Can you remove LinkedIn photo?

LinkedIn is a popular professional networking site where users create profiles to connect with other professionals, find jobs, network, and more. LinkedIn profiles typically include a photo of the user. As your career evolves, you may wish to update or remove your LinkedIn photo for various reasons.

Why Would You Want to Remove Your LinkedIn Photo?

There are a few common reasons why someone might want to remove their LinkedIn profile photo:

• You want to update it with a more professional headshot.
• You no longer want your photo associated with your profile.
• You are unhappy with how you look in the current photo.
• You are concerned about privacy and do not want your photo visible to everyone.
• You are job hunting and do not want employers basing decisions on your appearance.
• You have changed roles and want a photo that better fits your new professional identity.

Whatever the reason, it is perfectly acceptable to update, change or remove your LinkedIn profile photo.

Can You Delete Your LinkedIn Profile Photo?

Yes, LinkedIn allows you to remove your profile photo at any time. When you remove your photo, your profile will revert to displaying the default blank avatar icon rather than your picture.

Here are the steps to remove your LinkedIn profile photo:

1. Go to your LinkedIn profile page.
2. Click on the photo icon at the top of your profile.
3. In the pop-up window, click on the option to “Remove photo.”
4. Confirm that you want to remove your existing photo by clicking “Remove.”

Once you complete these steps, your photo will be immediately removed from your profile. The process is quick and easy.

What Happens When You Remove LinkedIn Profile Photo?

Here is what happens when you delete your LinkedIn profile picture:

• The photo will be deleted from your profile and no longer visible to other users.
• Your profile will display the default gray silhouette icon rather than an image of you.
• Any connections, employers or colleagues viewing your profile will no longer see your photo.
• If you are featured in any posts, advertisements or job applications, your photo will be removed from those as well.
• The change takes place instantly after confirming removal of your photo.
• You can add a new photo at any time from the Phot section of your profile editing tools.

Essentially, once removed, it will be as if you never had a profile photo to begin with. Your profile will revert to the default avatar until you decide to upload a new picture.

Will LinkedIn Notify Connections of Removed Photo?

LinkedIn will not notify your connections or followers when you remove your profile photo. The change will simply take effect without any announcement or notification to your network.

In most cases, your connections likely will not even notice the change unless they regularly view your profile. Even then, people update their photos periodically on LinkedIn, so a missing photo may not stand out as unusual.

The only notification related to your photo that LinkedIn may send is if you updated to a new photo. In that case, they may include it in notifications about profile changes to your connections. But merely removing your existing photo does not trigger any notification.

Can You Delete Photo Without Replacing It?

Yes, it is completely fine to remove your LinkedIn profile picture without uploading a replacement photo. Your profile will simply show the default icon rather than an image of you.

You are not required to replace your photo with a new one when you decide to remove your current picture. Some reasons you may want to remove but not replace your photo include:

• You want a completely anonymous profile without a photo.
• You intend to replace it eventually but do not have a new photo ready.
• You no longer want to share your appearance on your profile.
• You plan to close your LinkedIn account soon.

LinkedIn does not mandate having a profile photo. Millions of members use the site without one. It is completely optional unless your employer requires it.

How Long Does It Take to Remove Photo?

Removing your existing LinkedIn profile picture takes effect immediately as soon as you confirm the action. The entire process from accessing your profile settings to clicking “Remove” should take no more than 10-15 seconds.

As soon as you click the “Remove” button to confirm deleting your photo, your profile image should disappear. You will instantly see the default icon in place of your photo across LinkedIn.

There is no processing delay or waiting period for the removal to take effect. This allows you to quickly revert your profile back to the default look if needed. Changing back to a photo also only takes effect after saving changes.

Can You Undo Removing Photo?

If you change your mind shortly after removing your LinkedIn profile picture, you can easily undo it and restore your original photo.

To undo the removal and reinstate your previously deleted photo:

1. Go back to your profile editing tools.
2. Navigate to the Photo section.
3. Click “Discard changes” to revert back to your original photo.

As long as you have not refreshed your browser or navigated away from your profile editing page, you should be able to restore your original photo this way.

However, there is only a short window where undoing the removal is possible. Once you close out of editing, the change will be permanently saved and you won’t be able to simply undelete the photo.

Can You Recover Deleted LinkedIn Photo?

If you removed your LinkedIn profile photo some time ago and want to restore the old image, it may still be possible to recover it in some cases:

• Web Cache: Google cached versions of your profile may still hold your photo. Search: “cache:[your profile url]”
• LinkedIn Data Export: Request an archive of your LinkedIn data, which may include your old profile photo.
• Web Archive Sites: Check archive.org or archive.today for cached copies potentially showing your old photo.
• Google Photos: If you uploaded the photo to your Google account, it may still be in your cloud storage.
• Devices: Check if the image file still exists in your computer or phone files.

If you cannot recover your original photo through these methods, you will simply need to upload a new profile picture if you want one. But it’s often possible to find your deleted photo somewhere in your online archives and social media accounts.

Tips for Updating LinkedIn Profile Picture

Here are some tips if you want to update your LinkedIn profile photo:

• Use a professional headshot rather than a casual photo.
• Make sure the photo is high quality and well-lit.
• Dress appropriately – business formal attire is best.
• Smile and look friendly, approachable and confident.
• Check that your photo is not blurry, grainy or pixelated.
• Consider having it taken by a professional photographer.
• Double check your appearance before confirming the new photo.
• Ask a friend if your photo presents the image you want portrayed.

A polished, flattering profile photo can make a great impression so it’s worth investing effort into selecting the right image to represent you.

Mistakes to Avoid When Removing LinkedIn Photo

Here are some mistakes to avoid when deleting your LinkedIn profile picture:

• Removing the photo permanently without intending to.
• Deleting the wrong photo if you have multiple profiles.
• Forgetting to save profile changes after removing your photo.
• Accidentally removing a new photo you just updated.
• Deleting your profile photo before you have a replacement image to upload.
• Thinking connections will be automatically notified about the removal.
• Assuming you can instantly undo the removal days later.

Being aware of these potential errors can help ensure the process goes smoothly and you do not accidentally delete a photo you wish to keep.

Conclusion

It is easy to remove your LinkedIn profile photo when desired – simply access your profile editing tools and confirm deletion of your current photo. This will immediately revert your profile back to the default icon until you upload a new picture. While you can undo the removal briefly after deleting, the change will be permanent going forward. With hundreds of millions of users, a profile photo is optional on LinkedIn, so it is perfectly fine to have no photo if you choose. Just be aware of how it may impact your professional image before removing it.

Key Takeaways

• Removing LinkedIn profile photo is simple – just click “Remove” in photo settings.
• The default silhouette icon will display after removing your photo.
• You can replace the photo anytime or leave it blank indefinitely.
• No notification is sent when removing your profile picture.
• The change takes place immediately after confirming removal.