Delete a contact by going to your profile, opening your connections list, and removing them one at a time

LinkedIn does not have a bulk delete feature, so you remove contacts individually. The process takes about 30 seconds per person. You can delete someone from your connections list, from a message thread, or directly from their profile — whichever is fastest for you at that moment.

The contact will not receive a notification that you removed them, but they will no longer see you in their network. If they search for you later, they can send a new connection request. Removing someone does not block them or delete past messages.

Key Takeaways

  • You can remove a contact from your connections list, from a direct message, or from their profile page — all three methods work equally well.
  • LinkedIn does not notify the person you removed, but they will see that you are no longer connected if they visit your profile.
  • Deleting a contact does not erase your message history with them, though they may no longer be able to message you freely depending on your privacy settings.
  • You cannot undo a removal, but the person can send you a new connection request at any time.

Remove someone from your connections list

Open LinkedIn and go to your profile by clicking your photo in the top right corner. Select "Connections" from the menu that appears. You will see a list of all your connections with a small icon next to each name.

Find the person you want to remove and hover your mouse over their name. A three-dot menu icon will appear on the right side of their entry. Click that icon and select "Remove connection" from the dropdown. Confirm the removal when LinkedIn asks you to verify.

If you are on a phone or tablet, tap the three-dot icon next to the person's name instead of hovering. The rest of the process is the same.

Remove someone from a direct message

Open your messaging inbox by clicking the envelope icon at the top of LinkedIn. Find the conversation with the person you want to remove and open it. At the top of the message thread, you will see their name and a small icon (usually three dots or a gear symbol, depending on your device).

Click or tap that icon and look for an option that says "Remove from connections" or "Disconnect." Select it and confirm. This removes them from your network and also ends the ability for them to message you unless you reconnect later.

Remove someone from their profile page

Search for the person's name using the search bar at the top of LinkedIn. Click on their profile to open it. Near the top of their profile, you will see a button that says "Connected" or shows a checkmark. Click that button and select "Remove connection" from the menu.

This method is useful if you are already looking at someone's profile and decide you want to remove them without navigating back to your full connections list.

What happens after you remove someone

The person will no longer appear in your connections list, and you will no longer appear in theirs. They can still see your public profile if your privacy settings allow it, and they can send you a new connection request at any time. You will not see their activity in your feed unless you reconnect.

Your past messages with them remain in your inbox, but they may not be able to message you freely after the removal. LinkedIn restricts messaging between people who are not connected, though some messages may still go through depending on your settings. If you want to prevent them from contacting you entirely, you can block them separately — that is a different action from simply removing them.

Removing multiple contacts at once

LinkedIn does not offer a way to delete several contacts in one action. You must remove each person individually. If you need to remove many contacts, the fastest approach is to go to your connections list, find each person, and click the three-dot menu next to their name. Doing this in batches — removing five or ten at a time — makes the task feel less overwhelming than trying to do it all in one sitting.

Some people use browser extensions or third-party tools that claim to bulk-delete connections, but LinkedIn's terms of service do not allow these tools, and using them can result in your account being restricted or suspended. It is safer and faster to remove contacts manually, even if it takes longer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person know I removed them?

LinkedIn does not send a notification when you remove someone. However, they will notice if they visit your profile or search for you and see that you are no longer connected. There is no way to remove someone secretly.

Can I undo removing a contact?

No, you cannot undo a removal. However, the person can send you a new connection request, and you can accept it to reconnect. If you removed them by mistake, you can search for their name and send them a new request yourself.

Does removing someone delete our messages?

No, your message history stays in your inbox. You can still read old conversations with them. However, they may not be able to send you new messages after the removal, depending on your privacy settings.

What is the difference between removing and blocking someone?

Removing a contact simply disconnects you from their network. Blocking prevents them from finding you, viewing your profile, or messaging you. Blocking is stronger and is usually used when you want to avoid contact with someone entirely, not just clean up your network.

Can I remove someone without them seeing my profile?

Removing someone does not hide your profile from them. If your profile is public, they can still find and view it. If you want to prevent them from seeing your profile at all, you need to block them instead of just removing them.