How to Remove LinkedIn Connections: Complete Guide (Without Drama)

Need to clean up your LinkedIn network? Whether it's former colleagues, spam accounts, or connections you no longer want, removing LinkedIn connections is straightforward. Here's how to do it discreetly and professionally.

Quick Answer: Can You Remove LinkedIn Connections?

Yes! LinkedIn allows you to remove connections at any time, and the best part: they won't be notified.

What happens when you remove a connection:

• They're immediately removed from your network
• No notification is sent to them
• They can still see your public profile
• You can reconnect later if you want
• All previous messages remain in your inbox

Method 1: Remove Individual Connections

On Desktop

Step 1: Go to My Network

• Click "My Network" icon in top navigation
• Select "Connections" from left sidebar
• You'll see your full connections list

Step 2: Find the Connection

• Scroll through your connections
• Or use the search bar to find specific person
• Click on their name to open options

Step 3: Remove Connection

• Click the three dots (...) next to "Message" button
• Select "Remove connection"
• Confirm by clicking "Remove" in popup

On Mobile App

Step 1: Access Your Network

• Tap "My Network" icon at bottom
• Tap "Connections" at top
• Browse your connection list

Step 2: Select Person to Remove

• Find the connection you want to remove
• Tap their name to open profile
• Tap three dots (...) in top right

Step 3: Remove Connection

• Select "Remove connection"
• Confirm removal
• Connection is instantly removed

Method 2: Block a LinkedIn Connection

Blocking is more permanent than removing. Use this for harassment or spam.

How to Block Someone

On Desktop:

1. Go to their profile
2. Click "More" button
3. Select "Report/Block"
4. Choose "Block [Name]"
5. Confirm your decision

On Mobile:

1. Open their profile
2. Tap three dots (...)
3. Select "Report/Block"
4. Choose "Block"
5. Confirm

What Happens When You Block

They cannot:

• See your full profile (only public info)
• Send you messages
• Send connection requests
• See your posts in their feed
• Comment on your posts

You cannot:

• See their profile
• Message them
• Send connection request
• See their content

Method 3: Hide Connections from View

If you don't want to remove someone but want them out of sight:

Unfollow Instead of Remove

On Desktop:

1. Go to their profile
2. Click "More" button
3. Select "Unfollow [Name]"
4. Their posts won't appear in your feed

Benefits:

• Still connected professionally
• Don't see their content
• No notification sent
• Can reconnect anytime

Manage Your Feed Preferences

Customize what you see:

• Settings > Privacy > Manage who can see your connections
• Settings > Display > Feed preferences
• Mute keywords related to topics
• Snooze specific people's updates

When Should You Remove LinkedIn Connections?

Valid Reasons to Remove

Professional reasons:

• No longer work together
• Never actually met the person
• Spam or fake accounts
• Recruiters you're not interested in
• Competitors monitoring your activity

Personal reasons:

• Former colleagues on bad terms
• People who post offensive content
• Connections who constantly spam
• Protecting your privacy
• Cleaning up your network

Strategic reasons:

• Approaching LinkedIn's 30,000 connection limit
• Curating a targeted network
• Improving feed quality
• Professional rebranding

Remove vs. Block vs. Unfollow: Quick Comparison

Test Your LinkedIn Knowledge

Question: When you remove a LinkedIn connection, what happens to your previous messages?

A) Messages are deleted B) Messages remain in your inbox C) Messages are archived D) Only you can see them

Click to see answer

Answer: B) Messages remain in your inbox ✅

When you remove a LinkedIn connection, all your previous message history stays in your inbox. The conversation doesn't disappear. However, you won't be able to send new messages unless you reconnect or have LinkedIn Premium (which allows messaging non-connections).

This is actually helpful because:

• You keep a record of past conversations
• Important information isn't lost
• You can reference old discussions if needed

Remove vs. Block vs. Unfollow: Which to Choose?

Remove Connection

When to use:

• Passive cleanup
• No longer relevant connections
• Accidentally accepted requests
• Mild spam accounts

Pros:

• Simple and quick
• Can reconnect later
• No notification sent
• Reversible

Cons:

• They can still see public profile
• Can send another connection request
• Can still message (if they try)

Block Connection

When to use:

• Harassment or bullying
• Persistent spam
• Safety concerns
• Serious professional conflicts

Pros:

• Complete separation
• Maximum privacy
• Prevents future contact
• Strong boundary

Cons:

• More permanent
• Harder to undo
• More dramatic action

Unfollow Connection

When to use:

• Want to maintain connection
• Just tired of their posts
• Professional diplomacy
• Family/close connections

Pros:

• Stay connected
• Don't see their content
• No risk to relationship
• Easy to undo

Cons:

• Still in your network
• They can still message
• They see your content
• Not a clean break

How to Remove Multiple Connections at Once

Unfortunately, LinkedIn doesn't offer bulk removal, but here are strategies:

Manual Bulk Removal

Desktop method:

1. Go to "My Network" > "Connections"
2. Set aside dedicated time (10-15 min)
3. Remove connections one by one
4. Use search to find specific types (e.g., "recruiter")

Pro tip: Remove while scrolling through - it's faster than searching each person.

