Do LinkedIn Connection Requests Expire? Everything you need to know

You sent 50 connection requests last month. How many are still sitting there, unanswered?

Most LinkedIn users have no idea what happens to those pending invitations. They send requests, hope for the best, and move on. Meanwhile, those unanswered requests pile up, potentially affecting their account and signaling something about their networking approach.

LinkedIn connection requests expire after 6 months. If someone doesn't accept or decline your invitation within that window, it disappears from both of your pending lists. Neither of you gets notified.

But there's more to understand than just the expiration timeline. This guide covers what actually happens when requests expire, how to check and manage your pending invitations, the limits LinkedIn places on your outreach, and how to approach connection requests strategically. Whether you're actively growing your network or just curious about those old requests you never heard back on, you'll find practical answers here.

Do LinkedIn Connection Requests Expire? The Quick Answer

LinkedIn connection requests expire after 6 months from the date you send them. This is confirmed in LinkedIn's official help documentation.

Here's what "expire" actually means: the invitation is automatically removed from both users' pending lists. You won't see it in your sent invitations anymore, and the recipient won't see it in their inbox. The request simply vanishes.

Neither the sender nor the recipient receives any notification when a request expires. LinkedIn doesn't send you an email saying "your connection request to John Smith expired." It just quietly disappears.

Before expiration, LinkedIn sends up to two reminders to the recipient, nudging them to respond to pending invitations. But if they still don't act, the 6-month clock runs out and the invitation is gone.

After expiration, you can send a fresh connection request to the same person. Your original personalized message is gone, so you'll need to write a new one if you want to try again.

What Happens When a LinkedIn Connection Request Expires

Understanding what happens from both perspectives helps you make better decisions about managing your network.

From the Sender's Perspective

When your connection request expires:

The request disappears from your Sent invitations. Go to My Network > Manage > Sent, and the expired request simply won't be there anymore. No record, no archive, just gone.

You receive no notification. LinkedIn won't alert you that a specific request expired. You'd only know by checking your sent invitations and noticing someone is no longer listed.

Your original message is lost. If you wrote a thoughtful personalized note, that content is gone. You can't retrieve it or see what you originally said.

You can send a new request immediately. Unlike withdrawn requests (which require a 3-week waiting period), expired requests let you reconnect right away. The "Connect" button will be available on their profile.

From the Recipient's Perspective

When a connection request to them expires:

The invitation disappears from their pending list. They won't see your request in their inbox anymore.

They received reminder notifications. Before expiration, LinkedIn likely sent them reminders about pending requests. These appear in their notifications and sometimes via email, though they reference pending requests generally rather than highlighting your specific invitation.

They receive no expiration notice. Just like you, they aren't told when a specific invitation expires. If they search for your name later, they might wonder if you ever tried to connect.

They can still be invited again. If you send a new request, it will appear fresh in their inbox as if you're reaching out for the first time.

LinkedIn Connection Request Limits You Should Know

Before diving into management strategies, understand the limits LinkedIn places on your outreach. These affect how aggressively you can send requests and what happens when you hit the caps.

Weekly Sending Limits

LinkedIn restricts how many connection requests you can send per week to prevent spam. The limits vary by account type:

Free accounts: You can safely send approximately 100 connection requests per week. Some users report flexibility around this number, but consistently exceeding it triggers warnings.

LinkedIn Premium: Similar limits to free accounts, though some users experience slightly higher allowances around 150 per week.

Sales Navigator: Up to 200-250 connection requests per week, reflecting the prospecting-heavy nature of these accounts.

Daily safety zone: Regardless of account type, sending 20-30 requests per day is considered safe. Sending 100 requests in a single day, even if technically within weekly limits, looks spammy to LinkedIn's systems.

Pending Invitation Limits

There's a cap on how many unaccepted requests you can have outstanding at once:

Soft cap: 500 pending invitations. Once you hit this ceiling, you can't send new requests until people accept or you withdraw old ones. Zopto reports this as the practical limit most users encounter.

Hard cap: Approximately 700. Some sources suggest LinkedIn allows up to 700 pending before completely blocking new requests, though the 500 threshold is more commonly cited.

Why this matters: A high pending count signals to LinkedIn that your requests aren't being accepted, either because you're targeting the wrong people or sending generic outreach. This can lead to further restrictions.

Factors That Affect Your Limits

LinkedIn doesn't treat all accounts equally. Your specific limits depend on:

Acceptance rate: If your acceptance rate drops below 30%, LinkedIn's algorithm assumes your outreach is spam and tightens restrictions. Multiple industry sources confirm this threshold.

"I don't know this person" reports: When recipients select this option instead of just ignoring your request, it counts against your account. Too many of these can lead to temporary or permanent sending restrictions.

