When you delete your LinkedIn account, your inbox messages will also be permanently deleted.
LinkedIn does not retain any data from closed accounts, including messages, connections, posts, and profile information. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when deleting your account.
What happens when you delete your LinkedIn account?
Here’s a quick rundown of what happens when you delete your LinkedIn account:
- Your profile is removed from LinkedIn search results and becomes inaccessible to other members.
- All of your connections are deleted.
- Your messages and conversations are erased from LinkedIn’s servers.
- You lose access to your LinkedIn network and groups.
- Your posts, comments, and activity are deleted.
- You can no longer log in or recover your account.
Essentially, deleting your account wipes your presence from LinkedIn entirely. All of your data is permanently removed from their systems.
Are messages immediately deleted when you close your account?
Yes, LinkedIn deletes all inbox messages as soon as your account is closed. The messages are not stored temporarily before being erased.
However, closing your account does not delete copies of conversations that recipients have saved locally. For example, if you had an important conversation with a connection and they downloaded a copy, they would still have access to it after you left LinkedIn.
Can you recover deleted LinkedIn messages?
Unfortunately, there is no way to recover deleted LinkedIn messages after closing your account. Since all data is instantly removed from LinkedIn’s servers, the messages are not stored or archived anywhere.
If you wish to save a record of conversations before deleting your account, you should export your LinkedIn data. This allows you to download a copy of your messages and connections locally to your computer.
Does LinkedIn notify your connections when you delete your account?
No, LinkedIn does not proactively notify your connections when you delete your account. However, they will obviously realize you are gone when your profile vanishes from their connections list.
What should you do before deleting your LinkedIn account?
If you intend to leave LinkedIn, here are some things you may want to do first:
- Download a copy of your account data, including messages, connections, and posts.
- Let close connections know that you’ll be leaving and exchange contact information.
- Remove your LinkedIn URL from anywhere it’s publicly displayed online.
- Delete any posts you don’t want staying on LinkedIn without you.
Taking these steps ensures you have records of your account activity and that your departure is less of a surprise to your network.
What are the pros and cons of deleting your LinkedIn account?
Here are some key pros and cons to weigh when considering deleting your LinkedIn account:
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Disconnecting from professional social media | Losing access to your professional network |
Increased privacy | Missing out on career opportunities |
Leaving a platform you don’t use or enjoy | Having a limited online presence as a professional |
Overall, the decision depends on your career goals, online preferences, and how you use LinkedIn. It can make sense for some job seekers but hinder others.
Should you delete or deactivate your LinkedIn account?
If you want to step away from LinkedIn temporarily, deactivating may be better than deleting. Here’s the difference:
- Deactivating – Your profile is hidden but data is retained. You can restore your account.
- Deleting – Your account is erased instantly. All data is lost permanently.
Deactivating preserves your messages, connections, and information if you want to take a break from LinkedIn. Deleting erases your presence if you want to leave permanently.
Conclusion
In summary, closing your LinkedIn account will lead to the complete deletion of your inbox messages conversations. LinkedIn does not retain or archive any data from closed accounts.
Before deleting your profile, make sure to download records, notify connections, and remove public links. Understand that the decision is permanent and you’ll lose your professional network on LinkedIn.
For a temporary break from LinkedIn, deactivating your account may be preferable to deleting it entirely. This allows you to take time off while preserving your profile information.
Overall, the choice depends on your circumstances and feelings toward LinkedIn. Make sure you understand the ramifications before deleting your account and messages permanently.
LinkedIn can be a crucial platform for networking and career development. So weigh the pros and cons carefully before choosing to delete your presence. With the right approach, you can make the best decision for your professional life online.
LinkedIn has become the premier professional networking platform, with over 722 million members as of May 2022 according to Statista. For many working professionals today, having a LinkedIn profile is essential for building connections, exploring job opportunities, and showcasing your skills to employers and colleagues around the world.
But maintaining an active presence on LinkedIn takes time and effort. At some point, you may consider deleting your LinkedIn account entirely. If you decide to take this major step, it’s important to understand the consequences – especially when it comes to your inbox messages.
