Does LinkedIn delete your account after inactivity?

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 750 million members worldwide. As a career-focused social media platform, LinkedIn allows users to create professional profiles, connect with other professionals, join groups, and apply for jobs. But what happens if you don’t use your LinkedIn account for an extended period? Will LinkedIn eventually delete inactive accounts?

The Short Answer

No, LinkedIn does not automatically delete or deactivate accounts due to inactivity. As long as you continue to meet LinkedIn’s terms of service, your account will remain active even if you do not log in or use it regularly.

LinkedIn’s Policy on Inactive Accounts

According to LinkedIn’s terms of service, the company reserves the right to terminate accounts that are inactive for over one year. However, this policy is not routinely enforced. LinkedIn prefers to keep all profiles active whenever possible to maintain the integrity of the professional network.

So in practice, LinkedIn will not delete or deactivate your account simply because you have not logged in for a while. As long as you periodically sign in and use your account, it will remain active indefinitely.

Why LinkedIn Prefers to Keep Inactive Accounts

There are several reasons why LinkedIn opts to keep inactive accounts open:

• Maintains connections between members – Deleting inactive accounts would sever professional connections and reduce LinkedIn’s value as a networking platform.
• Preserves account history – Keeping accounts active preserves all the profile info, connections, and activity history.
• Potential for reactivation – Inactive users may eventually return and reengage with their networks.
• User flexibility – LinkedIn wants to accommodate users who need a break from the platform but have not abandoned it entirely.

Essentially, LinkedIn aims to provide maximum flexibility and continuity for its members. The company recognizes that professional needs and usage vary over time.

When LinkedIn May Delete an Inactive Account

While inactivity alone won’t get your LinkedIn account deleted, there are some situations where an inactive account could potentially be removed:

• Violations of terms of service – Accounts that violate LinkedIn’s rules around inappropriate content, spam, false information, inauthentic activity, etc. may be terminated.
• Legal compliance – LinkedIn may delete accounts in order to comply with applicable laws regarding data privacy, security, intellectual property, etc.
• Mergers and acquisitions – If LinkedIn is acquired by or merged with another company, some inactive accounts could be purged as part of the integration process.
• Technical issues – In rare cases, glitches during platform maintenance and upgrades could result in some accounts being deleted unintentionally.

But aside from these kinds of exceptional scenarios, you can rest assured that LinkedIn will not purge your account simply for not logging in regularly.

How to Reactivate a Deleted LinkedIn Account

If your LinkedIn account does end up getting deleted for any reason, you may be able to recover it through the account recovery process:

1. Go to LinkedIn’s account recovery page and enter the email address associated with your account.
2. LinkedIn will send a password reset email if it has your email address on file.
3. Click the password reset link in the email and follow the prompts to create a new password.
4. Log into your account with your new password.

This will work to recover your account as long as it has not been permanently deactivated by LinkedIn. Keep in mind the recovery link in the email is only active for a limited time.

Rebuilding Your LinkedIn Presence After Account Deletion

If your account has been permanently deactivated and cannot be recovered, you will need to start building your LinkedIn presence again from scratch:

• Create a new LinkedIn account with your name and email address.
• Build out your profile summary, work experience, education, skills, etc.
• Connect with people you know to start rebuilding your network.
• Join relevant LinkedIn groups and follow influencers/companies.
• Engage actively with content and conversations to increase your visibility.

While it takes time and effort to reestablish yourself, focus on delivering value to your connections and being an active member of the community.

Best Practices for Keeping Your LinkedIn Account Active

Here are some tips to ensure your LinkedIn account remains active even if you are not using it regularly:

• Update your profile at least once per year – Make slight modifications to position titles, descriptions, skills, etc. to show activity.
• Login and check notifications at least every 3 months – Quickly browsing updates keeps your account active.
• Engage with other members and posts periodically – Like, comment, and share content posted by others.
• Join relevant industry groups – Sign up for group emails and engage in group discussions when possible.
• Add new connections periodically – Grow your network by connecting with new professionals.

Setting reminders to login or making a habit of brief monthly LinkedIn check-ins can go a long way in maintaining account activity.

Should You Pre-emptively Delete Your LinkedIn Account?

Some users may consider pre-emptively deleting their inactive LinkedIn accounts to declutter their online presence. However, it’s often better to just leave accounts open in case you ever want to reactivate them. Deleting your account permanently severs all connections and erases your profile and network history.

Instead of deleting your account, you can:

• Temporarily deactivate your account – This hides your profile but saves all data for easy reactivation later.
• Increase privacy settings – Customize your profile visibility and data sharing preferences.
• Remove personal info – Delete or omit individual profile sections you don’t want public.

With these options, you can effectively limit your LinkedIn presence without permanently closing your account.

Conclusion

LinkedIn errs on the side of preserving user accounts whenever possible. The platform will not automatically delete or deactivate accounts simply due to inactivity over time. To maintain the integrity and value of the professional network, LinkedIn generally keeps inactive profiles open indefinitely.

As long as you periodically log into your account and avoid violations that would get you banned, your profile will remain intact for as long as you want. With a few best practices, keeping your LinkedIn account visibly active is simple to do.