How do I delete all my LinkedIn information?

With over 810 million users worldwide, LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for professional networking and building your online presence. However, some users may eventually want to delete their LinkedIn account and all associated data for privacy or other reasons. Completely removing your information from LinkedIn’s servers can be a tedious process, but it is possible if you follow the proper steps.

Why Would You Want to Delete Your LinkedIn Account?

Here are some common reasons people choose to delete their LinkedIn accounts and data:

• You’re leaving the workforce or retiring and no longer need a professional online presence
• You want a fresh start and to disassociate yourself from your previous jobs and connections
• You’re concerned about privacy and want to limit the amount of personal data stored online
• You had a bad breakup with an employer and no longer want to be associated with them
• You’re experiencing harassment, bullying, or other issues with connections on the platform
• You have another professional profile on a site like Xing or TalentNet and no longer need LinkedIn
• You don’t have time to keep your profile updated and don’t see any value in maintaining it
• You disagree with LinkedIn’s data collection policies and want your info removed

Essentially, if your use of LinkedIn is no longer beneficial or is causing more harm than good, deleting your account may be the right solution. However, it’s important to understand that removing your profile won’t necessarily remove all traces of your data or connections from the platform.

How to Permanently Delete Your LinkedIn Account

If you want to delete your LinkedIn account, it’s not as simple as deactivating your profile. You need to take the extra steps to formally close your account and request data removal. Here is the full process:

1. Go to your LinkedIn account settings and select “Close your account” under the Account management section. This will deactivate your profile.
2. On the account deactivation page, select the option for “I would like to permanently close my account” instead of just deactivating it temporarily.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to confirm your identity by entering your account password.
4. LinkedIn will try to convince you to keep your account. Decline any offers to simply deactivate your account instead of permanently closing it.
5. On the final confirmation screen, click the button to permanently close your LinkedIn account.
6. Wait approximately 24-48 hours for LinkedIn to process your account closure request.
7. To request deletion of your data, you’ll need to contact LinkedIn Customer Service directly. Be sure to specify you want all personal data removed from their servers.
8. According to their privacy policy, it may take up to 90 days for LinkedIn to fully delete closed account information from their databases.

Once you formally close your account, your profile and all personal information should eventually be removed from public view on LinkedIn. However, always keep in mind that conversations and connections you had on the platform may still live on in the accounts of other users. Deleting your own account can’t necessarily remove all traces of your presence on LinkedIn.

How to Download Your LinkedIn Data

Before closing your LinkedIn account permanently, you have the option to download an archive of your account data for personal records or in case you ever need it again. Here’s how to download your LinkedIn data before account closure:

1. Go to the LinkedIn settings page and select “Get a copy of your data.”
2. On the data archive page, select the option to “Request archive.”
3. Choose the types of data you want to include in your downloadable archive. You can select your entire account history or just specific information.
4. Enter your account password when prompted to confirm your identity.
5. LinkedIn will prepare an archive containing your selected account data. This may take up to 72 hours.
6. When the archive is ready, you’ll receive an email from LinkedIn with a download link that expires after four days.
7. Download and locally save your LinkedIn data archive file before the link expires.

Analyzing your LinkedIn data archive can let you see exactly what information the platform has stored about you. The download typically includes profile info, connections, ads you’ve clicked, search history, messages, interests, and more. Having this data could be useful if you ever need to recreate your LinkedIn presence.

What Happens When You Delete LinkedIn?

Here’s a quick rundown of what happens after you permanently delete your LinkedIn account:

• Your profile, connections, posts, and all other account activity will no longer be publicly viewable.
• You’ll be logged out of LinkedIn across any connected devices.
• You won’t be able to log back into your account, reset your password, or reactivate the same profile.
• LinkedIn will remove your data from their active databases over time as per their privacy policy.
• Any conversations you had over LinkedIn messaging will remain in other users’ inboxes.
• Shared connections may still be able to find and contact you through other networks.
• Third-party apps connected to your LinkedIn account will no longer have access.
• Your profile URL will become available for anyone else to claim.

In summary, deleting your account cuts off access to LinkedIn and begins the process of removing your info from their systems. But conversations, connections, and some data may still live on in fragments across the platform and through other users’ accounts. Fully wiping out your LinkedIn footprint requires closing your account and requesting data erasure.

Are There Any Downsides to Deleting LinkedIn?

While deleting your LinkedIn account provides clear benefits around privacy and reducing your online presence, there are some potential downsides to consider as well:

• You lose access to professional connections made through LinkedIn.
• Your professional network and reputation on the platform will disappear.
• Finding new job opportunities may become more difficult without LinkedIn.
• Companies may see an absence from LinkedIn as a red flag when hiring.
• Valuable historical records of your career path will be erased.
• Contacts will no longer be able to look you up or get in touch through LinkedIn.
• You lose access to LinkedIn’s news curation, articles, and other content.
• Some data and mentions may still remain outside of your control on other users’ accounts.

