If you suspect someone may have blocked you on LinkedIn, there are a few ways to check and confirm if you have indeed been blocked. Here are the top signs and methods to determine if someone has blocked you on LinkedIn:
1. Their profile is unavailable
The most obvious sign is if you try to access someone’s LinkedIn profile directly and you get an error saying “This profile is unavailable”. This likely indicates the person has blocked you and restricted your ability to view their profile.
To check, go to the LinkedIn website or app and enter the person’s name or profile URL directly in the search bar. If their profile fails to load and you get the “unavailable” message specifically for that person while still being able to see other profiles, it’s a clear sign they’ve blocked you.
2. You can’t view their profile when searching
Another way to check is to search for the person on LinkedIn. Do a people search for their name and see if their profile shows up in the results list. If you are unable to find the person at all when searching, despite knowing they have a LinkedIn profile, it’s probable they blocked you.
Keep in mind your search settings can also affect this. Be sure you have your search preference set to show all LinkedIn members in your search results. If you still can’t find the person under their name in people search, it likely means you are blocked.
3. Your messages and connection requests are one-way
If you are connected with someone on LinkedIn who you suspect may have blocked you, check your messaging and connection history with that person. If your messages to them remain unread and unanswered repeatedly, and/or your connection requests to them go ignored, it could be because they can’t see your messages and requests due to blocking you.
You can confirm by having someone else (who is connected to that person and not blocked) try messaging them to see if they respond. If the other person gets a response but your messages remain unseen, that’s evidence the person blocked you specifically.
4. Your comments on their posts are hidden
If someone has blocked you, any comments you make on their public posts and activity updates will be automatically hidden. To check for this, try commenting on a recent post by the person who you think may have blocked you.
Then sign out of your LinkedIn account and view that same post. If your comment doesn’t appear while others’ do, it’s likely been hidden from public view as a result of you being blocked.
5. You disappeared from their connections list
When someone blocks you on LinkedIn, you will no longer show up in their list of connections. To check for this, have a trusted mutual connection look at the blocked person’s connections list for you. Or look for evidence like old posts or comments where you were tagged by the blocked person.
If there’s public proof you used to be connected but you no longer appear in their connections list, it’s a strong indicator the person severed the connection by blocking you.
6. Your profile views and search appearances decreased
Once someone blocks you, your profile and activity will no longer show up for them in searches, “People Also Viewed”, “People You May Know”, and other recommendations on LinkedIn. As a result, you may notice a drop in profile views and appearances in results.
If you consistently got profile views and search appearances from someone but suddenly don’t anymore, they may have blocked you. Use LinkedIn’s analytics to compare your stats before and after to detect any drops.
7. You can’t re-add them as a connection
If you attempt to re-send a connection request to someone who previously blocked you, the request will fail to go through. You may get a message that they “can’t be reached” or something similar.
If you know they actively use LinkedIn but keep getting rejection messages when trying to add them, it’s because they likely blocked you already and intend to keep you blocked from connecting.
8. Ask a mutual connection
One of the most definitive ways to confirm if you’re blocked is to simply ask a trusted mutual connection. Have someone you’re both connected to check if the person has blocked you when they view the profile from their account.
A mutual connection can see if there are any signs of blocking from their end, like being unable to tag you in comments or not seeing your profile listed in the person’s connections. Your mutual connection can then confirm back to you if you have definitely been blocked or not.
9. Use a secondary LinkedIn account
If you want to independently verify if someone blocked you, create a secondary LinkedIn account. Do not connect it to your primary profile in any way – use an alternate email and don’t connect with any of the same people.
Then try to search for and view the profile you think blocked your main account. If your secondary account can see the profile but your primary remains blocked, it’s certain that particular account got blocked. This method removes doubt since you can test it directly.
10. Check your account status
In rare cases, it’s possible your LinkedIn account itself got restricted, shadowbanned or temporarily banned if you violated LinkedIn’s terms of service. Check your account status and activity under Settings & Privacy.
If your account and activity look normal, then an individual block is more likely. But if your account is restricted, you will appear blocked or limited to others until the restriction is lifted.
Next steps if you’re blocked
If it’s confirmed someone blocked you on LinkedIn, don’t attempt to circumvent it or reconnect with them under a fake account. Respect their decision and move on professionally.
Focus on others in your network who do engage with you. Blocking usually occurs due to inactive connections or inappropriate behavior, so be mindful of how you interact with your connections.
With patience, the block may lift over time allowing you to re-connect down the road if appropriate. But avoid pestering someone who blocked you or trying to go around the block.
Maintain your professional reputation by networking positively. If the block was in error or is no longer necessary, the person can lift it to reconnect with you directly when ready.