Regardless of how you’re using LinkedIn in your professional life, losing access to its features can be devastating. In fact, we don’t know what’s worse, getting an email stating your access to the account was permanently restricted or seeing a “We’ve restricted your account temporarily” after logging in. Whatever the case may be, it’s obvious that action must be taken. The type, degree, and time before you do it depends on what caused it and the expiry date if any. With that said, let’s demonstrate how to recover restricted LinkedIn account.
1. Stop actions that led to the restriction
Whether your LinkedIn account was restricted temporarily or permanently, it’s pivotal that you do not repeat the offense. So, to prevent repeated LinkedIn account restriction, abide by these 2 rule pages:
- LinkedIn’s Professional Community Policies.
- LinkedIn User Agreement and Dos and Don’ts.
You can’t stop all actions
You couldn’t have broken all the rules, obviously. For example, if your profile page gets an unusually large number of views in a short time, your access to the profile is restricted. LinkedIn does this because it suspects you’re boosting its popularity. In reality, a third-party app (browser extension, usually) or automation tools run by someone else are the usual culprits. Another way to get your LinkedIn profile terminated temporarily is having 5 or more people select the I don’t know this person (Instead of Accept/Decline) option when you send them a friend invite. There are many reasons for a ban you can’t affect. So, if you’re sure you didn’t break the rules, check methods 2 and 3 right away.
2. Recover restricted LinkedIn account via Account Dashboard
When you sign in and see the “Your account has been restricted” message, you get a chance to plead your case. This is how restricted LinkedIn account recovery works via Account Dashboard:
- Click on the Verify your identity button.
- Select the country your identification documents are valid in.
- Under Select the type of ID, choose one of the following options:
- Passport
- Identity Card
- Driver’s License
- Click on Continue.
- Upload a picture of the document you chose above as PNG or JPG and not over 3.5 MB in size before clicking Submit.
- If done right, you’ll get a message stating “We’ve received your documents”.
- Await a response in the form of an e-mail sent to your LinkedIn email address. This usually takes between 1 and 3 business days.
3. Recover restricted LinkedIn account via Customer Support
Here are 3 ways to recover restricted LinkedIn by contacting Customer Support:
1. From the account panel
Sign in to your LinkedIn account, and then:
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Contact Us.
- Choose the Get help from us option from the list.
- Type a brief explanation of what happened. LinkedIn will suggest a few online resources.
- Click on Next, then fill in the information marked with an asterisk (*) before clicking on Next again.
- Optional. Click on Add an attachment if you have images, short videos, or documents that support your case.
- Click on Submit and wait for a reply.
2. Send an appeal via a dedicated form
If you’re having trouble signing in to LinkedIn or have gotten a permanent ban, this is the last resort. Follow these steps to recover restricted LinkedIn account via Contact form:
- Visit the LinkedIn Restriction Contact Us form.
- Enter your first and last name, and e-mail address tied to the account.
- Under Your Question, either describe how the restriction came to be, or ask what the reason is. Show you regret the actions and demonstrate that you plan to keep a clean record from now on.
- Click on Submit and wait for a response.
- Keep your ID, passport, or driver’s license nearby. You’ll most likely have to take a picture to prove your identity to a LinkedIn representative.
3. Use social media
Customer Service has an official Twitter account you can reach out to.