How long can I hibernate my LinkedIn account?

LinkedIn offers users the ability to temporarily deactivate or “hibernate” their accounts for a period of time. This can be useful if you need to take a break from the platform or want to limit your use for personal reasons. When an account is hibernated, your profile and all account data remain intact, but your account becomes hidden from other users on LinkedIn.

How Long Can You Hibernate a LinkedIn Account?

LinkedIn allows users to hibernate their accounts for up to 90 days at a time. When you hibernate your account, you select the specific date you want it to reactivate. On that date, your account will automatically become active again unless you choose to extend the hibernation period further.

So in summary:

• You can hibernate a LinkedIn account for up to 90 days
• You choose the exact reactivation date when hibernating your account
• Your account reactivates on that date unless you extend the hibernation

How Do I Hibernate My LinkedIn Account?

Hibernating your LinkedIn account is simple. Just follow these steps:

1. Log into your LinkedIn account
2. Click on the “Me” icon at the top of your homepage
3. Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu
4. Click on “Account preferences” in the left sidebar
5. Scroll down and click on “Hibernate your account”
6. Select the date you want your account to reactivate
7. Click the “Hibernate Account” button

Once you complete these steps, your account will become hidden until the reactivation date you selected. You can always log back in and reactivate your account early if you choose.

Why Hibernate a LinkedIn Account?

There are a few common reasons people choose to hibernate their LinkedIn accounts temporarily:

• Job transition – If you are between jobs or careers, you may not need an active LinkedIn presence for a period of time.
• Avoid distractions – Hibernating can help eliminate LinkedIn from your life if you want to focus on other priorities.
• Temporary break – Some people just want to take a brief break from business networking and social media.
• Manage notifications – Hibernating lets you avoid being bombarded with messages and notifications.

The key benefit of hibernating (rather than deactivating your account entirely) is that all of your profile data remains intact. Your connections, content shares, recommendations, and other account details will still be there when you reactivate your account later on.

What Happens When Your LinkedIn Account is Hibernated?

Here’s what happens when your LinkedIn account enters hibernation status:

• Your profile will not appear in search results or feeds
• You will not appear as a connection to your contacts
• You cannot send or receive messages
• Your notifications and homepage feed stop
• You cannot interact with content or make profile updates
• Your account data remains untouched until reactivation

Essentially, hibernating makes it seem like your account doesn’t exist to other LinkedIn members. You become “invisible” on the platform until the date you specified to reactivate your account.

Can You Use LinkedIn at All With a Hibernated Account?

While your LinkedIn account is in hibernated status, your ability to use LinkedIn features becomes extremely limited. The main things you can still do are:

• Log into your account to reactivate it
• Extend the hibernation period further if desired
• Review limited account data like your profile views

So in short – no, there is not much “use” of a hibernated LinkedIn account. You cannot actively participate on the platform until your account is reactivated again.

How to Reactivate a Hibernated LinkedIn Account

Reactivating a hibernated LinkedIn account is very simple:

1. Log into your LinkedIn account while it is hibernated
2. Click the “Reactivate your account” button
3. Confirm you want to reactivate the account

Your account will instantly become active again. All of your profile information, content, and connections will reappear as if you never hibernated your account in the first place.

Can You Extend the Hibernation Period?

If you aren’t ready to reactivate your LinkedIn account once the initial hibernation period ends, you can always extend it further. To extend your hibernation:

1. Log into your hibernated account before the reactivation date
2. Go to your account settings
3. Choose “Extend hibernation” and pick a new reactivation date

There is no limit on how many times you can extend your hibernation period. You can continue postponing the reactivation date indefinitely.

Is Hibernating Better Than Deactivating Your LinkedIn Account?

In most cases, yes – hibernating your LinkedIn account is better than permanently deactivating it. Here’s why:

As you can see, hibernating gives you more control and flexibility. Your account disappears temporarily but can easily be restored on your own terms later on.

The Main Downside of Hibernating

The only real downside of hibernating instead of deactivating is that your profile still technically exists behind the scenes. So in theory, LinkedIn can still use that data even while your account is inactive. But for most people, this is a small tradeoff compared to losing all your account data permanently.

Conclusion

Hibernating your LinkedIn account lets you take a temporary break from the platform while preserving your profile and connections for later use. You can hibernate for up to 90 days at a time, and reactivate your account anytime on your own. It’s an excellent option if you need a LinkedIn timeout but don’t want to permanently delete your account.