You can remove a connection in two clicks, and they won't be notified
To remove a LinkedIn connection, go to your profile, click "Connections" in the left menu, find the person's name, click the three dots next to their profile card, and select "Remove connection." The person will not receive a notification that you removed them, though they may notice you are no longer on their connection list if they look.
Removing a connection is permanent. Once you remove someone, you will need to send them a new connection request if you want to reconnect later. They can accept or decline just like any other request. Removing a connection does not delete messages you have already exchanged with that person — your conversation history stays in your inbox.
Key Takeaways
- Removing a connection takes seconds and the person will not be notified, though they can see you are no longer connected if they check your profile.
- You can remove multiple connections at once by selecting their names and using the bulk action menu, which is faster than removing them one by one.
- Removing someone does not delete your past messages with them, and they can still see those messages in their own inbox.
- If you remove someone by mistake, you can send them a new connection request, but they will see it as a fresh request rather than a restoration.
How to remove a single connection
Open LinkedIn and click your profile photo in the top right corner. Select "View profile" from the dropdown menu. On your profile page, click "Connections" in the left sidebar — this shows all the people connected to you.
Scroll through your connections list until you find the person you want to remove. Hover over their profile card and click the three dots icon in the corner. A menu will appear with the option "Remove connection." Click it, and the removal is complete. The person will not see a notification about this action.
Removing multiple connections at once
If you need to remove several people, LinkedIn lets you select multiple connections and remove them together. On your Connections page, check the box next to each person you want to remove. You can select up to 50 connections at once.
Once you have selected the people you want to remove, a menu bar will appear at the top of the page with action options. Click "Remove" and confirm your choice. All selected connections will be removed in one action. This is much faster than removing them individually, especially if you are cleaning up a large connections list.
What happens after you remove someone
After you remove a connection, that person can no longer see your profile unless you are connected again or your profile is set to public. They will not appear in your connections list, and you will not appear in theirs. If they search for you, they will see a "Connect" button instead of "Connected."
Your past messages with that person remain in your inbox and theirs. Either of you can still read the conversation history, but you cannot send new messages to each other unless you reconnect. If you want to message them again, you will need to send a new connection request first.
Removing connections versus blocking or restricting
Removing a connection is different from blocking someone. When you remove a connection, they can still see your public profile and send you a new connection request. When you block someone, they cannot see your profile at all and cannot send you requests.
LinkedIn also has a "Restrict" option, which prevents someone from seeing when you are active, viewing your profile, or messaging you, but you remain connected. Use Remove if you straightforward want to disconnect but stay open to future contact. Use Restrict if you want to stay connected but limit their access to your activity. Use Block if you do not want any contact with that person at all.
Cleaning up your connections list
If you have accumulated many connections over the years, you may want to review and remove people you no longer have a relationship with. LinkedIn does not limit the number of connections you can have, but a smaller, more relevant list can make your profile more meaningful to people who view it.
Start by sorting your connections by date added or by industry. Look for people you have not interacted with in years or whose work no longer relates to yours. You can remove them in batches using the multi-select feature. This does not hurt your professional standing — removing inactive or irrelevant connections is a normal part of maintaining your network.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the person know I removed them?
LinkedIn does not send a notification when you remove a connection. However, if they check your profile or their own connections list, they will notice you are no longer there. There is no way to remove someone without them potentially discovering it if they look.
Can I undo a removal?
No, removal is permanent. If you remove someone by mistake, you will need to send them a new connection request. They will see it as a fresh request, not a restoration of the old connection. They can accept or decline like any other request.
What if I remove someone and then want to message them?
You cannot message someone on LinkedIn unless you are connected. If you remove a connection and later want to contact them, send a new connection request first. Once they accept, you can message them. Your old message history will still be visible to both of you.
Does removing a connection affect my profile visibility?
Removing a connection does not change your overall profile visibility settings. If your profile is public, removed connections can still see it. If your profile is private, they cannot see it unless you reconnect. Your privacy settings stay the same regardless of who you remove.
Can I remove someone without them being able to see my profile afterward?
Only if you also block them or set your profile to private. straightforward removing a connection leaves your public profile visible to them. If you want to remove someone and prevent them from seeing your profile, you need to either block them or change your profile visibility to "Private" or "Connections only."