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LinkedIn · Request only

What happens to your LinkedIn profile when you die

A LinkedIn profile can keep sending work anniversaries and connection prompts long after its owner has gone. A short note prevents that.

Request onlyOfficial help centre

What happens if nothing is set up

Until someone reports the death, a LinkedIn profile stays active, and contacts may keep getting prompts to congratulate the person on anniversaries.

Anyone can tell LinkedIn that a member has died. To memorialise or close the profile, LinkedIn asks for a request from someone authorised to act, such as the executor or a family member.

A memorialised profile is preserved as a tribute and no longer prompts connections about the person.

Steps

What to do instead

LinkedIn has no advance setting, so a clear record of your wishes is enough.

  1. Note your profile link

    Write down your profile URL or the email address you sign in with.

  2. Choose memorialise or close

    Decide whether you would like your profile kept as a tribute or removed.

  3. Mention any paid plans

    If you pay for Premium or other services, note them so they can be cancelled.

  4. Keep it with your account list

    Store your wishes alongside your other accounts so your executor finds them in one place.

LinkedIn's help centre has the current forms for reporting a deceased member, memorialisation and closure.

What your family can request

LinkedIn offers forms for reporting a death and acting on the profile.

  • Anyone can report a deceased member
  • An authorised person or family member can request memorialisation
  • An authorised person or family member can request that the account be closed
  • No access to the account or its messages is given

Documents usually requested

  • The member's name and profile link
  • Proof of death, such as an obituary or death certificate
  • Proof of authority, such as documents naming the executor, for memorialisation or closure

Policies change. Treat this as a starting point and confirm on each service's own help pages.

FAQ

Questions about LinkedIn

No. LinkedIn does not let you name a legacy contact, but authorised people can ask for a profile to be memorialised or closed.

Anyone. Memorialising or closing the profile needs a request from someone authorised to act, such as the executor or family.

It is preserved as a tribute, and LinkedIn stops prompting connections about the person, such as for work anniversaries.

Yes. One line saves your family a search and an awkward reminder. Keep it with your other accounts, for example in a sealed note in Sealkept delivered only if you stop checking in.

Other services

Other accounts to plan for

Back to all accounts

Related reading

One service at a time. Or the whole picture at once.

Write one sealed note to your executor in Sealkept listing every account and what you want done. It's delivered only if you stop checking in.

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