The fastest way to remove a contact

Open LinkedIn on a desktop or mobile browser and go to your Contacts page. Find the person you want to remove, click the three dots next to their name, and select Remove from contacts. The person will no longer appear in your contacts list, and you will not see their activity in your feed.

On mobile, the three-dot menu appears to the right of each contact's name. The option works the same way — tap it, then confirm the removal. LinkedIn does not notify the person that you removed them, and they can still see your profile if they search for you directly.

If you cannot find the three-dot menu, make sure you are looking at your own Contacts page, not someone else's profile. Your Contacts page is only visible to you.

Key Takeaways

  • Removing someone from your contacts takes one click on the three-dot menu next to their name on your Contacts page.
  • The person you remove will not be notified, and they can still view your profile or message you later.
  • Removing a contact is different from blocking — a removed contact can still connect with you again if they send a new request.
  • If you want to stop seeing someone's posts without removing them entirely, you can mute their activity instead.

The difference between removing, blocking, and muting

Removing a contact straightforward takes them off your list, but they retain the ability to message you or send a new connection request. Blocking is more restrictive — a blocked person cannot see your profile, send you messages, or find you in search results. Blocking is the right choice if you want to cut off all contact with someone.

To block someone on LinkedIn, go to their profile, click the three dots at the top, and select Block. You will be asked to confirm. Unlike removing a contact, blocking is visible to the other person in the sense that they will notice they cannot access your profile anymore.

Muting is the lightest option. When you mute someone, you stay connected, but their posts and activity stop appearing in your feed. You can still see their profile if you visit it directly. Muting is useful when you want to keep a professional connection but do not want to see their daily updates.

What happens after you remove someone

Once you remove a contact, they disappear from your Contacts list when ready. Any messages you exchanged with them remain in your message history — removing them does not delete past conversations. You can still read old messages if you search for them in your inbox.

The removed person can still find you through LinkedIn search, view your public profile, and send you a new connection request. If they send a request, it will appear in your inbox like any other request, and you can accept or decline it. Removing someone is not permanent in the way that blocking is.

If you removed someone by mistake, you can straightforward accept a new connection request from them later, or you can search for their profile and send them a request yourself.

When to remove versus block

Remove a contact when you want to clean up your list but do not have a conflict with the person. This might be someone you connected with for a specific project that ended, a former colleague you no longer work with, or someone whose content you do not want to see regularly. Removal is low-stakes and reversible.

Block someone when you want to prevent ongoing contact or when the relationship is uncomfortable or unwanted. Blocking stops them from messaging you, viewing your profile, or finding you in search. Use blocking for spam connections, harassment, or people you genuinely do not want to interact with.

If you are unsure, muting is often the middle ground. You keep the connection but hide their activity from your feed. This avoids the awkwardness of removing or blocking while still giving you control over what you see.

Removing contacts on the LinkedIn mobile app

The LinkedIn mobile app works the same way as the browser version. Tap the My Network icon at the bottom of the screen, then tap Contacts. Find the person you want to remove and tap the three dots next to their name. Select Remove from contacts and confirm.

On some older versions of the app, the Contacts section may be labeled differently or located in a menu. If you cannot find it, check the My Network tab first — that is where LinkedIn typically groups your connections and contacts.

Removing multiple contacts at once

LinkedIn does not have a built-in feature to remove multiple contacts in one action. You have to remove them one at a time using the three-dot menu. If you need to remove a large number of people, the process will take several minutes, but there is no faster way through the standard interface.

Some third-party tools claim to bulk-remove contacts, but LinkedIn's terms of service restrict the use of automation tools on your account. Using an unauthorized tool to remove contacts in bulk could result in your account being flagged or suspended. The safest approach is to remove contacts manually through LinkedIn's official interface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person know I removed them from my contacts?

No. LinkedIn does not send a notification when you remove someone from your contacts. They will not know unless they check your profile and notice they are no longer in your connections, which most people do not do regularly.

Can I remove someone without them being able to add me again?

Only if you block them instead of removing them. Blocking prevents them from sending new requests, viewing your profile, or messaging you. Removing just takes them off your list but leaves the door open for them to reconnect later.

What if I remove someone by accident?

You can search for their profile and send them a new connection request, or wait for them to send you one. There is no "undo" button, but reconnecting is straightforward — just send a request as if you were connecting for the first time.

Does removing a contact delete our message history?

No. Your past messages remain in your inbox even after you remove the contact. You can still read and search through old conversations. Removing someone only takes them off your contacts list.

Can I remove someone from my contacts but keep them as a connection?

Yes. Removing from contacts is different from disconnecting. You can remove someone from your contacts list and still be connected to them — they just will not appear in your Contacts section anymore. You can still see their profile and activity.