Hibernate Your LinkedIn Account: A Step-by-Step Guide

LinkedIn is a powerful social media platform that can help you find a job, connect with professionals, and showcase your skills. However, there may come a time when you wish to take a pause from LinkedIn to concentrate on other priorities in your life. This is where hibernating your LinkedIn account becomes beneficial.

Hibernating your LinkedIn account is a feature that enables you to temporarily disable your account without permanently deleting it. You have the flexibility to hibernate your account for an indefinite period and reactivate it at your convenience, ready to return to LinkedIn with fresh energy.

In this article, we will guide you through what it means to hibernate your LinkedIn account, provide a step-by-step process on how to do it, and elucidate what transpires once your account is in hibernation. By the conclusion of this article, you will be well-equipped to ascertain whether hibernating your LinkedIn account aligns with your current needs.

What is Hibernating Your LinkedIn Account?

Definition and Purpose

Hibernating your LinkedIn account is a feature that allows you to temporarily disable your account without deleting it. This unique feature offers you the flexibility to pause your presence on LinkedIn for as long as you need, enabling you to reactivate your account whenever you're ready to dive back into the LinkedIn world. The main purpose of hibernating your account is to give you the space to focus on other vital aspects of your life, whether it be personal, professional, or health-related goals.

Additionally, hibernating your account serves as a protective measure for your privacy and data during your hiatus from the platform.

Hibernation vs. Deletion

Hibernating your LinkedIn account offers a stark contrast to deleting it. While in hibernation, you retain the ability to access your data and settings, preserving the option to restore your account to its former state at any time. On the other hand, deleting your account results in the permanent loss of your data and settings, with no possibility of reactivation.

This makes hibernation a reversible and flexible option for users seeking a temporary break, as opposed to deletion, which represents an irreversible and final decision. Consider hibernation if you envision a return to LinkedIn, and reserve deletion for when you're certain your journey with LinkedIn has come to an end.

How to Hibernate Your LinkedIn Account: Step-by-Step Guide

Understanding what it means to hibernate your LinkedIn account and how it differs from deletion is crucial. Now, let's dive into the step-by-step process of hibernating your account using both the LinkedIn website and the mobile app.

This procedure is straightforward and swift, providing you with the flexibility to reactivate your account if you decide to return later.

Through the LinkedIn Website

To hibernate your account via the LinkedIn website, simply follow these steps:

• Navigate to linkedin.com and sign in to your account.
• Select the Me icon in the top menu, followed by Settings & Privacy from the drop-down menu.

• At the bottom of the page, click on the Hibernate your account link.

• Choose the reason for hibernating your account.
• Enter your password and click Hibernate account to finalize the hibernation.

Be aware that you might need to address certain pre-requisites before hibernating your account, such as settling any outstanding balances, transferring group admin responsibilities, or canceling a LinkedIn Learning subscription. If required, a list of such tasks will be provided. Complete these tasks, hit the Refresh button, and then you're ready to hibernate your account.

Using the LinkedIn Mobile App

If the LinkedIn mobile app is more your style, follow these steps to hibernate your account:

1. Launch the LinkedIn app and tap on your profile icon.
2. Proceed to settings and then to account preferences.
3. Find and select the hibernate account option.
4. Choose a reason for hibernation and tap next.
5. Input your password and confirm by tapping hibernate account.

Congratulations! You have successfully hibernated your LinkedIn account using the mobile app.

Remember, you can reactivate your account at any time by logging back in with your email address and password.

What Happens When You Hibernate Your LinkedIn Account?

Have you ever wondered what exactly happens to your profile, content, and connections after you decide to hibernate your LinkedIn account? Let’s dive into the effects of hibernating your account on both your visibility on the platform and your interactions, alongside details on how to spring your account back to life when the time is right.

Visibility and Interaction

Hibernating your LinkedIn account renders your profile completely invisible to everyone, including your own connections. This means none of your profile information can be seen or accessed on the platform.

Even though you’re taking a break, any recommendations and endorsements you've made will still be visible; however, they'll be attributed to "A LinkedIn member" until you decide to reactivate your account. The same goes for all your LinkedIn activities—your posts, articles, and comments stay on the platform but hidden from view. Any messages you’ve sent or received will also anonymize you as "A LinkedIn member", and your profile photo and username will vanish. Furthermore, your LinkedIn profile will also stop appearing in platform searches or through other LinkedIn services like Recruiter.

Choosing to hibernate your account means you’ll also pause receiving any LinkedIn notifications or messages. Access to your account and LinkedIn features will be suspended until you opt to reactivate.

This privacy-focused feature serves as a protective measure for your data during your absence from LinkedIn.

Reactivating Your Account

When you're ready to leap back into LinkedIn, reactivating your account is as simple as logging in with your email and password—just 24 hours after hibernation. Your account will then be restored to its earlier state, making your profile information, content, and connections visible and fully operational, just like before.

However, there are important considerations to ponder upon reactivation. Initially, should you have been utilizing a Premium subscription, be aware that it'll be automatically canceled upon account hibernation, potentially causing you to lose any special pricing. You’ll need to subscribe again if you wish to regain Premium benefits. Moreover, if you had any LinkedIn Sales Solutions or LinkedIn Talent Solutions licenses, these will remain active upon account reactivation unless an admin opts to revoke them.

Informing your organization's admins about your account's hibernation status is crucial, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding your licenses.

Conclusion

In this article, we have delved into the process of hibernating your LinkedIn account, a handy feature for temporarily disabling your account without the need for deletion. We explored the array of benefits associated with hibernating your account, including taking a much-needed break from LinkedIn, enhancing your privacy and data security, and ensuring your profile information and content remain intact.

Further, we provided step-by-step guidance on how to enter hibernation mode via the LinkedIn website and mobile app, as well as how to rejuvenate your account once you feel ready to return.

Whether you find yourself overwhelmed by the constant buzz of LinkedIn or you're aiming to dedicate more time to other facets of your life, choosing to hibernate your account might just be the ideal solution. With the flexibility to hibernate your account for any duration, and the simple process to reactivate it whenever you choose, this feature puts you squarely in control of your LinkedIn presence.

Account hibernation stands as a reversible and flexible option, empowering you with greater control over your LinkedIn experience. Why not explore this option and discover its benefits for yourself?

FAQ

What happens if you hibernate your LinkedIn account?

When you hibernate your LinkedIn account, you temporarily make your profile invisible and inactive for a period of time. You can reactivate your account after 24 hours by logging in with your credentials.

What is the difference between hibernate and deactivate LinkedIn?

The difference between hibernate and deactivate LinkedIn is that hibernating your account is a temporary option that hides your profile from other users and preserves your data, while deactivating your account is a permanent option that deletes your profile and removes your data. You can reactivate your account 24 hours after you hibernate it, but you cannot restore your account after you deactivate it.

How can I hide my LinkedIn profile without deleting it?

To hide your LinkedIn profile without deleting it, you can either turn off your profile's public visibility or hide specific profile information. You can do this by going to your settings and privacy, then visibility, and then edit your public profile.

Can I temporarily deactivate my LinkedIn account?

Yes, you can temporarily deactivate your LinkedIn account by hibernating it. This option lets you hide your profile from other users and exit the platform without deleting your data. To do this, you need to go to your settings and privacy page, select account preferences, and click on hibernate account.