Delete a single contact from your connections list

To remove one person from your LinkedIn connections, go to your My Network tab at the top of the page. Click the Connections option in the left sidebar. Find the person you want to remove by scrolling or using the search box at the top of your connections list.

Hover your mouse over that person's name or profile card. A three-dot menu icon will appear in the top right corner of their card. Click those three dots, then select Remove connection from the dropdown menu. LinkedIn will ask you to confirm — click Remove again to finish.

That person will no longer appear in your connections list. They won't receive a notification that you removed them, but if they visit your profile, they'll see that you're no longer connected.

Key Takeaways

  • You can remove one connection at a time through your My Network tab by finding the person and clicking the three-dot menu on their card.
  • LinkedIn does not notify the other person when you remove them, but they can see the change if they check your profile.
  • Removing a connection is different from blocking — a removed connection can still message you and send a new connection request.
  • If you want to hide someone's posts without removing them entirely, you can mute their profile instead of deleting the connection.
  • There is no bulk delete feature to remove multiple contacts at once, so you must remove each person individually.

Mute a connection instead of removing them

If you want to stay connected but don't want to see someone's posts in your feed, muting is a better option than deletion. Find the person's profile, click the three-dot menu icon next to the Message button, and select Mute [person's name].

When you mute someone, their posts stop appearing in your feed, but you remain connected. They can still see your public posts and activity. You can unmute them anytime by going back to their profile and selecting Unmute from the same menu.

Block a contact if you don't want any interaction

Blocking is stronger than removing a connection. When you block someone, they cannot see your profile, send you messages, or find you in search results. To block a contact, visit their profile, click the three-dot menu next to the Message button, and select Block.

LinkedIn will ask you to confirm. You can also choose whether to remove them from your connections at the same time. Blocked contacts won't know they're blocked, but they may notice they can no longer find your profile or see your activity.

What happens after you remove someone

Once you remove a connection, that person can send you a new connection request if they want to reconnect. You can accept or decline their request like any other. Removing someone does not prevent them from messaging you through LinkedIn's messaging system — they can still send you a direct message even after you've removed them.

Any messages you've already exchanged with that person remain in your message history. You can still read old conversations, but you won't see their new activity or posts in your feed.

Remove contacts from your imported contact list

If you imported contacts from your email or phone into LinkedIn, you can remove them from that imported list separately from your connections. Go to My Network, then click Manage synced and imported contacts at the bottom of the left sidebar.

Find the contact you want to remove and click the X button next to their name. This removes them from your imported list but does not affect your LinkedIn connections. If that person is also a LinkedIn connection, you'll need to remove them separately using the method described above.

Why you might want to remove someone

People remove connections for different reasons. You might want to clean up your network if you no longer work with someone, if a connection is inactive, or if you simply want a smaller, more focused list of professional contacts. Removing someone takes just a few seconds and doesn't create conflict — the other person won't know unless they check your profile.

If someone is harassing you or posting content you find offensive, blocking is a better choice than simply removing them. Blocking prevents them from contacting you or seeing your activity at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the person know if I remove them from my connections?

No, LinkedIn does not send a notification when you remove someone. However, if they visit your profile or check your mutual connections, they may notice you're no longer connected. The change is not announced to them.

Can I remove multiple people at once?

LinkedIn does not have a bulk delete feature. You must remove each connection individually by finding them in your connections list and clicking the three-dot menu. If you have a very large network you want to clean up, this will take time, but there is no faster way through LinkedIn's interface.

What's the difference between removing, muting, and blocking?

Removing a connection keeps them able to message you and send a new request. Muting hides their posts from your feed but keeps the connection active. Blocking prevents them from seeing your profile, messaging you, or finding you in search results.

Can someone I removed send me a message?

Yes. Removing a connection does not block their messages. They can still send you direct messages through LinkedIn. If you want to prevent someone from contacting you, you need to block them instead.

If I remove someone, do our old messages disappear?

No. Your message history with that person stays in your inbox. You can still read past conversations, but you won't see their new activity or posts in your feed after you remove them.