LinkedIn is a great resource for job seekers and recruiters, but there may be times when you need to put that bear into hibernation mode. Maybe you're looking for a new job and don't want your current employer to know about it. Or maybe you're taking a break from the workforce. Whichever the case, don't worry, there is a way to deactivate LinkedIn temporarily or hibernate it. And the best part is, it's pretty easy and only takes a few minutes. Read on to learn the steps.
How to Temporarily Deactivate Your LinkedIn Account
Yes, we know, LinkedIn is a great site for connecting with people in your industry and finding jobs. In fact, 35.5 million were hired by a person they have connected with on LinkedIn. Awesome right?
But if you’re not really looking for a job or have no interest in growing your network, you might wonder how to deactivate your LinkedIn account. This way you will not appear uninterested, or rude even when people, recruiters, in particular, try to connect with you and you don't respond.
Luckily, LinkedIn understands that once in a while everyone needs a break and offers you an option to hibernate your LinkedIn account instead of deleting it. So, without further adieu, here's how you can hibernate or deactivate LinkedIn:
- Log in to your LinkedIn account.
- Go to the "Me" icon on your homepage and tap "Settings & Privacy".
- From the drop-down menu select "Account Preferences", then go to "Account Management".
- Tap on the "Change" button located next to "Hibernate Account".
- At this point you will be asked why you wish to hibernate your LinkedIn account. Select the option that best describes your reasons and tap "Next".
- To complete the process you will be prompted to enter your password. Do so and tap "Hibernate my account".
And that's it! You have now successfully deactivated your LinkedIn profile. You can reactivate it within 24 hours of your deactivation or when you're ready to come back. Just log in with your username and password and your account will become active again.
*Note that if you appear as an admin in a LinkedIn product or are connected with a company product, you may be prompted to take further measures before your account is deactivated. Also, if you have an active Premium subscription, once you temporarily deactivate your LinkedIn account, the subscription will be automatically canceled.
How to Hibernate a LinkedIn Account
If you don't want to be bothered to log in to your account but still want to temporarily disable LinkedIn, you can go directly to the hibernate account section and do it from there. The process is even simpler, but you should be aware that you will again be asked to enter your password and explain why you are temporarily disabling your LinkedIn account.
What Happens When You Deactivate or Hibernate Your LinkedIn Account?
Before you officially deactivate LinkedIn you should be aware of what will happen to your account and profile. When you hibernate your LinkedIn account you will:
- No longer be visible to other members, including your connections.
- Be assigned a generic profile image, and your posts and comments will be preserved. However, you'll just be identified as "A LinkedIn member." If you have a profile photo, it will be replaced by an icon representing all users.
- Not appear in search results on the platform. And this goes for all LinkedIn products, including LinkedIn Premium Business and Recruiter.
- Still remain visible in messages you've participated in but you will be seen as just "A LinkedIn member".
- Keep the recommendations and endorsements you've given others, but they'll be labeled as given by "A LinkedIn member" until you return.
Reasons to Hibernate LinkedIn
There are a number of reasons why you might want to hibernate or deactivate your LinkedIn temporarily. Maybe you have too many social media accounts to manage or simply wish to take a break from LinkedIn. Or maybe you're:
- Not job-seeking or networking, so there's no need for you to keep your profile up-to-date and active.
- Not actively using the site, and wish to reduce the amount of spam and other unwanted communications you receive.
- Deactivating LinkedIn because you wish to focus on other aspects of your life and career.
- Job-hunting and don't want your current employer to know.
Or maybe you have recently changed your name or contact information, and by hibernating your account you can ensure that your old connections don't have access to your new information. No matter what your reasons are, knowing how to temporarily disable LinkedIn can come in handy, especially if you’re active on other popular platforms like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook that has 2.8 billion active users. With this many users and double the content compared to LinkedIn, these are probably already taking too much of your precious time.
Conclusion
We hope the above instructions have been helpful in showing you how to hibernate or deactivate LinkedIn temporarily. While LinkedIn is a great platform for networking, sometimes you just need a break. Keep in mind that if you decide to reactivate your LinkedIn account, you'll be able to pick up where you left off.
Hibernate LinkedIn Account FAQs
How long can you hibernate your LinkedIn account for?
You can apply to reactivate your LinkedIn account within 20 days. LinkedIn will be unable to reopen your account after 20 days have passed. You will be forced to create a new LinkedIn profile after this time limit expires.
What happens if I hibernate my LinkedIn account?
Hibernating or deactivating your LinkedIn account merely hides your data from other users, but it does not delete it. If you had endorsements, published comments, created articles, or submitted recommendations on LinkedIn, the site will display "A LinkedIn member" and a generic icon instead of your name and photo.
Why can't I hibernate my LinkedIn account?
If you are an administrator of a LinkedIn product (such as Groups) or work for a company that uses such a product, you may be prompted to do more before your account is hibernated. You will be unable to hibernate or deactivate LinkedIn only after you've completed the onscreen instructions.
