How to Delete a Contact on LinkedIn (And What You Should Know First)

LinkedIn doesn't make removing connections obvious — the option isn't front and center, and the platform uses language like "remove connection" rather than "delete contact." But the process is straightforward once you know where to look. What gets more nuanced is understanding what actually happens when you remove someone, and whether that's the right action for your situation.

What "Deleting a Contact" Actually Means on LinkedIn

LinkedIn uses the term connection rather than contact. When you remove a connection, you're dissolving the mutual link between two profiles. Neither person receives a notification that the removal happened — LinkedIn keeps that quiet by design.

Once removed:

• The person no longer appears in your My Network > Connections list
• You lose access to any messaging history (it disappears from both sides)
• They can no longer see content you share with "connections only"
• Any recommendations or endorsements exchanged are not automatically deleted — those remain on profiles unless manually removed

This is different from blocking someone, which prevents them from finding your profile or contacting you entirely. Removing a connection is softer — they can still view your public profile and potentially re-send a connection request later.

How to Remove a Connection on Desktop 🖥️

1. Go to linkedin.com and sign in
2. Click My Network in the top navigation bar
3. Select Connections from the left-hand sidebar
4. Use the search bar to find the person you want to remove
5. Click the three-dot menu (⋯) next to their name
6. Select Remove connection
7. Confirm when prompted

Alternatively, you can go directly to the person's profile, click the More button (below their profile photo), and select Remove connection from the dropdown.

How to Remove a Connection on Mobile (iOS and Android)

1. Open the LinkedIn app
2. Tap your profile photo in the top left to open the menu
3. Tap My Network, then Connections
4. Search for or scroll to the person
5. Tap the three-dot menu next to their name
6. Tap Remove connection

The mobile interface can vary slightly depending on your app version and operating system, but the core path — My Network → Connections → three-dot menu — remains consistent across recent versions.

The Message History Question

One thing many users don't realize until after the fact: removing a connection deletes your entire message thread with that person. This applies to both sides of the conversation.

If there's anything in that thread you want to keep — a referral, a job lead, contact details — save it before removing the connection. Copy it to a notes app, email it to yourself, or screenshot it. Once the connection is removed, that history is gone.

Removing vs. Blocking vs. Unfollowing — What's the Difference?

These three actions are often confused but serve distinct purposes:

Unfollowing is the lightest touch — you stay connected but stop seeing their activity. This is useful when someone posts frequently in ways that aren't relevant to you, but the professional relationship still matters.

Blocking is the strongest action — it hides both profiles from each other's search results and removes the connection automatically.

Can You Remove Multiple Connections at Once?

As of LinkedIn's current design, there is no built-in bulk removal tool for connections. You have to remove them one at a time through the standard flow.

Some third-party browser extensions claim to offer bulk removal, but using them carries risk — LinkedIn's terms of service restrict automated interactions with the platform, and accounts have been temporarily restricted for this kind of activity. Whether that risk is worth it depends on how many connections you're looking to clean up and your tolerance for account disruption.

What Happens to Recommendations After Removing a Connection?

Recommendations are not automatically removed when you delete a connection. If someone wrote a recommendation for you (or you wrote one for them), those remain on the respective profiles. If you want a recommendation removed, that has to be handled separately:

• To remove a recommendation you received, go to your profile, find the recommendation, and choose to hide or request revision
• To remove a recommendation you wrote, go to the recipient's profile or your recommendations management page and withdraw it

Factors That Affect Your Decision

Whether removing a connection is the right move often comes down to context:

• How you use LinkedIn — casual job seekers, active networkers, and sales professionals have very different thresholds for connection hygiene
• The size of your network — someone with 500 connections vs. 5,000 will think about pruning differently
• The professional relationship — removing a former colleague is different from removing someone you never actually interacted with
• Whether you want to preserve the message history — if the thread has valuable context, that loss is real and permanent
• Whether blocking is more appropriate — if the reason for removal involves unwanted contact, a block accomplishes more

The right action isn't the same for every connection or every user. Your specific history with the person, how you manage your professional presence, and what you want your LinkedIn network to represent all factor into what actually makes sense.