LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 530 million members. Many professionals rely on LinkedIn to network, find jobs, connect with colleagues, build their personal brand, and more. Having a strong LinkedIn presence has become vital for career growth and opportunities in the modern job market.
However, sometimes LinkedIn users choose to deactivate their accounts due to various reasons like taking a career break, switching jobs, going back to school, etc. Deactivating your LinkedIn profile hides your profile and network connections from other members on the platform. Your profile will not show up in search results either.
While deactivating your account gives you a break from LinkedIn, it also takes away your online professional presence that you’ve built over time. If you wish to reactivate your deactivated LinkedIn account and recover your profile, connections, endorsements, and other data, it is possible to do so relatively easily if done within the permissible time limit.
In this comprehensive guide, we will cover:
How Long Does LinkedIn Keep Deactivated Accounts
– LinkedIn’s policy for keeping deactivated account data
– What happens after the grace period for deactivated accounts
How to Recover a Recently Deactivated LinkedIn Account
– Reactivate within 30 days through account settings
– Reactivate after 30 days through contacting LinkedIn support
Best Practices for Reactivating a LinkedIn Profile
– Update your profile details
– Reconnect with your network
– Review privacy and account security settings
What to Do If You Can’t Recover Your Deactivated LinkedIn Account
– Understand LinkedIn’s data deletion policy
– Submit an account recovery request to LinkedIn
– Create a new LinkedIn profile from scratch
Conclusion
– Key takeaways on recovering a deactivated LinkedIn account
So let’s get right into the details…
How Long Does LinkedIn Keep Deactivated Accounts
When you deactivate your LinkedIn account, your profile and all data associated with it will remain intact and recoverable for 30 days from deactivation.
During this 30-day grace period, you can easily reactivate your account and restore your profile by simply logging back into LinkedIn from the account email ID registered.
What Happens After 30 Days
If your LinkedIn account remains deactivated beyond 30 days, LinkedIn will permanently delete your profile data based on the platform’s data deletion policy. This includes:
– Profile details – work experience, education, skills, recommendations etc.
– Connections and network
– Content you published – articles, posts, comments etc.
– Messages and notifications
– Groups you created or were a member of
– Ads and pages you created or promoted
So if you do not reactivate within 30 days, your LinkedIn presence will be permanently erased. You won’t be able to retrieve your old profile or connections.
However, even after 30 days LinkedIn keeps some personal data like your name, email address and other information needed to maintain your account for legal and operational purposes. But all of your professional presence will be removed.
The 30 day window gives you sufficient time to recover your account if deactivation was accidental or temporary. But beyond that, revival is impossible.
How to Recover a Recently Deactivated LinkedIn Account
If you have deactivated your LinkedIn account within the last 30 days, the process to undo deactivation and restore your profile is quick and simple.
Within 30 Days of Deactivation
Follow these steps to reactivate your recently deactivated account:
1. **Visit LinkedIn.com and log in** with your account email ID and password that you used before deactivation.
2. On your account settings page, look for the option “**Reactivate your account**”. Click on this.
3. LinkedIn will prompt you to confirm reactivation. Click “**Yes**” to reactivate.
4. Your LinkedIn account will instantly be restored with your profile, connections and all data available again.
And that’s it! Your account is now active again.
After 30 Days from Deactivation
If it’s been over 30 days since you deactivated your account, you can still submit a request to LinkedIn support to recover your account:
1. Go to the LinkedIn **Help Center** and search for “**How do I reactivate my deactivated account?**”
2. Select the relevant help article and scroll down to “**I want to reactivate my account after 30 days**”.
3. Click the “**Contact Us**” button and fill out the form to contact LinkedIn support.
4. Explain when you deactivated your account and request if they can restore your profile. Include any details that can help identify your account.
5. The LinkedIn team will review your request and let you know if account recovery is possible.
6. If you provide valid reasons for needing profile restoration, LinkedIn will try their best to assist you. But account recovery depends on each specific case.
So in summary, if it’s within 30 days – easily reactivate yourself through account settings. After 30 days, you’ll have to place a formal request and outcome will depend on LinkedIn’s discretion. Act within 30 days for guaranteed recovery.
Best Practices for Reactivating a LinkedIn Profile
If you successfully recover your deactivated LinkedIn account, either within 30 days or through contacting support, you get a second chance to restart your LinkedIn presence.
Here are some best practices to follow when reactivating your profile:
Update Your Profile Details
Your profile information would be outdated after being inactive for a while. So update all details like work experience, education, skills, location etc. Make changes to reflect your current professional status.
Reconnect With Your Network
Notify connections that you are back on LinkedIn. Send connection requests to new professionals in your network. Update your contacts.
Review Privacy Settings
Check your account’s privacy configurations and security options to ensure your profile has the right level of visibility. Make any required changes.
Publish New Content
Start engaging again by posting relevant updates, articles and media that highlight your skills and expertise. Actively publish to rebuild your brand.
Follow Companies and Groups
Follow new companies to get job alerts and updates from your industry. Join relevant groups and participate in meaningful discussions.
Leverage these tips to revamp your LinkedIn presence so that reactivation was worthwhile. Treat it as a fresh start to showcase your professional capabilities through a strong LinkedIn profile.
What to Do If You Can’t Recover Your Deactivated LinkedIn Account
In some cases, you may not succeed in recovering your deactivated LinkedIn profile, if:
– It’s been over 30 days and LinkedIn declines your request.
– You cannot recall login details of the deactivated account.
If account recovery seems impossible, here’s what to do:
Understand LinkedIn’s Data Deletion Policy
Accept that after 30 days of deactivation, permanent data removal is part of LinkedIn’s policy that legally cannot be reversed. Focus efforts on creating new presence instead.
Submit an Account Recovery Request to LinkedIn
You can still try sending an account recovery request to LinkedIn Support explaining your situation, as a last resort. But the chances are low after the 30-day window.
Create a New LinkedIn Profile from Scratch
The ideal option is to simply start over by creating a brand new LinkedIn account with your current email address and building your profile and connections organically once again.
While the process may seem tedious, looking ahead positively and re-establishing your self online will pay off in the long run.
Conclusion
Deactivating a LinkedIn account should not be the end of your professional network and online presence. Within 30 days, you can easily reactivate your account and recover all of your valuable profile data with a few simple steps.
However, beyond 30 days you’ll have to request LinkedIn support for account restoration – but a positive outcome isn’t always guaranteed. Avoid permanent profile deletion by acting within the 30-day deactivation grace period.
If your account cannot be restored, focus efforts on creating a new and improved LinkedIn profile leveraging lessons from your past experience. With perseverance and a strategic approach, you can regain an impactful LinkedIn presence that accelerates your career goals.
| Deactivation Timeline | Account Recovery Method | Recovery Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Within 30 days | Self reactivate via account settings | 100% guaranteed |
| After 30 days | Request LinkedIn support | Not guaranteed |
Here are the key takeaways:
– Deactivated LinkedIn accounts remain recoverable for 30 days after which permanent deletion happens.
– To reactivate within 30 days, simply log in and toggle reactivation on your account settings.
– After 30 days, you’ll have to place a formal request via LinkedIn support for account recovery.
– Outcomes after 30 days are not guaranteed. Act within the 30-day window for a 100% account revival success rate.
– If account recovery is not possible, start a fresh LinkedIn profile and rebuild your presence.
