When You Block Someone on LinkedIn, Can They Still See Your Profile? (2021 Update)

Last Updated: 2021 (Reflecting LinkedIn’s 2021 privacy algorithms)

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, with over 750 million users. But like any social network, professional disagreements, spam, stalking, or simply awkward past connections can arise.

If you have found yourself on the receiving end of unwanted attention or repetitive spam, the "Block" button seems like the obvious solution. However, a pressing question has dominated forums and privacy discussions throughout 2021: When you block someone on LinkedIn, can they still see your profile?

The short answer is no—but the long answer is far more nuanced. LinkedIn blocking is not absolute. Depending on how a user searches for you, cached data, and third-party tools, there are specific loopholes.

This 2021 guide explains exactly what happens to your profile visibility after blocking, what the blocked user sees, and—most importantly—the hidden exceptions that might still expose your information.

Part 5: The 2021 “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” Anomaly

One of the most confusing aspects of blocking in 2021 relates to the Who’s Viewed Your Profile (WVYP) feature.

• Before blocking: If the other person viewed your profile while logged in, they appeared in your WVYP list.
• After blocking: They will never appear again. Conversely, you will never appear on their WVYP list.
• However: If a blocked user logs out and views your public profile via Google, that view does not register in your WVYP list. So you would never know they are still looking at your public info.

Tip for 2021: If you want true anonymity after blocking, you must also make your profile private from search engines (Settings > Visibility > Edit Public Profile > Turn off “Make my public profile visible to logged-out users”).

Step 2: Turn off public profile indexing

Go to Me > Settings & Privacy > Visibility > Edit your public profile. Toggle OFF “Make my public profile visible to logged-out users.” This removes your profile from Google search results.

Short answer

No — when you block someone on LinkedIn (including in 2021) they can no longer view your LinkedIn profile or interact with you on the platform; they’re effectively hidden from each other.

"Who Viewed Your Profile" – The Silent Alarm

One of the biggest fears users have is: "Will they know I blocked them because I suddenly disappeared from their 'Who Viewed Your Profile' list?"

This is a tricky area. LinkedIn does not notify users when they are blocked. However, if you recently viewed their profile, you likely appeared in their "Who’s Viewed Your Profile" dashboard.

When you block them:

1. You are immediately removed from their "Who’s Viewed Your Profile" list.
2. Your name is replaced with "Anonymous LinkedIn Member" (if they have that view), or the view count simply drops by one.

While they won't get a notification saying "You were blocked," a savvy user might notice that the number of profile views dropped inexplicably if they check their analytics obsessively.

Part 8: Step-by-Step – How to Maximize Privacy After Blocking

If you want to ensure that the person you blocked truly cannot see your profile in 2021, follow this 4-step checklist:

The Psychological and Professional Implications

The block feature in 2021 was designed not for petty disagreements but for genuine safety and boundary enforcement. For a victim of harassment—unwanted romantic advances, aggressive recruiting, or persistent criticism—the knowledge that a blocked user cannot see their profile (within LinkedIn) provides psychological closure. They can continue to use the platform without the anxiety of being watched.

However, the loopholes undermine that closure. The possibility that a blocked user could simply log out and Google your name means the block is a social contract, not a technical impossibility. LinkedIn in 2021 did not offer a "full erasure" option; it offered a platform-specific severance.