You Want to Unfollow Quietly on LinkedIn
You’re scrolling through your LinkedIn feed and see yet another post from a former colleague, a recruiter who sends too many updates, or someone whose content just doesn’t align with your interests anymore. You want to clean up your feed, but the thought of clicking their name, loading their full profile, and potentially sending a “viewed your profile” notification holds you back.
This is a common dilemma. LinkedIn is a professional network where subtlety matters. Unfollowing is a private action, but the traditional path to do it feels anything but private. You might worry they’ll see your profile view and wonder why you were snooping, or you simply want to make the change without any digital footprint.
The good news is that LinkedIn provides a way to manage your connections and follows directly from your feed. You can unfollow someone without ever visiting their profile page, ensuring your action remains discreet and your feed becomes more relevant.
Understanding Following vs. Connecting on LinkedIn
Before we dive into the steps, it’s crucial to understand the difference between “following” and “connecting” on LinkedIn, as this dictates your options.
When you connect with someone, you become 1st-degree connections. You can see each other’s full profiles (depending on settings), message each other directly, and endorse skills. You automatically follow your connections, meaning their posts appear in your feed.
Following someone is a one-way subscription to their public posts. You can follow anyone with a public profile, even if you are not connected. They will not get a notification that you are following them, and you can unfollow them just as quietly.
The process to unfollow a connection is identical to unfollowing someone you merely follow. The key distinction is that unfollowing a connection does not remove the connection itself. You will still be connected, but their posts will stop appearing in your feed. This is often the perfect middle ground for managing professional relationships without severing the formal link.
Why Unfollowing From the Feed is the Best Approach
Unfollowing directly from a post in your feed is the most efficient and discreet method. It uses LinkedIn’s contextual menu, which is attached to the post itself, not the user’s profile. This action is processed in the background without redirecting your browser or the LinkedIn app to their profile page.
This means no profile view is registered on their “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” section. It’s a clean, instant way to curate your content intake. The person will not be notified that you have unfollowed them, preserving professional courtesy and avoiding potential awkwardness.
How to Unfollow on Desktop (Web Browser)
If you are using LinkedIn on a computer through a web browser like Chrome, Safari, or Edge, follow these steps. This method works whether the person is a connection or just someone you follow.
First, log into your LinkedIn account and navigate to your homepage feed. Scroll until you find a post from the person you wish to unfollow. You need one of their recent posts to be visible in your feed for this to work.
On the top-right corner of their post, you will see three small dots or a “More” icon. Click on this icon to open a dropdown menu of options related to the post.
In this menu, look for and select the option that says “Unfollow [Person’s Name]”. The text is very direct. Once you click it, the action is immediate. You may see a brief confirmation toast, and their future posts will stop appearing in your feed.
If you cannot find a recent post from them, you can use an alternative method. Go to your “My Network” section at the top of the page and click on “Connections.” Use the search bar within your connections list to find the person. Next to their name, you will see a “Following” button. Clicking this button will toggle it to “Follow,” effectively unfollowing them. This method still avoids a full profile view.
How to Unfollow in the LinkedIn Mobile App
The process on the LinkedIn mobile app for iOS or Android is very similar and just as quick. The app’s interface is designed for touch, but the options are in the same logical places.
Open the LinkedIn app and go to your feed. Find a post from the individual you want to unfollow. Tap the three dots in the top right corner of that specific post.
A menu will slide up from the bottom of your screen. Scroll through this menu until you see the “Unfollow [Person’s Name]” option. Tap it. The change takes effect instantly, and you will remain on your feed.
As with the desktop, if their post isn’t visible, you can go to your profile tab, tap “View profile,” and then tap “Connections.” Search for the person and tap the “Following” button next to their name to switch it to “Follow.”
What Happens After You Unfollow Someone
It’s important to manage expectations after you take this action. Your feed will simply stop receiving updates about their posts, articles, or shares. The connection itself (if you are connected) remains completely intact.