Account age and consistency: Newer accounts face stricter scrutiny. Established accounts with consistent, normal usage patterns get more flexibility.

How to Check Your Pending LinkedIn Connection Requests

Many professionals have never actually looked at their pending invitations. Here's how to find them on both desktop and mobile.

On Desktop

1. Click the My Network icon in the top navigation bar
2. Look for Manage in the left sidebar (or click "See all" next to Invitations)
3. Select the Sent tab to see your pending outgoing requests

You'll see a list of everyone you've invited who hasn't responded yet. Each listing shows their name, headline, and when you sent the request. You can withdraw individual requests by clicking the Withdraw button next to each one.

On Mobile (LinkedIn App)

1. Tap the My Network icon at the bottom of your screen
2. Tap the arrow or "See all" next to Invitations at the top
3. Switch to the Sent tab

The mobile view shows the same information as desktop, with withdrawal options for each pending request.

What to Look For

When reviewing your pending invitations, pay attention to:

Requests older than 4-6 weeks. If someone hasn't responded in over a month and they've been active on LinkedIn, they likely saw your request and chose not to act.

Requests to people who've been active. If their profile shows recent posts or activity but they haven't accepted your request, that's a signal.

Requests where you've had no other engagement. Did you like their content? Comment on their posts? If you sent a cold request with no prior interaction, it's more likely to sit unanswered.

Should You Withdraw Old Connection Requests?

This is where strategy comes in. Withdrawing isn't always the right move.

When to Withdraw

The request has been pending for 3+ weeks and the recipient is clearly active. If they've posted content or engaged on LinkedIn during that time, they've likely seen your request and passed.

You've reconsidered whether you want to connect. Maybe you realized this person isn't actually relevant to your network. No point in leaving a stale request.

You want to resend with a better message. If you sent a generic or no-note request and think a personalized message might get better results, withdrawing lets you try again (after the waiting period).

When to Let Them Expire Naturally

You're not in a hurry. If it doesn't matter whether you connect today or in 6 months, there's no harm in letting the request sit.

You're nowhere near the 500 pending limit. If you have 50 pending requests, there's no urgency to clean house.

You'd rather not draw attention. Withdrawing a request sends no notification, but if you then resend, the recipient might notice the fresh request and wonder about your persistence.

The 3-Week Waiting Rule

This is important: if you withdraw a connection request, you must wait 3 weeks before sending a new request to the same person. This is LinkedIn's anti-spam measure.

However, if a request expires naturally after 6 months, you can send a new request immediately with no waiting period. This is one reason to let old requests expire rather than withdrawing them, assuming you might want to try again later.

What Happens When Someone Declines vs Ignores Your Request

Not all unanswered requests are the same. Understanding the difference helps you interpret what's happening with your outreach.

If They Click "Ignore"

When someone ignores your request: - The request moves to their archived invitations - They can still accept later if they change their mind - The "Connect" button reappears on your end, making it look like the request was declined - You aren't notified, but checking their profile reveals you can send another request

If They Click "I Don't Know This Person"

This is the option that hurts: - The invitation is removed from their inbox - It counts against your account reputation - Too many of these can lead to LinkedIn restricting your ability to send requests - They can still retrieve and accept from their archive (though they probably won't)

This is why targeted, personalized outreach matters. Random connection requests to people with no context increase your chances of getting flagged.

If They Simply Don't Respond

Most unanswered requests fall into this category: - The request stays pending until it expires (6 months) - You won't know if they saw it and ignored it, or if they never noticed - LinkedIn's reminder system might eventually prompt them to respond - After 6 months, it expires automatically

How to Tell If You Were Declined

LinkedIn deliberately doesn't notify you when someone declines your request. But you can figure it out:

The "Connect" button reappears. If you can see the option to connect with them again, your previous request is no longer pending, whether declined, ignored, or expired.

Check your Sent invitations. If they're not in your pending list, the request is no longer active.

The timing tells you something. If you sent a request yesterday and today you can already send another, they declined. If it's been 6 months, it might have just expired.

Can You Resend a LinkedIn Connection Request After Expiration?

Yes, you can resend after a request expires. But should you?

You can resend immediately after expiration. There's no waiting period like there is after withdrawing. The person's profile will show the "Connect" button ready to use.

Consider personalizing differently. If your first request went unanswered for 6 months, something wasn't compelling enough. Try a different approach: - Reference something specific about their recent content - Explain clearly why you want to connect - Mention a mutual connection or shared interest

Engage before resending. Before firing off another request, consider engaging with their content first. Like a post, leave a thoughtful comment, or share something of theirs. This warms up the connection and gives them context for who you are.

Know when to let go. If someone hasn't responded to one request, sending another isn't always the answer. Sometimes the right move is to focus your energy on people more likely to engage.

