How to Block Someone on LinkedIn: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Blocking someone on LinkedIn is a straightforward process, but the steps vary slightly depending on whether you're using the desktop website, the mobile app, or navigating LinkedIn's privacy settings. Understanding exactly what blocking does — and what it doesn't do — helps you make the right call for your situation.
What Blocking Someone on LinkedIn Actually Does
When you block a member on LinkedIn, several things happen immediately:
- They can no longer view your LinkedIn profile
- You disappear from their search results, and they disappear from yours
- Any existing connections between you are removed
- They cannot send you messages or InMails
- Neither party can see the other's posts, comments, or activity on the platform
Blocking is mutual and silent — LinkedIn does not notify the person that they've been blocked. They simply lose visibility of your profile and activity.
What blocking does not do: it won't remove content you've already shared publicly before the block, and it won't prevent someone from seeing you in group conversations if you share mutual LinkedIn Groups (though interaction is still restricted).
How to Block Someone on LinkedIn Desktop 🖥️
- Navigate to the profile of the person you want to block
- Click the More button (three dots) below their profile photo and headline
- Select Report/Block from the dropdown menu
- Choose Block [Name] from the options presented
- Confirm by clicking Block
LinkedIn will ask you to confirm before finalizing the block. Once confirmed, the connection is severed and visibility is cut in both directions.
How to Block Someone on LinkedIn Mobile (iOS and Android) 📱
- Open the LinkedIn app and go to the person's profile
- Tap the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of their profile
- Select Report/Block
- Tap Block [Name]
- Confirm the action
The mobile flow mirrors the desktop process closely, though the exact placement of the menu icon can shift slightly between app versions and operating system updates. If you're on an older version of the app, updating to the latest release typically resolves any UI differences.
Managing Your Block List: Viewing and Unblocking
LinkedIn lets you review and manage everyone you've blocked from a central location:
On desktop:
- Go to Settings & Privacy
- Click Visibility
- Select Blocking and hiding
- Under Blocked members, you'll see a full list
On mobile:
- Tap your profile photo to open the menu
- Go to Settings
- Tap Visibility → Blocking and hiding
From this screen, you can unblock anyone at any time. However, unblocking does not automatically restore the previous connection — you would need to reconnect manually, and the person would receive a new connection request as if you'd never been connected.
Blocking vs. Other LinkedIn Privacy Options
Blocking isn't the only tool LinkedIn offers for controlling who sees you and how they interact with you. Understanding the differences matters depending on what you're actually trying to achieve.
| Feature | What It Does | Connection Affected? |
|---|---|---|
| Block | Full mutual invisibility; removes connection | Yes — connection removed |
| Unfollow | Stop seeing their posts in your feed | No — connection stays |
| Remove Connection | Disconnects without blocking | No visibility restriction |
| Report | Flags content or profile for LinkedIn review | No automatic change |
| Profile Visibility (Private Mode) | Browse profiles anonymously | No change to others' access |
If you want to quietly distance yourself without the permanence of a block, removing a connection is a softer option. If you're only bothered by someone's content flooding your feed, unfollowing solves that without affecting the connection at all.
Key Variables That Shape Your Experience
The process above is consistent across LinkedIn's standard platform, but a few variables are worth noting:
Account type — Both free (Basic) and premium LinkedIn accounts have access to blocking. There's no tier restriction on this feature.
LinkedIn version — The interface updates regularly. If the menu options described above don't match what you're seeing, your app or browser may be running an older version. Refreshing the page or updating the app typically brings the interface in line with current navigation.
Shared spaces — If you and the blocked person are both members of the same LinkedIn Group, blocking limits interaction but doesn't remove either party from the group itself. Group administrators have separate tools for managing members.
Third-party LinkedIn access — Some CRM tools and recruiting platforms that integrate with LinkedIn may still surface limited profile data depending on their access level and caching. Blocking through LinkedIn directly doesn't reach into every third-party system.
What Happens to Past Messages and Recommendations
This is a detail many people overlook. After blocking someone:
- Previous messages in your inbox remain visible to you, but the conversation is frozen — no new messages can be sent in either direction
- Recommendations they've written for you remain on your profile unless you choose to remove them manually (via your profile editing settings)
- Endorsements they've given you for skills also remain unless you remove them
If the goal is a clean break, you'll want to review these elements separately after blocking — they don't disappear automatically. ✅
The Right Call Depends on Your Situation
LinkedIn's blocking feature is well-designed for cutting off unwanted contact, but how useful it is depends heavily on context. Someone dealing with repeated unsolicited messages has a different need than someone who simply wants to stop seeing a former colleague's updates. The overlap between blocking, unfollowing, and removing connections means there's usually a setting that fits the situation — but which one fits yours comes down to the specifics of what's happening and what outcome actually matters to you.