What exactly happens to your LinkedIn messages when you delete your account?
When you choose to permanently delete your LinkedIn account, all of the messages in your LinkedIn inbox are immediately and irrevocably erased. LinkedIn states clearly in its privacy policy that they delete all information associated with closed accounts.
Unlike some other social networks that may retain data for a period before removing it, LinkedIn wipes all your information right away. This includes every message you’ve ever sent or received through LinkedIn’s messaging platform.
No message history remains
After your account is closed, your entire message history – whether a few weeks or many years of conversations – will no longer be accessible. LinkedIn does not retain, archive, or store any of your private message data once your profile is deleted.
In addition, while closing your account obviously does not delete messages from other people’s inboxes, it does remove your side of any conversations you had.
No way to recover deleted messages
Per LinkedIn’s account deletion policies, there is no way to recover or restore any messages after your profile has been erased. Your inbox is wiped from LinkedIn’s servers instantly and permanently.
This is why it’s important to export a backup copy of your LinkedIn data if you have message history or conversations you may want to reference in the future. Once your account is gone, neither you nor LinkedIn will have access to your past messages.
How to preserve important LinkedIn messages
Before deleting your LinkedIn account, take the following steps to preserve inbox messages you may need going forward:
- Go to your LinkedIn settings and request an archive of your account data. This will include your message history.
- LinkedIn will email you a download link when the archive is ready, which may take up to 24 hours.
- Download the ZIP file to your computer and back it up to external storage or print out conversations.
- Manually copy or forward any ongoing message threads you want to save externally.
This will allow you to maintain important messages, resume conversations on another platform, and serve as a record of your communication if needed for legal or compliance purposes.
How deleting your account affects your connections
While all of your messages will vanish when you delete your LinkedIn account, your connections will remain intact – just without your presence.
Specifically:
- Your connections will stay in place but your profile will no longer be visible.
- You will be removed from your connections’ network automatically.
- No notification will be sent to your connections about your account closure.
Although their own messages from you will disappear, the rest of your connections’ LinkedIn experiences will be unaffected. However, they may be understandably confused if you drop off their connections list suddenly without explanation.
Notify key connections in advance
Before deleting your account, it’s wise to let your close LinkedIn connections know directly that you’ll be leaving the platform and provide other means of contacting you.
This is especially important for connections made through LinkedIn messaging who you want to remain in touch with going forward.
The pros and cons of deleting your account
Before taking the permanent step of deleting your LinkedIn account, weigh the key pros and cons:
Potential pros
- Leaving a social platform you rarely use anymore
- More privacy and separating professional brand from personal identity
- No longer feeling pressure to maintain perfect LinkedIn presence
- Focusing efforts on other aspects of career or life
Potential cons
- Losing access to professional connections and networking
- Missing out on career opportunities only posted to LinkedIn
- Having limited online presence as a working professional
- Disappearing suddenly and confusing connections
Only you can decide if the benefits outweigh the costs for your circumstances. For some job seekers, deleting LinkedIn may be liberating. But for others hoping to advance their career, LinkedIn remains an invaluable asset.
Deactivating vs. deleting your account
If you want a temporary break from LinkedIn rather than permanently deleting your presence, consider deactivating your account instead.
Deactivation removes your profile from view and halts notifications, but retains all of your account data – including messages. Your profile can be easily reactivated later if desired.
However, deactivating your account will not stop automated messages from reaching your inbox. These may include notifications about new connections, messages from LinkedIn members, or digests of activity involving your profile.
Deletion is the only way to stop these automated messages and sever your LinkedIn ties entirely. But deactivation gives you an out without destroying your profile and connections if you may return.
Parting takeaways
Deleting your LinkedIn account permanently erases your messages – so if you rely on this platform for professional networking, choose wisely.
But with proper precautions, you can:
- Save important message conversations before deleting your account
- Notify close connections you’re leaving and how to reach you
- Weigh the pros and cons of leaving LinkedIn’s sizable professional community
While LinkedIn has become the de facto platform for digital networking, it’s not mandatory to maintain a presence there. With forethought, you can delete your account while preserving valuable messages and connections for your career.