Turn off Open to Work by going to your profile, clicking the Open to Work badge, and selecting "Remove"
The Open to Work feature on LinkedIn broadcasts to recruiters and your network that you are looking for a job. If you no longer want this visibility — whether you have accepted a position, changed your mind, or simply want privacy — you can remove it in about 30 seconds. The badge disappears from your profile immediately, and recruiters stop seeing you in their search results.
The process is the same whether you set Open to Work for jobs, freelance projects, or both. Once you remove it, your profile returns to its default state, and no one outside your direct connections can tell you are job hunting.
Key Takeaways
- Open to Work is visible to all LinkedIn recruiters and your entire network by default, even if you restrict it to certain job titles or companies.
- Removing Open to Work takes three clicks from your profile and hides your job-search status immediately.
- You can turn Open to Work back on at any time without losing any profile information.
- Turning off Open to Work does not delete your profile or change any other settings — only the job-search badge disappears.
Step-by-step: removing the Open to Work badge
Start by going to your LinkedIn profile. You can do this by clicking your profile photo in the top right corner and selecting "View profile" from the dropdown menu.
Look for the Open to Work badge near the top of your profile, usually below your headline and job title. It appears as a blue badge with briefcase icon and the words "Open to Work". Click directly on this badge.
A popup window will appear with options. Select the button that says "Remove" or "Turn off" (the exact wording depends on your account region, but the function is identical). LinkedIn will ask you to confirm. Click "Remove" again in the confirmation dialog.
The badge disappears from your profile within seconds. You are now hidden from recruiter searches for job opportunities.
What happens after you remove Open to Work
Your profile still exists and remains visible to your connections and the public (depending on your privacy settings). Removing Open to Work only hides the job-search signal — it does not make your profile private or change who can see your work history and skills.
Recruiters searching LinkedIn's recruiter tools will no longer see you listed as "Open to Work". However, they can still find your profile through keyword searches if your skills match what they are looking for. The difference is that you will not appear in the dedicated "Open to Work" candidate lists that many recruiters use as a first filter.
Your connections will no longer see the Open to Work badge on your profile, so they will not receive notifications that you are job hunting. If you had customized your Open to Work settings to show only certain job titles or industries, those restrictions are also removed.
Turning Open to Work back on later
If you change your mind and want to resume your job search, you can turn Open to Work back on by visiting your profile and clicking the area where the badge used to be. LinkedIn will walk you through the setup process again, and you can choose whether to show it to recruiters only, your entire network, or specific companies.
All your previous profile information — skills, experience, recommendations — remains unchanged. Turning Open to Work on and off does not affect any other part of your account.
Why you might want to turn off Open to Work
You may want to remove Open to Work if you have accepted a job offer and no longer want recruiter contact. Some people turn it off temporarily while they are in final-round interviews, to avoid appearing to shop around. Others disable it for privacy reasons, preferring to control when and how they discuss job opportunities.
If you are currently employed and your company monitors your LinkedIn activity, turning off Open to Work can reduce the visibility of your job search. Keep in mind that this only hides the badge — your connections can still infer you are looking if they see you updating your profile frequently or engaging with job-related content.
Difference between removing Open to Work and deactivating your account
Removing the Open to Work badge is not the same as deactivating your LinkedIn account. When you remove Open to Work, your profile stays active and visible. When you deactivate your account, your entire profile goes offline and becomes invisible to other users.
If you only want to stop job searching, remove Open to Work. If you want to take a break from LinkedIn entirely, you would deactivate your account instead — though that is a separate process with different steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my current employer see that I turned off Open to Work?
LinkedIn does not notify your employer or your connections when you remove Open to Work. However, if your employer has a LinkedIn recruiter account, they could have seen the badge before you removed it. Removing it now stops future visibility, but does not erase past visibility.
Can I remove Open to Work from the mobile app?
Yes. Open the LinkedIn mobile app, go to your profile, tap the Open to Work badge, and select "Remove" or "Turn off". The process is identical to the desktop version.
What if I do not see the Open to Work badge on my profile?
If you never turned on Open to Work, there will be no badge to remove. You can turn it on by clicking the area below your headline where it would appear and following the setup prompts. If you previously removed it, that same area will show an option to turn it back on.
Does removing Open to Work affect my LinkedIn recommendations or endorsements?
No. Removing Open to Work only hides the job-search badge. All your skills, endorsements, recommendations, and work history remain exactly as they were.
Can recruiters still message me after I remove Open to Work?
Yes. Removing Open to Work does not block recruiter messages. It only removes you from recruiter search filters. If a recruiter finds your profile through a keyword search or has your direct profile link, they can still contact you through LinkedIn messaging.