You can still visit their profile manually at any time in the future. You can still message them. They can still see your profile and posts if your settings allow it. The unfollow action only affects the algorithmic delivery of their content to your personal homepage.
You can always re-follow them later with one click if you change your mind. To do this, you would visit their profile and click the “Follow” button, or if they appear in a comment or share, you can use the three-dot menu on that activity to follow them again.
Troubleshooting Common Unfollow Issues
Sometimes, the option might not appear as expected. Here’s how to handle common scenarios.
If the “Unfollow” option is missing from the three-dot menu on a post, it likely means you are not currently following that person. The menu might show “Follow” instead. Double-check by looking at their profile preview; a “Following” badge indicates you are subscribed.
If you cannot see any posts from them in your feed, even though you know you follow them, LinkedIn’s algorithm may be deprioritizing their content. In this case, use the “Connections” list method described earlier. Searching your connections list does not count as a profile view to the other person.
For high-profile individuals or influencers with “Creator Mode” enabled, you might be following their hashtags or topics rather than them personally. Check your “Followed Hashtags” and “Following” lists in your feed settings to manage those subscriptions.
Alternative: Muting a Connection
If unfollowing feels too permanent, or if you want to silence a specific type of content without unfollowing, consider the “Mute” feature. This is different from unfollowing.
Muting a connection hides their posts and notifications from your feed for a set period (like 30 days) or indefinitely, but you technically remain “following” them. This can be a good trial period. The mute option is often found in the same three-dot menu on their post or via the settings on their profile preview.
However, to access the full mute duration settings, you might need to visit their profile, which defeats the goal of staying invisible. For a truly viewless adjustment, unfollowing is the more straightforward and reliable method.
Managing Your Overall Feed Health
Unfollowing individuals is one part of maintaining a valuable LinkedIn experience. For broader feed control, explore LinkedIn’s feed preferences.
On desktop, click the “Me” icon at the top of your homepage, select “Settings & Privacy,” then go to the “Visibility” tab. Look for “Visibility of your LinkedIn activity” and find “Followed Hashtags, Pages, and People.” Here, you can see a master list of everyone and every topic you follow and manage them all from one central location.
In the mobile app, go to your profile, tap “Settings,” then “Account Preferences,” and find “Content preferences.” This area allows you to tailor your feed by indicating interests and reviewing your following list.
Regularly auditing this list every few months is a great professional habit. It ensures your feed is filled with industry insights, valuable news, and updates from people who genuinely help your career, rather than noise.
Professional Etiquette of Unfollowing
There is no professional breach in unfollowing someone. It is a standard feature of all social networks for a reason. Content consumption is personal, and everyone’s interests evolve.
You are not obligated to follow every connection. In fact, being selective leads to a higher-quality feed where you are more likely to engage meaningfully, which can improve your own visibility on the platform.
If you are concerned about a specific individual noticing (for instance, a close contact or client), remember that the action is private. They have no way of knowing unless you tell them. If the relationship is important, consider engaging with one of their posts every so often instead, which is a more positive signal than passively following.
Your Action Plan for a Cleaner Feed
Now that you know how to do it discreetly, you can take control of your LinkedIn experience. Start with the most obvious source of feed clutter. Open LinkedIn and scroll until you find a post that isn’t relevant to you.
Use the three-dot menu on that post and select “Unfollow.” Notice how quick it is. There’s no loading screen, no profile view, just an instant adjustment to your feed’s algorithm.
Make this a quick weekly or monthly habit. Spend five minutes scrolling and unfollowing two or three accounts whose content no longer serves you. Over time, this dramatically increases the signal-to-noise ratio in your professional updates.
Combine this with actively following new thought leaders, companies, and hashtags in your field. By both pruning and cultivating your follow list, you transform LinkedIn from a passive scroll into a powerful, personalized professional news hub.
You have the tools to shape your digital environment. A focused feed saves time, reduces distraction, and surfaces the opportunities and insights that matter most for your career growth, all while maintaining the discreet professionalism that the network demands.
