On this page
Strictly speaking, you cannot delete a LinkedIn company page. LinkedIn says so itself: it is not possible to delete a page completely. What you can do is deactivate it. The page then disappears for members, drops out of LinkedIn search and nobody can follow it any more. As a super admin you do this from the super admin view, Settings and then Deactivate page, provided the page meets seven conditions.
Those conditions are why the option stays greyed out for so many companies. Below they are listed one by one, with what to do about each, what happens afterwards to your employees' profiles and to your URL, and when you are better off renaming or merging the page instead.
Check whether deactivating is the right move
Companies want a page gone for four reasons. For two of them, deactivating is the wrong step.
| Situation | Best step | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The company has closed | Deactivate | Nobody runs the page, and it gives the wrong impression |
| You have two pages for the same company | Ask LinkedIn to merge them | Followers and employees move to the page that stays |
| The company has a new name | Rename | You keep followers, posts and the link to profiles |
| A former employee made a page without asking | Request access, then decide | You first need to become super admin yourself |
A small page can be renamed by a super admin through Edit Page. If the page has many associated employees, or it is verified, LinkedIn makes the change on request. For a rebrand, LinkedIn asks for a press release explaining the new name and the reason. The name can be 100 characters at most, and the page URL does not change by itself.
For a duplicate page, such as one an employee once set up next to the official one, ask LinkedIn to merge the two. If you simply deactivate the duplicate, the people who followed it lose track of you.
Seven conditions before the option works
- The page is active and you are signed in as a super admin
- No active showcase pages: their own super admin deactivates them first
- No Career Page and no affiliated pages: for those, contact LinkedIn
- Fewer than 100 members who list the page as their employer
- No active or paused ad campaigns: delete or archive them in Campaign Manager
- The company has not been acquired by another company on LinkedIn
- No published Product Pages and no connected apps you still use
What to do about each condition
Most small businesses get stuck on three points: the super admin, the campaigns and the number of employees.
You are not a super admin. Ask someone who has the role. How the roles work, and what to do when the only super admin has left, is in how to add an admin to a LinkedIn page. Without that role you cannot deactivate the page, not even as the owner of the company.
Campaigns are still there. Even a campaign paused months ago keeps the page in place. Open Campaign Manager, find the campaigns tied to the page and archive them. Anyone who ever advertised on LinkedIn often has more of them than they think.
More than 100 associated members. Then you cannot deactivate it yourself. You can ask employees to link their experience to the right page, or contact LinkedIn with the reason. For a closed company with a long history, that is the normal route.
Showcase pages, Career Page, Product Pages and apps. Deactivate showcase pages first, each by its own super admin. A Career Page or affiliated pages are sorted out through LinkedIn. Product Pages are unpublished by a super admin or content admin. Apps connected to the page, such as a scheduling or reporting tool, cannot move to another page. Disconnect them first and check whether you still need the data.
How to deactivate the page
Once every condition is met, it is quick. Open your page in the super admin view, choose Settings in the left menu and click Deactivate page. Tick that you understand the consequences, give a reason and confirm. On some accounts the option sits in a submenu, but it is always under Settings.
Here is what happens next, in the order you notice it.
After you click Deactivate page
- Straight awayThe page disappearsMembers no longer see the page, and it drops out of LinkedIn search results.
- Same dayAn email with a linkEvery super admin gets a confirmation email with a link to reactivate the page.
- On profilesThe name stays, the logo does notPeople who listed the page as their employer keep the company name on their profile. The logo becomes a grey placeholder and the link goes.
- LaterThe URL may be freed upAdmins of other pages can ask to reuse your URL. To keep it, contact LinkedIn before you deactivate.
Reactivating the page later
Changed your mind? Use the link in the confirmation email. A super admin can restore the page with it. If LinkedIn removed the page itself for breaking its community policies, you request reactivation through LinkedIn, with an explanation. So keep that confirmation email, even if you are sure.
What happens to followers and job posts
The LinkedIn help article says nothing about the followers and job posts of a deactivated page. Assume the followers are gone: even after a merger or acquisition, followers cannot be moved to another page. Close open job posts yourself before you deactivate, or candidates end up at a closed door. If you want to keep the followers, rename or merge instead.
The choices side by side
| Choice | Followers | Employee profiles | URL | Who does it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deactivate | Gone | Name without logo or link | Can be reused | Super admin |
| Rename | Stay | Old name until they update it | Stays, change it yourself | Super admin or LinkedIn |
| Merge | Move over | Linked to the page that stays | That of the page that stays | LinkedIn on request |
When the page should stay
A page nobody keeps up is a poor business card. But restarting a page is often faster than building a new one. You keep the followers you once had, and your employees' profiles stay linked. It starts with the right roles, a clear description and a steady posting rhythm. See the best time to post on LinkedIn for when your audience reads, and how the LinkedIn algorithm decides what it shows. Check your first post in the LinkedIn post preview to see where the fold falls.
No time to fill the page? Then have us manage your LinkedIn, or your whole social media management. What agencies charge for it is in social media management pricing.
Making a page that stays work again
If the page stays, it pays to refresh it once. Add a recent logo and cover image, write a short description of what you do today and check who the admins are. A page with job posts and updates also helps your employer branding: candidates often look there first. To measure whether your posts are read, use the engagement rate calculator. A plan for one post a week starts with the social media plan template. Not sure whether your page should stay or go? Ask us.
An old page on Facebook too?
Facebook has different rules. A page without anyone holding full control is deactivated there and scheduled for deletion. Requesting a new name is covered in how to change a Facebook page name.
Deactivating, renaming and merging
Can I have a company page wiped for good?
No. LinkedIn deactivates pages, it does not wipe them. A deactivated page is hidden from members and no longer appears in search.
Why is Deactivate page missing from my menu?
You are not a super admin, or you are not in the super admin view. Check your role under Manage admins.
Do my employees need to do anything?
After deactivation the company name stays on their profile, without logo or link. If there is a new page, ask them to link their experience to it.
Can I get a former employer's page taken down?
Only a super admin of that page can deactivate it. If a page misuses your name or brand, report it to LinkedIn.
How long until the page is gone?
Deactivating itself is instant. If LinkedIn has to clear a condition for you, such as a Career Page or more than 100 associated members, expect a few days to weeks.