For most working professionals, LinkedIn can be a key component of building a network and personal brand. By deleting your account completely, you lose access to these potential benefits. Consider whether you can achieve your goals simply by tightening privacy settings or limiting your use before fully removing your presence on the platform.

Best Practices for Deleting LinkedIn

To ensure the full removal of your LinkedIn presence, here are some best practices to follow:

• Manually download and save any data or connections you may want to retain for personal use.
• Export your list of LinkedIn connections so you have their contact info before deleting.
• Notify important connections that you’ll be closing your LinkedIn account.
• Remove LinkedIn connections from your other social profiles before deleting.
• Check for any pending invitations or conversations before closing your account.
• Revoke permissions for any third-party apps connected to your LinkedIn.
• Create an out-of-office message notifying people you are unreachable via LinkedIn messaging.
• If requested, provide feedback to LinkedIn on why you are deleting your account.

Taking these steps helps tie up loose ends and preserves valuable data before initiating the account closure process. Make sure to follow up with LinkedIn Customer Service after closing your account to request erasure of your personal data.

Other Ways to Limit LinkedIn Exposure

If you don’t necessarily want to permanently delete your LinkedIn presence entirely, here are a few other options to limit your exposure:

• Temporarily deactivate your account instead of fully closing it.
• Adjust your profile settings to private so only connections can view.
• Remove your last name and photo to have a more anonymous public profile.
• Stop adding new connections or accepting invites to reduce growth.
• Remove previous jobs and education to distance your current self from past roles.
• Delete old posts and updates you no longer want public.
• Block any harassing connections from viewing your profile or messaging you.

Taking a targeted approach by tweaking your privacy settings, pruning old information, and limiting new connections can reduce your exposure. This maintains access for networking while controlling the data available to others.

Can You Reopen a Closed LinkedIn Account?

Technically, yes – it is possible to restore a closed LinkedIn account within 14 days by contacting Customer Service. However, this is only intended for people who accidentally or wrongfully deactivated their account. After 14 days, LinkedIn permanently disables closed accounts and they cannot be reopened.

If you regret deleting your LinkedIn, your only option is to create an entirely new account. You’ll have to start from scratch in reestablishing your profile and connections. Any data from your previous account will be lost unless you exported and saved it prior to closure. Essentially, deleting your LinkedIn account permanently is a one-way street and should not be done unless you are absolutely certain.

Does LinkedIn Actually Delete All Your Data?

LinkedIn states in their privacy policy that they will delete closed account information from their active databases within 90 days. However, some data may remain in encrypted backups for extended periods:

“Information that you have shared with others (like your profile, posts, comments or groups) or that others have copied may also remain visible after you have closed your account. However, we remove account information from backups within 90 days.”

Additionally, conversations you’ve had with connections would remain within those users’ inboxes until they choose to delete them. So while LinkedIn will eventually delete your data from their systems after account closure, some info could persist indefinitely in fragments across other accounts and backups. Full deletion requires contacting each individual connection to remove conversations and mentions of you.

Can Closing Your LinkedIn Account Permanently Harm Your Career?

This concern often deters people from deleting their LinkedIn accounts. While having no LinkedIn presence is atypical for professional adults and recruiters may see it as a red flag, there are no guaranteed negative effects on your career:

• For most established professionals, online presence matters less than in-person networking and referrals.
• As long as you have an updated paper resume, lack of LinkedIn is rarely a deal-breaker when applying for jobs.
• Some companies and recruiters may even appreciate your concern for privacy in closing your account.
• Any valuable connections made on LinkedIn can be retained by exporting contact lists before deleting.
• There are other professional platforms like XING that can substitute for LinkedIn if needed.

While LinkedIn has become the standard for digital professional networking, you can establish and maintain an in-person network independent of the platform. The effects of deleting your account ultimately depend on the norms within your specific industry and career stage.

Key Takeaways on Deleting LinkedIn

Here are some key points to remember if you plan to permanently delete your LinkedIn account and data:

• Fully deleting a LinkedIn account takes time and multiple steps – don’t expect info to disappear instantly.
• Download any data or connections you may want to retain before closing your account.
• Be aware that some data fragments may persist indefinitely on other users’ accounts.
• Understand the potential career impacts of having no LinkedIn presence in your industry.
• You cannot easily undo or restore a deleted LinkedIn account after 14 days.
• Thoroughly removing all traces of your data requires contacting connections.
• Limited options like deactivating your account can reduce exposure while maintaining access.

With over 810 million users, LinkedIn is entrenched as a platform for professional networking and online presence. While permanently deleting your account can be done, it requires accepting both benefits and drawbacks. Carefully weigh your specific situation before taking steps to close your account and wipe your presence from LinkedIn’s servers.

Table: Overview of LinkedIn Account Deletion Process

Conclusion

Deleting your LinkedIn account can be a tedious process, but is possible if you want to permanently remove your professional presence from the platform. Be sure to download any data, notify connections, understand career impacts, and take preventive measures in advance. While LinkedIn will eventually delete closed account info from servers, some data traces may still remain in fragments across their systems. Weigh the pros and cons carefully before taking steps to permanently erase your LinkedIn footprint.