LinkedIn is a popular social media platform used primarily for professional networking and career development. With over 740 million members worldwide, LinkedIn facilitates connections between professionals in nearly every industry.
One of the core features of LinkedIn is the ability to message other members directly through the LinkedIn messaging system. This allows users to initiate contact with connections and prospective connections for networking, business opportunities, and more.
However, sometimes a LinkedIn user may wish to block another member from contacting them on the platform. This could be due to harassment, spam, or simply no longer wanting to connect with that person.
A common question that arises is: If I block someone on LinkedIn, what happens to the messages we previously exchanged? Let’s explore this in more detail.
What happens when you block someone on LinkedIn?
On LinkedIn, you can block other members in a few different ways:
- Go to their profile and select “Block” or “Report/Block”
- From a message thread, click the “…” icon and choose “Block”
- On the LinkedIn desktop site, go to Settings & Privacy > Blocking to view and manage your blocked list
Blocking prevents the blocked member from:
- Viewing your LinkedIn profile
- Sending you messages
- Adding you to their network
- Inviting you to events
Essentially, blocking cuts off all communication from that member to you. You’ll no longer see any notifications, messages, or requests from a blocked account.
What happens to past messages when you block someone?
Now let’s get to the key question: when you block a LinkedIn member, what happens to the messages you previously exchanged?
The short answer is: the messages are not automatically deleted.
Here’s a more detailed explanation:
- Your past message history with the blocked member remains visible to you.
- The blocked member can still see your old messages to them.
- Any new messages they try to send you after being blocked will not go through.
- You can manually delete past conversations and connections as desired.
So in summary, simply blocking a LinkedIn member does not retroactively erase your messaging history or connection. The previous conversations remain intact from both parties’ perspectives. Only new incoming communication gets cut off.
How to delete past conversations on LinkedIn
If you do wish to delete previous LinkedIn conversations after blocking someone, you can do so manually:
- On the desktop site, go to Messaging and select “Past Conversations”
- Click the “…” icon next to a conversation thread and choose “Delete conversation”
- Confirm that you want to delete the entire thread
- The messages will be permanently erased from your account
You can delete conversations one by one, or multi-select several threads to remove them all at once.
However, keep in mind that doing this only deletes the messages from your account – your blocked connection can still see the conversation from their end. There is no unilateral “delete conversation” button that erases it for both parties.
Removing LinkedIn connections
In addition to past messaging threads, you may also want to remove a blocked member from your LinkedIn connections. To do this:
- Go to your profile and click “See all connections”
- Search for the name of the connection you wish to remove
- Hover over their name and click “Remove connection”
This will delete the connection on your end only. The other person will need to manually remove you from their connections as well.
Again, simply blocking a connection does not sever the relationship – you need to take additional steps to delete messaging history and remove connections after blocking someone.
Best practices for blocking on LinkedIn
If you are considering blocking someone on LinkedIn, here are some best practices to follow:
- Carefully consider if blocking is necessary vs. simply removing a connection
- Block sparingly and only when truly needed
- Review all past messaging threads and delete any sensitive conversations
- Remove the blocked person from your connections
- Adjust your profile visibility if concerned the blocked person can still view your profile
Blocking should not be overused, as it can limit networking opportunities. But in cases of harassment, spam, or other unwelcome communication, blocking and removing connections enables you to curate your LinkedIn network.
Other options besides blocking
Beyond blocking, LinkedIn provides a few other options to manage unwanted interactions:
- Unfollow: Stops seeing another member’s posts without severing the connection.
- Report: Alerts LinkedIn of inappropriate behavior that may violate their policies.
- Removing a connection: Deletes the connection without blocking all communication.
- Restrict profile visibility: Limits which LinkedIn members can view your full profile.
So in summary, blocking is not the only way to handle unwanted messages and connections on LinkedIn. Carefully consider which option makes the most sense for your situation.
Conclusion
Blocking a member on LinkedIn prevents future communication but does not automatically delete messaging history or connections. Past conversations remain visible to both parties unless manually removed. Blocking should be used sparingly and primarily for cases of harassment or other unwelcome contact. With close to 740 million users, LinkedIn aims to maintain professional decorum – leveraging options like blocking and reporting helps achieve that goal.