. Use the search bar at the top to filter by name, company, or location if you want to remove a specific group of people.

Next to each person's name is a checkbox. Check the boxes for everyone you want to remove. Once you have selected all the people you want to delete, a "Remove" button will appear at the top or bottom of the list. Click it and confirm. All selected connections will be removed at once.

The difference between removing and blocking

Removing a connection and blocking someone are two separate actions with different outcomes. When you remove a connection, the person can still find and view your public profile, send you a message request, or add you again. They simply will not appear in your connections list.

Blocking is more restrictive. A blocked person cannot view your profile, send you messages, or see your posts. They also cannot find you in search results. If you want to completely cut off contact with someone, blocking is the stronger option. You can block someone from the same three-dot menu where you see the "Remove connection" option.

What happens after you remove someone

The person you removed will not see a notification about it. However, they may notice you are no longer in their connections list if they check. Your profile will still be visible to them if your settings allow public viewing, so they can still look you up and see your headline, photo, and public posts.

Any messages you exchanged before the removal will remain in both of your inboxes. You will not lose the message history. If the person wants to reconnect, they can send you a new connection request, which will appear in your notifications like any other request.

Removing connections you no longer recognize

If you have accumulated connections you do not remember adding or no longer want to stay connected to, you can review your list and remove them one by one or in bulk. Some people remove connections periodically to keep their network focused on people they actually know or work with.

LinkedIn does not penalize you for removing connections. Your connection count will decrease, but this does not affect your profile visibility, job search prospects, or any other LinkedIn feature. Remove connections based on what makes sense for your professional network.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person know I removed them?

No. LinkedIn does not send a notification when you remove someone. They will only know if they manually check their connections list and notice you are gone, or if they try to visit your profile and see it is no longer connected to them.

Can I remove someone and then add them back?

Yes. After you remove a connection, you can send them a new connection request at any time. They will receive it like a regular request. There is no waiting period or penalty for removing and re-adding the same person.

Does removing a connection delete our messages?

No. Your message history with that person stays in your inbox even after you remove the connection. You can still read past conversations, but you will not be able to send new messages unless you reconnect or they send you a message request first.

What is the difference between removing a connection and unfollowing?

Removing a connection deletes them from your connections list entirely. Unfollowing someone means you stay connected but stop seeing their posts in your feed. You can unfollow someone without removing them as a connection.

Can I remove all my connections at once?

LinkedIn does not have a single button to remove all connections at once. You can use the bulk removal tool on desktop to remove many at a time by checking multiple boxes, but you will need to do this in batches if you have a very large network.