Where can I see my pending connections on LinkedIn?
On the Sent tab of Manage invitations. LinkedIn's Withdraw an invitation help page, shown as updated 11 months before our check on 4 November 2026, gives this route:
- Desktop: click the My Network icon at the top of your homepage. In the Invitations section, click Show all if you have invitations waiting for you, or Manage next to No pending invitations if you don't. Then click the Sent tab.
- LinkedIn app (the page has one Mobile tab, not separate iOS and Android steps): tap the My Network tab, tap Invitations, then tap the Sent tab.
If the app doesn't match, try Notifications. LinkedIn's newer page on accepting or ignoring invitations, updated a month before our check, puts invitations behind the Notifications tab on iOS and Android, where you tap View invitations you sent under the Invitations dropdown. On desktop that page covers only invitations you received, under the Notifications icon. The two help pages describe different app menus; if one route isn't on your screen, use the other.
LinkedIn says you can also withdraw invitations you sent for a Page or an Event, as long as they haven't been accepted.
For a dated list, use LinkedIn's data download. Its Invitations file contains invitations sent and received, with each person's first and last name, URL, the date sent and the message. Request it on a computer (LinkedIn says the feature isn't available on mobile) from Me, Settings & Privacy, Data Privacy, Download your data. A single category is emailed within minutes, and the link works for 72 hours. LinkedIn's description doesn't say whether the file is limited to pending invitations, so sort by date and check the oldest names against the Sent tab. For the people who did accept, see our guide to exporting your LinkedIn connections.
What does pending mean on LinkedIn?
Pending means you sent an invitation and the person hasn't accepted it. LinkedIn's help also calls invitations you have received but not answered pending, which is why My Network shows Show all or No pending invitations. A refusal can look the same from your side: LinkedIn says the sender isn't notified when someone clicks Ignore, so they may try to connect again.
What your screen shows after an ignore is unclear. In r/linkedin threads from 2020 and 2023, people describe a profile button going from Pending back to Connect without them withdrawing anything. A reply in a February 2025 thread says an ignored request stays pending until you retract it. In a July 2026 thread, an invitation had vanished from the Sent tab while the person's profile still said Pending. These are a handful of self-reports that disagree, so treat any status other than accepted as no answer yet.
Two other things can sit behind the word:
- A strong no. After clicking Ignore, the recipient can choose I don't know this person. LinkedIn's help on that option, last updated five years ago, says it stops you inviting them again, that senders who get an excessive number of these could be restricted from sending invitations, and that you can't see who chose it or how many did.
- A follow. If the person's main profile button is Follow and you connected through the overflow menu, LinkedIn's follow and connect help says you follow them while the invitation is pending, and keep following if they decline unless you unfollow.
How long do LinkedIn connection requests stay pending?
Up to six months. LinkedIn's connections and invitations FAQ, updated 11 months before our check, says invitations expire after six months, and that before then LinkedIn sends the recipient up to two reminders. Reminders stop if the invitation is accepted or archived. Once expired, it no longer appears as pending and you can send a new one.
One September 2025 r/linkedin poster reported an invitation pending for over two years, and a commenter in the same thread said several of their own unaccepted invitations were older than LinkedIn's stated limit. These are two self-reports against LinkedIn's stated rule. Plan by the six months.
Two threads we read on when to withdraw gave answers from two weeks to one month. In a September 2025 thread, someone in medical device sales with 724 pending invitations, none ever withdrawn, asked whether that could get them flagged; replies suggested withdrawing after two weeks, or keeping only two weeks' worth pending. In a thread from October 2023, one commenter's view: "3 weeks or one month. I've had the case where people would accept the connection request after more than 2 weeks." That is a small sample of opinion, not a measured cutoff.
How do I stop a pending connection request?
Withdraw it. LinkedIn says you can withdraw an invitation any time before it's accepted:
Open the Sent tab
Follow the route in the first section above.
Click Withdraw
Click or tap Withdraw next to the invitation you want to remove.
Confirm
In the pop-up window, click or tap Withdraw again.
What follows, from the same help page:
- The recipient isn't notified, and LinkedIn's reminder emails about your invitation stop.
- You can't send the same member a new invitation for up to three weeks.
- Withdrawn invitations can't be restored, and you can't withdraw in bulk: it is one click and one confirmation per person.
- If they have already accepted, withdrawing is no longer an option; you can remove them as a connection instead.
Should you withdraw old pending invitations?
Withdraw the ones you have given up on. LinkedIn's page on invitation restrictions lists having many of your invitations ignored, left pending or marked as spam as one reason an account may be temporarily restricted from sending invitations. If the restriction is for too many outstanding invitations, it says to wait up to one month before sending another. LinkedIn's help pages give no number for too many (checked 4 Nov 2026), and its Invitation limit reached page says withdrawing pending invitations won't remove a restriction once you have one. Clear the list before that happens. The full set of restriction rules and waits is in our LinkedIn connection request limit guide.