Managing Pending Requests: A Professional Practice

Here's where most articles stop, and where real value begins. Managing your pending requests isn't a one-time cleanup. It's an ongoing professional practice.

The Quarterly Cleanup Approach

Set a recurring reminder to review your sent invitations every three months:

1. Review your pending list. Sort through who's been sitting there for 2+ months.
2. Withdraw stale requests. If someone has been active on LinkedIn but hasn't accepted, withdraw and move on.
3. Assess your targeting. Are certain types of requests more likely to go unanswered? Adjust your approach.
4. Keep pending under 200. Give yourself plenty of headroom before hitting the 500 cap.

Why Clean Pending Lists Matter

High pending counts signal poor targeting. LinkedIn's algorithm notices when most of your requests go unanswered. This can affect your reach and visibility beyond just connection requests.

It affects your mindset. A list of 400 pending requests creates mental clutter. You don't know who's in your network, who's considering it, and who has effectively said no. Cleaning up creates clarity.

Better acceptance rates compound. When you focus on quality requests to well-targeted people, your acceptance rate improves. Higher acceptance rates mean more flexibility from LinkedIn and better results from your networking efforts.

The Quality-Over-Quantity Mindset

For professionals building their LinkedIn presence, like consultants building visibility or business owners establishing authority, connection quality matters more than connection count.

A network of 500 engaged, relevant connections will generate more opportunities than 5,000 random connections who never interact with your content. Your LinkedIn impressions and engagement come from people who actually pay attention to your content, not from connection numbers alone.

LinkedIn Connection Request Best Practices

Put these principles into practice for better results.

Before Sending

Engage with their content first. View their profile, like a post, leave a comment. This creates familiarity before you ask to connect.

Personalize with specific context. Generic requests get generic results. Mention something specific: a post you liked, a mutual connection, a shared interest, why you specifically want to connect with them.

Time it right. Research suggests Tuesday through Thursday, between 8 AM and 2 PM, sees higher engagement. Avoid weekends and late evenings.

Consider your headline. When your connection request lands in someone's inbox, they see your name, photo, and headline. Make sure your headline clearly communicates who you are and why connecting might be valuable.

After Sending

Don't follow up immediately. If someone hasn't accepted within a few days, sending a message asking "did you see my request?" comes across as pushy.

Continue engaging with their content. Stay visible in their feed through thoughtful comments and engagement. This builds familiarity even while your request is pending.

Be patient, but set limits. Give people time to respond. But if a request has been pending for months with no action, reassess whether this connection is worth pursuing.

Acceptance Rate Benchmarks

Know what "good" looks like so you can calibrate your approach:

Average acceptance rate: Approximately 30% across all industries and approaches.

Good performance: 30-40% acceptance rate, suggesting your targeting is solid and your requests are reasonably personalized.

Excellent performance: 50% or higher, indicating strong targeting, good personalization, and often some prior engagement or mutual connections.

Concerning: Below 20% acceptance rate. If fewer than 1 in 5 people accept your requests, reassess your targeting, your message, or whether you're requesting from cold audiences who have no context for who you are.

Common Questions About LinkedIn Connection Request Expiration

Does LinkedIn notify you when your connection request expires? No. LinkedIn sends no notification to either party when a request expires. It simply disappears from both pending lists.

Can you see who declined your connection request? Not directly. LinkedIn doesn't tell you when someone declines. However, if the "Connect" button reappears on their profile and you haven't hit the 6-month expiration, they likely declined or ignored.

How many connection requests can you send per day? There's no official daily limit, but 20-30 requests per day is considered safe. Sending more risks triggering spam detection, especially if your acceptance rate is low.

What happens to your personalized message when a request expires? It's gone. If you want to resend, you'll need to write a new message. There's no way to retrieve your original note.

Can you send a connection request to someone who declined you? Yes, but you'll need to wait. If they clicked "Ignore" and you withdrew your request, wait 3 weeks. If the request expired naturally, you can resend immediately. If they clicked "I don't know this person," you may be blocked from sending to them entirely.

What's the maximum number of connections you can have on LinkedIn? 30,000 first-degree connections is the maximum. Beyond this, you can't add new connections without removing existing ones.

Your Next Step

Check your pending invitations right now. Go to My Network > Manage > Sent and see what's been sitting there.

If you have requests older than 3 months to people who've clearly been active on LinkedIn, withdraw them. Start fresh with better-targeted, more personalized outreach.

The professionals who build valuable LinkedIn networks don't spray connection requests and hope for the best. They approach networking strategically: quality over quantity, personalization over templates, engagement over cold requests.

Your pending requests tell a story about your networking approach. Make sure it's a good one.

Want to make consistent LinkedIn presence easier? A system beats sporadic effort every time. When you batch your content, schedule it in advance, and engage consistently, you build the kind of visibility that attracts the right connections to you.