By "How to unblock in LinkedIn" usually means one of two very different things. Either you blocked a person and want to undo it, or LinkedIn blocked you and your account is restricted. This guide covers both, using LinkedIn's own documented process for each.
The quick answer
To unblock someone on LinkedIn, go to Settings & Privacy โ Visibility โ Blocking, find the person in your blocked list, and click Unblock. The change takes effect immediately, and you'll have to wait 48 hours before you can block that member again.
How to unblock someone on LinkedIn
LinkedIn keeps every person you've blocked in a single list inside your settings. You can't unblock from their profile page, because blocked profiles are hidden from you. The blocked list is the only way in.
On desktop
- Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
- Select Settings & Privacy.
- In the Visibility section, open Blocking (under "Visibility of your profile & network").
- Find the person's name in the list and click Unblock.
On mobile (iOS and Android)
- Tap your profile picture at the top of the homepage.
- Go to Settings & Privacy, then Visibility.
- Tap Blocking.
- Find the person and tap Unblock.
These steps come straight from LinkedIn's official Block or unblock a member help article, which is worth bookmarking since LinkedIn occasionally moves settings around.
Want LinkedIn outreach that runs itself?
Linkdify finds your leads, writes personalized messages, and sends them at safe, human-paced limits.
How to find your blocked list on LinkedIn
The blocked list lives at Settings & Privacy โ Visibility โ Blocking on both desktop and mobile. LinkedIn documents this in See a list of who you blocked. If a name you expect isn't there, you never actually blocked that person; they may have blocked you, deactivated their account, or simply removed you as a connection.
What happens after you unblock someone
A few rules apply once you hit Unblock, and they trip people up:
- The 48-hour rule. After unblocking a member, you must wait 48 hours before you can block them again. If you're unsure, leave the block in place.
- They aren't notified. LinkedIn doesn't tell the other person when you block or unblock them (the one exception LinkedIn notes involves shared Recruiter accounts).
- You aren't reconnected. Blocking removed the connection. Unblocking doesn't restore it; you'd need to send a new connection request.
- Recommendations don't come back. Any recommendation that person wrote for you was removed when you blocked them, and LinkedIn won't reinstate it after an unblock.
- Very large block lists can get stuck. There's no limit to how many members you can block, but LinkedIn notes that if you've blocked more than 2,000 members, you may not be able to unblock someone.
"LinkedIn blocked me": how to unblock a restricted account
If you can't log in and see a message that your account is restricted, the unblock process is completely different. According to LinkedIn's account restrictions page, restrictions fall into four buckets:
| Restriction reason | What triggers it | Path back |
|---|---|---|
| Content violations | Posts, comments, or messages that break the Professional Community Policies | Log in and follow the onscreen prompts to ask LinkedIn to revisit the decision |
| Profile violations | A name, photo, or profile section that doesn't meet LinkedIn's rules | Fix the flagged profile element, then follow the onscreen steps |
| Identity violations | Fraudulent information, an account that doesn't reflect your real identity, or a compromised account | Verify your identity through LinkedIn's verification flow |
| Automated tool violations | Third-party software that scrapes, modifies the appearance of, or automates activity on LinkedIn | Stop using the tool, then appeal via the onscreen prompts |
Severe violations can lead to a permanent restriction with no appeal, but most first-time restrictions are recoverable.
The identity verification step
For locked or restricted accounts, LinkedIn's recovery flow runs through Persona, a third-party identity verification provider. LinkedIn's identity verification help page describes the process: you log in, follow the prompts (scanning a QR code if you're on desktop), select the country that issued your ID, and upload a clear photo of a valid government-issued ID card, driver's license, or passport. In some cases Persona also asks for a selfie to match your face against the ID photo.
Two details people worry about, answered by the same page: LinkedIn receives only limited information from the check (verification result, name, year of birth, ID type, and a redacted copy of the ID, not biometric data or ID numbers), and submitted data is generally permanently deleted within 14 days. If you're in Canada, the EU, or the UK and don't want to upload an ID, a notarized Affidavit of Identity is accepted instead.
A practical tip from the trenches: blurry or cropped ID photos are the most common reason verification stalls, so take the photo in good light with every edge of the document visible.
How to avoid getting restricted again
Notice that one of LinkedIn's four restriction categories is aimed squarely at automation, specifically tools that scrape LinkedIn or fake activity through your browser. If your account was restricted after using a browser-extension bot that blasted hundreds of connection requests, that's almost certainly why.
The fix isn't to swear off outreach. It's to behave like a person: keep daily connection requests modest (especially on a new or recently restored account), write messages a human would actually send, and ramp volume gradually. This is the philosophy we build around at Linkdify: outreach paced within conservative daily limits and warmed up slowly on cold accounts, because a restricted account sends exactly zero messages.
Want LinkedIn outreach that runs itself?
Linkdify finds your leads, writes personalized messages, and sends them at safe, human-paced limits.
Frequently asked questions
How do I unblock a blocked profile on LinkedIn?
Open Settings & Privacy โ Visibility โ Blocking, find the profile in your blocked list, and click or tap Unblock. You can't do it from their profile page, since blocking hides their profile from you.
Can I block someone I just unblocked on LinkedIn?
Not right away. LinkedIn enforces a 48-hour waiting period before you can re-block a member you've unblocked.
Will the person know I unblocked them?
No. LinkedIn doesn't notify members when they're blocked or unblocked, apart from a narrow exception involving shared Recruiter accounts.
How do I unblock my own restricted LinkedIn account?
Log in and follow the onscreen prompts. Depending on the restriction reason, LinkedIn will either re-review the flagged content or ask you to verify your identity with a government-issued ID through its verification partner, Persona.
Does unblocking someone restore our connection?
No. Blocking severed the connection permanently. After unblocking, you'd need to send a fresh connection request, and any recommendations they wrote for you are gone for good.
The bottom line
Unblocking a person takes about thirty seconds in Settings & Privacy. Unblocking a restricted account takes longer and runs through LinkedIn's appeal and identity verification flow, so start it as soon as you see the restriction notice. And once you're back in, protect the account: LinkedIn explicitly restricts accounts for scraping and browser-based automation, so keep your outreach at human pace.