Removing a connection takes two minutes and the person won't be notified

To delete a connection on LinkedIn, open your profile, find the person's name in your connections list, click the three-dot menu next to their name, and select "Remove connection." The person will not receive a notification that you removed them, though they may notice over time that you are no longer in their network. Once removed, you will both disappear from each other's connection lists, and they cannot see your profile unless it is set to public or they send you a new connection request that you accept.

This action is permanent — LinkedIn does not keep a record of removed connections in your account, and you cannot undo it from a settings menu. If you change your mind later, you can send them a new connection request, but they will see it as a fresh request, not a restoration of the old connection.

Key Takeaways

  • Removed connections do not receive a notification, but they will see that you are no longer connected if they visit your profile or search for you.
  • The person loses access to your full profile when ready, though they can still see your public profile information if you have not restricted it.
  • Removing a connection is permanent and cannot be undone through LinkedIn settings — you must send a new request if you want to reconnect later.
  • You can remove multiple connections at once by selecting them in your connections list, though most people remove them one at a time.

How to find and remove a single connection

Start by going to your LinkedIn profile. Click the "My network" icon in the top navigation bar, then select "Connections" from the dropdown menu. This opens your full connections list, which you can sort by "Recently added" or search by name if you know who you want to remove.

Find the person's name and hover over their profile card. A three-dot menu icon will appear in the top right corner of the card. Click it and select "Remove connection" from the options that appear. A confirmation box will ask if you are sure — click "Remove" again to finish. The person will when ready disappear from your connections list.

What the other person sees after you remove them

The removed person will not see a notification or alert. However, if they visit your profile or search for you by name, they will see that you are no longer connected. Your profile will show a "Connect" button instead of "Connected," and they will no longer be able to see your full profile unless you have made it public or they send you a new connection request.

If your profile is set to private (the default for most accounts), they will see only your name, headline, and profile photo. They cannot message you directly unless you are connected, so removing a connection also blocks direct messages from that person unless you reconnect later.

Removing connections on the LinkedIn mobile app

The process is similar on the LinkedIn mobile app. Open the app, tap the "My network" icon at the bottom, then tap "Connections." Search for or scroll to find the person you want to remove. Tap their profile card, then tap the three-dot menu icon and select "Remove connection." Confirm the removal when prompted.

Some older versions of the app may have slightly different menu locations, but the three-dot menu on the person's card is always the fastest route. If you cannot find the menu, try updating the app to the latest version.

Removing multiple connections at once

LinkedIn does not have a built-in bulk removal tool, so you cannot select ten people and delete them all in one action. However, you can remove several people quickly by opening your connections list and working through them one by one — the three-dot menu stays in the same place on each card, so the process becomes faster with repetition.

If you need to remove a very large number of connections (more than 50), consider whether you want to straightforward make your profile private instead, which prevents people from seeing your full information without being connected. This is faster than removing people individually and gives you the same privacy result.

Why you might want to remove a connection

People remove connections for many reasons: a former coworker you no longer want to stay in touch with, someone who sends unwanted messages, a contact from a job you left years ago, or straightforward cleaning up a connections list that has grown too large. LinkedIn does not require a reason, and the person will not know why you removed them.

Removing a connection is different from blocking someone. If you remove a connection, they can still see your public profile and send you a new connection request. If you want to prevent someone from contacting you at all, you can block them instead — go to their profile, click the three-dot menu, and select "Block or report." A blocked person cannot message you, see your profile, or send you connection requests.

What happens to messages after you remove a connection

Any messages you exchanged with the person remain in your LinkedIn inbox — removing a connection does not delete your message history. You can still read old conversations, but you cannot send new messages to someone you are not connected with unless you reconnect first.

If the person tries to message you after you remove them, the message will not go through. They will see an error or a prompt to send a connection request instead. This is why removing a connection is an effective way to stop unwanted messages without having to block the person.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person know I removed them?

No, LinkedIn does not send a notification when you remove a connection. However, they may notice if they visit your profile or search for you and see that you are no longer connected. There is no way for them to know exactly when you removed them.

Can I remove someone without them seeing my profile first?

Yes. Removing a connection does not require the person to visit your profile or do anything on their end. You can remove them at any time, and they will only notice if they happen to look for you later.

What if I remove someone by mistake?

You cannot undo a removal through LinkedIn settings. To reconnect, you must send them a new connection request. They will see it as a fresh request, and you can include a note explaining that you removed them by mistake if you want to.

Does removing a connection delete our message history?

No. Your old messages remain in your inbox and you can read them anytime. You straightforward cannot send new messages until you reconnect. If you want to delete specific messages, you can do that separately from your inbox.

Can I remove someone who has not accepted my connection request yet?

If someone has not accepted your request, they are not yet a connection — you can cancel the request instead. Go to "My network," find the pending request, and click "Withdraw." This is different from removing an accepted connection.