Filter and Remove Strategy

Organize by:

1. Company (remove all from specific company)
2. Location (clean up specific regions)
3. Job title (remove certain roles)
4. Time period (connections from specific year)

Use Third-Party Tools (Caution)

Some tools claim to bulk remove, but:

• May violate LinkedIn Terms of Service
• Risk account suspension
• Security concerns with access
• Often don't work reliably

Recommendation: Stick with manual removal to protect your account.

What Happens After You Remove a Connection?

Immediate Changes

For you:

• Connection count decreases by 1
• Person removed from your connections list
• Stop seeing their content in feed
• Can't access 1st-degree connection benefits

For them:

• Connection count decreases by 1
• You disappear from their connections list
• No notification received
• Can still find your public profile

Can They Tell You Removed Them?

Likely not immediately, but:

• If they check their connection count frequently
• If they specifically search for your profile
• If they try to send you a message
• If they look at their connections list

Most people won't notice because:

• LinkedIn doesn't notify
• Most don't monitor connection count
• Large networks make it hard to track
• Many people rarely check

How to Reconnect After Removing

Changed your mind? You can reconnect:

Step 1: Find Their Profile

• Search their name in LinkedIn search
• Or visit their profile URL if you saved it

Step 2: Send Connection Request

• Click "Connect" on their profile
• Add personal note (recommended)
• Explain context if appropriate

Step 3: Wait for Response

• They'll receive your request
• No indication you were previously connected
• They can accept or decline

Pro tip: Add a note like "Looking forward to reconnecting!" to smooth things over.

Privacy Tips for LinkedIn Connections

Protect Your Connection List

Make connections private:

1. Settings > Visibility > Who can see your connections
2. Choose "Only you"
3. This hides your full network from others

Benefits:

• Competitors can't steal your network
• More privacy
• Protects your connections
• Maintains professional boundaries

Audit Your Connections Regularly

Quarterly cleanup:

• Review connections every 3 months
• Remove inactive or irrelevant connections
• Update connection strategy
• Maintain network quality

What to look for:

• Spam accounts
• Fake profiles
• Never-engaged connections
• No longer relevant contacts

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't Do This:

1. Mass removing during active hours

• Spread removals over time
• Avoid patterns that seem automated
• LinkedIn may flag suspicious activity

2. Removing then immediately reconnecting

• Looks suspicious
• May confuse the person
• Wait at least a week

3. Removing important connections impulsively

• Sleep on it first
• Consider unfollowing instead
• Think about professional consequences

4. Not maintaining connection quality

• Quality over quantity
• Regularly audit network
• Be strategic about accepting new connections

Managing Connection Requests

Prevent future cleanup by being selective:

Best Practices for Accepting

Accept if:

• You've met them professionally
• They're in your industry/field
• You have mutual connections
• Their profile seems genuine
• They included a personal note

Decline if:

• Blank or generic request
• Suspicious profile
• No mutual connections
• Irrelevant to your professional goals
• Looks like spam

Respond to Requests Strategically

Options:

• Accept - Add to network
• Ignore - Request stays in pending
• Decline - Removes request permanently
• Report - For spam or fake accounts

Advanced LinkedIn Network Management

Use LinkedIn Tags

Organize connections with tags:

1. Go to connection's profile
2. Click "Relationship" tab
3. Add relevant tags
4. Search by tags later

Tag examples:

• "Client"
• "Former colleague"
• "Met at conference"
• "Industry expert"

Connection Quality Metrics

Evaluate connections by:

• Engagement with your content
• Mutual value exchange
• Relevance to career goals
• Frequency of interaction

Frequently Asked Questions

Will they know I removed them? No, LinkedIn doesn't send notifications, but they may notice eventually.

Can I remove a connection and block them simultaneously? You'll need to remove first, then block separately.

What if I accidentally remove someone important? Just send a new connection request with a note explaining.

Is there a limit to how many I can remove? No official limit, but remove gradually to avoid flags.

Can I see who removed me? No, LinkedIn doesn't provide this information.

Do messages get deleted when I remove? No, message history remains in your inbox.

Conclusion

Removing LinkedIn connections is a normal part of managing your professional network. Whether you're cleaning up spam, maintaining privacy, or refining your network strategy, you can remove connections discreetly and professionally.

Key takeaways:

• Removing connections doesn't send notifications
• You can remove, block, or unfollow depending on situation
• Regular network audits keep your connections relevant
• Quality matters more than quantity
• You can always reconnect if needed

Take control of your LinkedIn network today by removing connections that no longer serve your professional goals. Your network should work for you, not overwhelm you.

Action steps:

1. Review your connection list today
2. Remove obviously irrelevant connections
3. Set calendar reminder for quarterly cleanup
4. Be more selective with future requests
5. Maintain a high-quality professional network