Worked example (sample numbers, not a benchmark). Priya at Acme sends 12 invitations each working day: 12 × 5 = 60 a week. Assume 30% accept within the first week and nobody accepts after that, so 60 × 0.3 = 18 accept and 42 stay pending each week.
| Habit | How long each unanswered invitation stays | Pending at any time |
|---|---|---|
| Never withdraw | Until it expires: six months, or 26 weeks | 26 × 42 = 1,092 |
| Withdraw at three weeks | 21 days | 3 × 42 = 126 |
The three-week habit keeps Priya's pile at less than an eighth of the size (126 ÷ 1,092 = 0.115). The cost: each week, 42 people no longer get any reminder LinkedIn would still have sent, and Priya can't re-invite them for up to three weeks.
| Situation | What to do | The deciding fact |
|---|---|---|
| Sent to the wrong person, or the note has a mistake | Withdraw now | The recipient isn't notified of a withdrawal |
| Under three weeks old, someone you want to reach | Leave it | LinkedIn sends up to two reminders before expiry; withdrawing stops them |
| Three weeks or older, no reply | Withdraw, log the date, try another channel | Many ignored or pending invitations are a listed restriction reason |
| You are already restricted from sending | Wait it out | Withdrawing won't remove the restriction; for too many outstanding invitations, wait up to a month |
| Their main profile button was Follow | Decide whether to keep following | You follow them while pending, and still do if they decline |
| Older than six months | Send a new invitation if it's still worth it | Expired invitations no longer appear as pending |
A 10-minute Friday check for pending invitations
Put it in the calendar for Friday. The three-week rule below is our suggestion, built on LinkedIn's three-week re-invite wait; LinkedIn's help pages give no withdrawal cutoff (checked 4 Nov 2026).
With dates: an invitation sent on Wednesday 14 October 2026 reaches 21 days on Wednesday 4 November 2026, so the Friday check on 6 November 2026 withdraws it. LinkedIn's wait of up to three weeks has then passed by Friday 27 November 2026. Inviting may open sooner, but planning on the full 21 days avoids a blocked send.
Our comparison of InMail and connection requests covers when a paid message is worth it after an ignored request. If you use Siela's Lead Finder for LinkedIn outreach, its own ceilings are at most 100 invitations a week and 12 an hour; keep the same Friday check on your Sent tab.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see a list of pending connections on LinkedIn?
Yes. Invitations you sent that are still waiting for a response are on the Sent tab of Manage invitations, which you reach from My Network on desktop or in the app. For a file with each invitation's date and message, request the Invitations category in LinkedIn's data download from a computer; LinkedIn says a single category arrives by email within minutes.
Does the other person know if you withdraw a LinkedIn invitation?
LinkedIn says the recipient isn't notified when you withdraw, and its reminder emails about your invitation stop. A withdrawal can't be undone, and you may not be able to invite the same person again for up to three weeks, so only withdraw once you are ready to wait that long or reach them another way.
Can I withdraw all pending LinkedIn invitations at once?
LinkedIn's withdraw help says you can't bulk withdraw invitations (checked 4 Nov 2026), so it is one Withdraw click and one confirmation per person. Extensions that click through the list for you are third-party automation, and LinkedIn's restrictions page asks members to disable extensions that automate activity in violation of its User Agreement.
Can too many pending invitations get you restricted on LinkedIn?
They can count against you. LinkedIn's restrictions page names many invitations that recipients ignore, leave pending or mark as spam as one reason it may temporarily stop an account sending invitations. If the restriction is for too many outstanding invitations, it says to wait up to a month before trying again. The help pages we checked don't say how many counts as too many.
Do you follow someone while your LinkedIn invitation is pending?
LinkedIn describes this for profiles where Follow is the main button. If you connect through the overflow menu instead, you follow the person while your invitation is pending, and you keep following them if they decline unless you unfollow. On other profiles, LinkedIn's follow help doesn't describe an automatic follow.
Sources
- LinkedIn Help: Withdraw an invitation (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: LinkedIn connections and invitations FAQ (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Accept, ignore, or report Invitations as spam (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Using the I Don't Know This Person option for invitations (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Types of restrictions for sending invitations (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Invitation limit reached (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Follow and connect on LinkedIn (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- LinkedIn Help: Download your data (checked 4 Nov 2026)
- r/linkedin: When pending goes back to connect (18 August 2020)
- r/linkedin: When someone ignores your LinkedIn request, does the connect button refresh or does it just say Pending (12 January 2023)
- r/linkedin: Will the profile still say pending if someone has ignored or declined your connection request? (21 February 2025)
- r/linkedin: Invite not showing up in the invite section but if I go to their profile it still shows as pending (27 July 2026)
- r/linkedin: Connection invite pending for over 2 years. How is it possible? (17 September 2025)
- r/linkedin: How many pending invitations can I have? (12 September 2025)
- r/linkedin: How long until you personally withdraw your pending invitation to connect after you've sent it? (18 October 2023)