How to delete your LinkedIn account and prevent people from seeing your personal information
- It's possible to delete your LinkedIn account if you no longer wish to use the business networking site.
- When you delete your account, LinkedIn promises to remove all of your account information from their site within seven days.
- Your public LinkedIn profile may still be visible via search engines until their caches are refreshed.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
LinkedIn is a social media site that's distinct from any other. Instead of encouraging you to post curated images of your fabulous life, or scroll endlessly through random memes, LinkedIn is all about networking for professionals who are passionate about their careers.
That said, LinkedIn isn't for everyone, and you may join the site only to decide later that you no longer want to use it. If that's the case, you'll want to know how to delete your LinkedIn account altogether.
Luckily, deleting your account is a straightforward process that shouldn't take too long. Here's what you need to know, and how to go about it.
How to delete your LinkedIn account
1. Go to https://www.linkedin.com and log in with your username and password.
2. Once logged in, click on the "Me" option, which appears just beneath your profile photo in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
3. In the dropdown menu that opens, locate and click on the "Settings & Privacy" option.
4. Under the Account tab, scroll down until you reach the Account management section.
5. Click "Change" next to the "Closing your LinkedIn account" option.
6. On the following page, you'll be asked to confirm your desire to close your account, as well as the reason behind your decision. You can also fill in a feedback box to share additional comments or concerns with LinkedIn. Once finished, click "Next."
7. Next, you'll be asked to re-enter your password to complete the deletion process. Fill this in and click "Close account."
It should be noted that it takes LinkedIn up to seven days to remove all of your information from its servers. However, as soon as you delete your account, all your contacts and profile information will be wiped.
This means that should you decide to return to LinkedIn again in future, you'll need to start a completely new profile, and rebuild your endorsements and connections from scratch.
That said, even after those seven days have passed, there's a chance you'll still be able to see your LinkedIn account on search engines like Google and Bing. This is because search engines can update slower than individual websites. Just give it a few weeks, and search engines will eventually clear their caches and update their results.
LinkedIn does allow you to download a copy of your data before deletion, should you want to retain any information after your account is closed.
Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:
How to contact customer support on LinkedIn through the Help Center and forum
How to cancel LinkedIn Premium on your computer, or on an iPhone if you've purchased your subscription through iTunes
How to upload your resume on LinkedIn and display it on your profile
'How much is LinkedIn Premium?': A cost breakdown of all 4 of LinkedIn's paid membership tiers