Having connections disappear on LinkedIn can be frustrating and confusing. As a professional social media platform, LinkedIn is designed to help you build and maintain a network of professional contacts. But sometimes those hard-won connections can inexplicably vanish. What causes this to happen and what can you do about it? Let’s take a closer look.
Common reasons LinkedIn connections disappear
There are a few main reasons why you may lose LinkedIn connections:
- The user deleted their account
- The user blocked you
- LinkedIn purged inactive accounts
- There was a glitch or technical issue
Let’s explore each of these causes in more detail.
The user deleted their account
The most straightforward explanation is that the user decided to delete their LinkedIn account entirely. When a user deletes their account, their connections, profile, and all other data is erased from LinkedIn’s servers. They will immediately disappear from your connections list and everywhere else they were linked on LinkedIn.
Some reasons a user may delete their account include:
- Leaving their job and wanting a fresh start
- Moving to a new industry or career path
- Unhappy with LinkedIn and wanting to use a different platform
- Concerns over privacy and data sharing
- Too many spam messages and notifications
If the deleted user later rejoins LinkedIn, they won’t be automatically reconnected to you. You would have to search for them again and send a new connection request.
The user blocked you
Another possibility is that the user blocked you specifically. If someone blocks you on LinkedIn, it immediately removes you from their connections list and removes them from yours.
Some reasons a connection may block you include:
- They didn’t recognize you or didn’t remember connecting
- They were receiving too many messages or connection requests from you
- Your profile content or activity made them uncomfortable
- Political, religious or ethical differences
- Competition within the same industry or negative business relationship
Blocking is an extreme measure on LinkedIn, but it does happen on occasion. If you suspect someone blocked you, try viewing their profile in an incognito browser window. If their profile is unavailable or shows an error, they likely blocked you.
LinkedIn purged inactive accounts
LinkedIn regularly scans for and removes member accounts that have been completely inactive for over a year. If the user stops logging in or interacting with LinkedIn, the account may get flagged for removal during one of these system sweeps.
Inactive accounts are purged so that connection lists reflect active, engaged users. It keeps your network focused on relevant, current contacts and clears out old, outdated connections.
Purged accounts can always be reactivated if the user logs back in. But otherwise they are permanently deleted, along with their connections and activity.
There was a glitch or technical issue
In some cases, connections can disappear due to a minor technical glitch or bug. With over 800 million members, LinkedIn’s servers handle an enormous amount of data. Occasional hiccups are inevitable.
Some examples of technical issues that may cause a dropped connection include:
- A server outage or maintenance
- An app update bug
- Changing browsers or devices
- Importing/exporting your data
- A connection request glitch
Most glitches are temporary and your connections reappear after some time. But on rare occasions the connection can be permanently lost. Try searching for the user again and resending a connection request.
How to tell if someone deleted their LinkedIn account
When viewing your connections list, deleted accounts will simply disappear. But how do you know for sure if someone permanently deleted their account versus blocking you, switching to private mode or another reason?
Here are a few ways to confirm an account was fully deleted:
- Search for their profile and get a “Could not find this member” error
- Look for a notification that says “Your connection’s account is no longer active”
- Check for them under your 3rd degree network and get an error
- See if their company page no longer lists them as an employee
If all signs point to an account deletion, they most likely left LinkedIn entirely and didn’t just remove or block you.
How to tell if someone blocked you on LinkedIn
Being blocked is tricky to confirm because LinkedIn’s messaging is ambiguous. Here are some signals that may indicate you were blocked:
- The user disappears from your connections list
- You can no longer message or contact them
- You can’t comment on their posts or see their updates
- Their profile says “You’re no longer connected”
- Searching their name yields few to no results
If you believe you were blocked, searching from an incognito browser window can provide more definitive proof. But take care not to harass or stalk the user, which will only make the situation worse.
How to recover a lost LinkedIn connection
If you lose an important or valuable LinkedIn connection, don’t panic. In many cases you can recover the relationship. Here are some tips:
- Search for their name and reconnect
- Ask mutual connections to introduce you again
- Find their contact info and reach out directly
- Send a new connection invite with a note reminding them who you are
- Look for their profile on Twitter, Facebook, or other networks
With persistence, you can usually reconnect with lost business contacts and professional acquaintances. Focus on restoring the relationship, not blaming them for the lost connection.
Best practices for maintaining LinkedIn connections
To avoid losing connections in the future, here are some LinkedIn best practices:
- Nurture your network – Communicate regularly with your connections
- Check profiles – Periodically view connections’ profiles for changes
- Expand common connections – Get introduced through mutual contacts
- Share and comment – Stay engaged by reacting to updates
- Use LinkedIn Groups – Participate in Groups to meet new people
- Follow up – After meeting people in person, connect and follow up
- Send reminders – If you haven’t connected in a while, say hello
- Monitor notifications – Pay attention to connection updates and messages
- Customize settings – Adjust your notifications and profile visibility
- Use an email reminder tool – Services like MonkeyBuddy can alert you if connections drop
With a proactive approach, you can avoid losing touch with important contacts on LinkedIn.
Conclusion
Losing LinkedIn connections can be frustrating, but is often fixable. Accounts get deleted, users block for various reasons, and technical issues occur. But in most cases, you can recover the relationship by reaching out in a friendly, professional manner. Apply best practices to curate an active network of valuable connections that mutually support your career goals.