Explained! How To Block Someone On LinkedIn? (+ How to Unblock)

Many people use LinkedIn to network, build relationships, and connect with like-minded professionals in their field. However, since this is ultimately just another social network there may be times when you don’t want someone to be able to see your LinkedIn profile or your LinkedIn activity. When this happens, you may choose to block this person.

Blocking a user will prevent them from interacting with you in any way, including sending messages and viewing your profile or anything you post. The good news is that, in most cases, this person won’t get any notification that they have been blocked.

In this article, we’ll explain how to block someone on LinkedIn, as well as how to unblock them if needed. We’ll also provide tips on how to protect yourself from unwanted contact and better manage your LinkedIn account.

How to Block Someone on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has policies and systems in place to keep its members safe but, unfortunately, there are always people who choose to push the limits. This may result in undesirable or even rude conduct that you should never have to deal with. In these instances, you may choose to block someone on LinkedIn – which is completely fine!

You may also choose to block someone for a strategic reason. This is not discussed as commonly. However, it may be beneficial to block coworkers or managers from viewing your profile while you are preparing to leave your current company. In many cases, you may not want them seeing your posts about looking for new opportunities, viewing profile updates, or sharing articles about interview tips.

There are many other situations that might leave you wondering “Can you block people on LinkedIn?” and how you can limit people’s access to you and your information.

You can block someone from seeing your profile from your desktop or from the LinkedIn app on your mobile device. Once blocked, this person will be added to your blocked list.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Locate the person you want to block and go to their LinkedIn profile page.
2. Below the person’s profile picture and name, click More and then Report/Block
3.  From the pop-up menu, select Block again
4. Another pop-up will load that says “Are you sure?”, click the Block button again

How to Unblock Someone on LinkedIn

Before you block someone, you might also be wondering how difficult it is to unblock them later. The good news is that it’s pretty easy to unblock someone.

Here’s how.

1. From your LinkedIn homepage, click the button that says Me icon under your profile picture
2. Click Settings & Privacy
3. Next, select Visibility and look for the section that says Visibility of your profile and network and click Blocking
4. Click Unblock next to the appropriate LinkedIn user
5. You may have to enter your account password and then click Unblock again

What Actually Happens When You Block Someone on LinkedIn?

If you’re considering blocking someone – or if you already have – here’s what things will look like going forward.

• You will not be able to see each other’s profiles or shared content on LinkedIn.
• You will not be able to message each other on LinkedIn.
• If you were connected before, they will no longer be listed as one of your connections (i.e. your total number of connections will be reduced by 1).
• You will not see each other under Who’s Viewed Your Profile.
• You won’t receive any notifications about any of their upcoming LinkedIn events.
• If you have a newsletter, the blocked person will no longer receive it.
• If the blocked person gave you endorsements or recommendations, they will be removed from your profile.
• This person will no longer be suggested to you under People You May Know or People also Viewed.
• If this person is hosting an audio event (or listed as a designated speaker), you won’t be able to join.

Other Tips to Consider When You Block Someone on LinkedIn

If you’re in groups or shared accounts with the person you want to block, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Group members cannot stop admins from having access and control over the group. Admins need these permissions to moderate group posts, memberships, and other activities. To stop admins, their admin permissions need to be removed first.
• If you want to block someone who manages a group you belong to you have to leave the group first. Then, block that person.
• If you want to stop someone from seeing the posts and messages on a group you manage, you have to remove them from the group. Then, you can block that person.
• Group members can reach out to group owners or managers to ask them to block another member from the group.
• Blocking is not allowed between a group member and a group manager.
• If you block someone that you shared a LinkedIn Recruiter account with, LinkedIn may need to notify that person or the admin of the account so that they can manage it effectively

You might still see content or activity from the person you blocked in these scenarios:

• When mutual connections share the blocked user’s content.
• If you access LinkedIn through a mobile device, you might see some old information about the blocked member’s profile. To clear the cache and see the most up-to-date information, sign in and then sign out of your LinkedIn mobile applications
• If you’re using a third-party application that pulls in LinkedIn data

Another Important Note:

The person you blocked might still see some of your LinkedIn information – like profile picture, publicly shared content or shares, comments based on how your privacy settings are saved. If want to double-check this, you can go to the Me icon > Settings & Privacy > Visibility.

Conclusion

Blocking someone on LinkedIn can be a useful way to protect yourself from unwanted interactions and maintain professional boundaries. The process is straightforward, and now you know the potential implications of blocking someone on the platform before you take action. With a few simple steps, you can ensure that you continue to enjoy using LinkedIn without any disruption or difficulties.

Interested in learning how give your LinkedIn profile a boost so that you can attract ideal recruiters and land the job of your dreams in 2023? Be sure to sign up for our FREE Level-Up Your LinkedIn Challenge!

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