How to Remove a Connection on LinkedIn
You can remove a connection on LinkedIn and they will not be notified. Here are the two ways to do it, and why the order you choose matters.
The cleanest way to remove a connection (Connections page method)
This is the method to use if you want to stay completely under the radar. When you remove someone directly from your Connections page, you never visit their profile, which means no profile view notification is triggered before the removal. It is the most discreet option.
On desktop:
- Click the “My Network” icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage
- Click the number of connections shown under your name (for example, “487 connections”)
- Find the person you want to remove, or search their name in the search box
- Click the “More” icon (three dots) next to their name
- Select “Remove connection”
- Click “Remove” in the confirmation window
On mobile:
- Tap the “My Network” icon (two people)
- Tap the number of connections shown
- Find the person and tap the three dots next to their name
- Select “Remove connection”
- Confirm
LinkedIn will show “Connection Removed” as the status confirmation. The whole process takes about 10 seconds.
How to remove a connection from their profile page
This method works too, but comes with one caveat: visiting someone’s profile before removing them may trigger a profile view notification. They could see that you looked at their profile and then notice the disconnection shortly after. If that matters to you, use the Connections page method above instead.
If you are not concerned about the profile view, here are the steps:
- Navigate to the connection’s profile
- Click the “More” button in the introduction section
- Select “Remove connection”
- Confirm
That is it. The connection is removed immediately.
Does LinkedIn notify them? What actually happens after removal
No. LinkedIn does not send any notification to the person you removed. They will not get an alert, an email, or any message telling them they have been disconnected. The only way they would know is if they visited your profile and noticed the “Connect” button had reappeared, but that requires them to check proactively.
Here is what actually changes after you remove a connection, per LinkedIn’s official documentation:
- They are no longer a 1st-degree connection and will not appear in your Contacts section
- Any endorsements and recommendations between you will be withdrawn. This is the part most people do not expect. They are not restored even if you reconnect later.
- ou lose the ability to send direct messages to each other unless you are in the same LinkedIn group or they have InMail credits. If you were mid-conversation, check message read receipts to see whether they opened your last message.
- Their posts will no longer appear in your feed
- They can still view whatever parts of your profile are public
One more important detail from LinkedIn’s official docs: only the person who removed the connection can re-initiate it. If you remove someone by accident, you will need to send them a new connection request yourself. They cannot request you first.
Remove vs unfollow: which one you actually need
These are two different actions and the right choice depends on your situation.
| Remove connection | Unfollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Are you still connected? | No | Yes |
| Do they see this action? | No | No |
| Can you still message them? | No (unless in shared group) | Yes |
| Do their posts appear in your feed? | No | No |
| Can they see your profile? | Only public info | Yes, as before |
Use unfollow when you want to stop seeing someone’s posts without affecting the professional relationship. Their content disappears from your feed but everything else stays the same.
Use remove when the connection itself is no longer relevant, the person is a spam account, or you are approaching the 30,000 connection limit and need to make room.
To unfollow someone without removing them: go to their profile, click the “Following” button, and select “Unfollow.” They are not notified.
How to remove multiple connections without getting flagged
LinkedIn has no native bulk removal feature. You have to do it one at a time.
This frustrates a lot of people, and some turn to automation tools or browser scripts to speed it up. The problem is LinkedIn actively detects this. Many users have reported receiving warnings and being temporarily locked out even when removing connections manually but too quickly.
The safest approach is to use the Connections page, remove connections at a human pace, and do it in sessions rather than all at once. Removing 10 to 20 connections per day is unlikely to trigger any flags. Trying to remove 200 in an hour probably will.
There are third-party tools that claim to handle bulk removals safely, but none of them are officially sanctioned by LinkedIn and all carry some degree of account risk. Manual removal is slower but it is the only method that carries zero risk.
Privacy tip: hide your connections list before a cleanup sprint
If you are planning to remove a significant number of connections, consider hiding your connections list first. This prevents anyone from cross-referencing your list before and after to notice who disappeared.
To do this:
- Go to “Settings & Privacy”
- Click “Visibility”
- Find “Who can see your connections”
- Set it to “Only you”
This also stops people from browsing your network to poach contacts, which is a separate but useful reason to keep it on permanently.
One more thing worth knowing: if you remove someone while browsing their profile and they had already viewed your profile recently, LinkedIn may still show your profile visit in their notifications before the removal registers. This is another reason the Connections page method is the cleaner option. You can check exactly how LinkedIn handles profile view notifications before deciding which removal method to use.
When does it make sense to remove a connection?
- Spam or fake profiles. If someone connected and immediately sent a suspicious message or tried to move the conversation to email or WhatsApp, remove them.
- Inactive contacts from old roles. People you connected with for a specific job or project years ago who you have no reason to stay connected to. Use our post date extractor to check when they last posted before removing.
- Low-quality mass connections. If you went through a period of accepting every request or using aggressive connection strategies, a periodic cleanup keeps your network relevant. The algorithm prioritizes engagement from your connections, so inactive contacts dilute your reach.
- Approaching the 30,000 limit. LinkedIn caps connections at 30,000. If you are getting close, removing inactive contacts is the only way to continue growing.
FAQs
Does LinkedIn tell someone when you remove them as a connection?
No. LinkedIn sends no notification, email, or alert of any kind to the person you removed.
What happens to endorsements and recommendations when you remove a connection?
They are withdrawn immediately and permanently. LinkedIn’s official documentation confirms they will not be restored even if you reconnect with that person in the future.
Is there a way to remove a connection without them seeing that you viewed their profile?
Yes. Use the Connections page method instead of visiting their profile directly. Go to My Network, click your connection count, find the person, and remove them from the list. This way you never land on their profile and no view notification is triggered.
Can the person I removed send me a connection request after removal?
No. Per LinkedIn’s official documentation, only the person who broke the connection can re-initiate it. If you removed someone, you will need to send them a new request yourself. They cannot request you first.
Is there a bulk remove feature on LinkedIn?
No. LinkedIn does not offer native bulk removal. You have to remove connections one at a time. Attempting to do it too quickly, even manually, can trigger LinkedIn’s automation detection.
What is the difference between removing a connection and unfollowing them?
Removing ends the connection entirely. Unfollowing keeps the connection intact but stops their posts from appearing in your feed. Both actions are invisible to the other person.
If I remove someone and then reconnect, are endorsements restored?
No. Endorsements and recommendations are permanently withdrawn on removal and are not restored if the connection is reestablished later.