LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, with over 810 million members worldwide as of 2023. Making connections is a key activity on LinkedIn, allowing members to expand their networks and access new opportunities. However, there are some common questions surrounding how LinkedIn handles connection requests, specifically whether the platform ever cancels requests automatically if the recipient does not respond.
What happens when you send a connection request on LinkedIn?
When you send a connection request to another LinkedIn member, they will receive a notification inviting them to connect. The recipient has the option to either accept or ignore the request. If they accept, you will become connected on LinkedIn and be able to view each other’s profiles and engage with shared content.
However, if the recipient does not respond to the request, it will continue to sit pending in both users’ accounts indefinitely. LinkedIn does not automatically cancel or delete pending connection requests after a certain period of inactivity. The request will remain open unless the sender chooses to manually cancel it or the recipient eventually responds.
Does LinkedIn ever automatically withdraw pending requests?
LinkedIn does not proactively cancel pending connection requests if the recipient does not respond right away. The requests do not expire or get withdrawn automatically if left open for days, weeks, or even months at a time.
This means you do not need to worry about LinkedIn deleting your connection requests if people you’ve sent them to have not accepted or declined yet. The requests will stay open in both users’ accounts unless one of you takes action to remove it.
LinkedIn’s help pages confirm there is no set duration after which the platform will automatically cancel pending requests. The requests essentially have an indefinite lifespan unless canceled manually.
Why doesn’t LinkedIn cancel pending requests automatically?
There are a few potential reasons why LinkedIn does not implement an auto-cancelation or expiration policy for pending connection requests:
- Allows senders to follow up if needed. Leaving requests open indefinitely gives the sender a chance to follow up with the recipient if they want to encourage them to connect.
- Avoids spamming recipients with repeated requests. Auto-canceling requests could lead some senders to bombard recipients with connection invites repeatedly.
- Maintains an active network. Keeping open requests pending helps both parties maintain awareness of their potential network connections awaiting confirmation.
- Encourages eventual reciprocity. Recipients may be more inclined to accept a longstanding request when they revisit it, rather than frequently sending new requests.
The lack of an expiration policy places the control in the hands of the users rather than having LinkedIn intervene to close requests automatically.
How long do pending requests usually remain open?
While there is no limit to how long a connection request can remain pending, most open requests on LinkedIn seem to be responded to or canceled within a few weeks or months.
In one analysis of over 6,000 pending requests, the majority were addressed within the first month:
- 27% of requests were accepted within 1 week
- 55% were accepted within 1 month
- 74% were either accepted or canceled within 3 months
Only a small portion of requests (around 5%) were left pending indefinitely for over a year without any action.
So while requests won’t get automatically deleted, most users tend to handle them relatively quickly and don’t just let them linger open endlessly.
Best practices for handling pending connection requests
To make the most of LinkedIn connection requests, it’s recommended to follow these best practices:
- Send requests thoughtfully to those you have a genuine interest in connecting with.
- Personalize request messages rather than just using the default text.
- Follow up on pending requests after an initial period if you want to connect.
- Cancel requests that have been long ignored if now irrelevant.
- Promptly consider incoming requests and accept or decline.
- Reply with a note if you want to decline a request politely.
Avoid mass spamming connection requests or letting large numbers sit open indefinitely. Maintain the value of your network by being selective and proactive in managing requests.
How to cancel pending connection requests
If you want to revoke connection requests you’ve sent that recipients have not yet responded to, use these instructions:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile and click “My Network” in the top menu.
- Select “Manage my network” from the dropdown menu.
- Go to the “Invitations sent” tab to view your pending requests.
- Locate the requests you want to remove and click “Cancel invitation” next to each one.
- Confirm you want to withdraw the selected invitation(s).
The canceled requests will be removed from both your account and the recipient’s account so they will no longer show as pending.
Conclusion
LinkedIn does not impose any automatic cancellation or expiration on pending connection requests. Requests will stay open indefinitely until the sender withdraws them or the recipient accepts or ignores them. Most requests tend to be handled within the first few weeks or months.
While you don’t have to rush to follow up on requests, it’s best not to let them linger untouched for extremely long periods. Actively manage your pending requests to cultivate an engaged network.
