How can I delete an old LinkedIn profile?

Quick Answer

To delete an old LinkedIn profile, you first need to log in to your main LinkedIn account. Then go to your account settings and navigate to the “Manage profiles” section. Here you will see a list of all profiles associated with your account. Find the old profile you want to delete and click “Delete profile” next to it. LinkedIn will ask you to confirm that you want to permanently delete that profile. Once confirmed, the profile will be removed from LinkedIn within 24 hours.

Steps to Delete an Old LinkedIn Profile

Here are the detailed steps to delete an old or extra LinkedIn profile:

1. Log in to your main LinkedIn account that you want to keep. Go to the LinkedIn homepage and enter your email and password to sign in.
2. Once logged in, click on your profile picture at the top right of the screen. In the dropdown menu, select “Settings & Privacy”.
3. On the “Settings & Privacy” page, click on “Account preferences” in the left sidebar.
4. Under the “Account management” section, click on “Manage profiles”.
5. On the “Manage profiles” page, you will see a list of all profiles associated with your account. Locate the old or extra profile you want to delete.
6. Click the “Delete profile” button located to the right of that profile. LinkedIn will ask you to confirm that you want to permanently delete this profile.
7. Click “Delete” again to confirm. LinkedIn will notify you that the profile has been queued up for deletion.
8. The profile removal process takes up to 24 hours to complete. After 24 hours, the old profile will be completely removed from LinkedIn and no longer searchable.
9. That’s it! You have successfully deleted your old or duplicate LinkedIn profile.

Why Delete an Old LinkedIn Profile?

Here are some common reasons you may want to delete an old or extra LinkedIn profile:

• You created a new LinkedIn profile and want to remove your old profile.
• You have multiple LinkedIn profiles and want to consolidate down to just one profile.
• Your old profile has outdated information you no longer want public.
• You want to change your name or job title displayed on LinkedIn.
• Your old profile reflects a previous career or industry you are no longer in.
• You want to dissociate yourself from connections or content on an old profile.
• You want to start fresh with a new profile and professional image.

Having multiple LinkedIn profiles can be confusing for connections and employers. It’s best practice to maintain one main LinkedIn presence that accurately reflects your current career situation. Deleting old or duplicate profiles helps present a clear, consistent personal brand.

What Happens When You Delete a LinkedIn Profile?

Here’s what happens after you delete a LinkedIn profile:

• The profile is removed from LinkedIn’s search directory immediately.
• Within 24 hours, all of the profile’s content and activity history is erased.
• Your connections will no longer see you listed in their connections.
• You lose access to the profile and all its associated data and content.
• The profile’s customized URL will become available for anyone else to claim.
• LinkedIn will disassociate that profile from your account permanently.

In essence, the profile will be gone as if it never existed. However, there are a few things to note:

• If you’ve signed up for services like LinkedIn Premium under that old profile, you’ll need to cancel and resubmit under your current profile.
• Any content you shared under that profile, like posts or articles, cannot be recovered.
• If others shared your old profile link or content, it may still appear in web searches until those links eventually drop off.

Overall though, deleting a LinkedIn profile thoroughly removes your presence so a new profile can take its place.

What if I Want to Reactivate a Deleted Profile?

If you delete a LinkedIn profile then change your mind later, there unfortunately is no way to retrieve or reactivate it. The profile deletion process is designed to be permanent.

However, you can create a brand new profile using the same name and information as your old one. Just be sure to let your connections know you are starting fresh with a new profile. Send connection requests to rebuild your network on LinkedIn.

Conclusion

Maintaining your professional brand on LinkedIn with one up-to-date profile is key. If you have an old or duplicate account you want removed, deleting it is a straightforward process via LinkedIn’s settings. Just log in, navigate to your list of profiles, and click delete. Within 24 hours max, that old profile will be wiped from LinkedIn permanently so you can move forward with a clean slate.