For many LinkedIn users, the blue "Premium" badge next to a name is an unavoidable status symbol. While it signals professional investment to some, others find it intrusive or unnecessary for their networking goals. If you are looking to turn off LinkedIn premium badge visibility, you are not alone. This guide walks you through the reasoning behind hiding the badge and the precise steps to remove it from your profile.
Why You Might Want to Hide the Premium Badge
The primary function of the premium badge is to indicate that a user has paid for a subscription, which can sometimes create an unintended social hierarchy. Some professionals prefer to keep their networking interactions on a purely equal footing, focusing on value rather than account status. Others might turn off LinkedIn premium badge displays to reduce unsolicited sales outreach or premium feature prompts. Ultimately, removing the badge is about reclaiming the visual identity of your profile and ensuring that your connections focus on your experience, not your subscription tier.
Understanding How Premium Visibility Works
LinkedIn’s design ties the premium badge directly to your billing status. As long as the account is active and payment information is current, the platform assumes you want the feature to be visible. The option to hide it is not a prominent setting buried deep in menus; rather, it is a toggle within the premium features themselves. This structure means that turning the badge off is a manual adjustment rather than an automatic privacy setting. The good news is that the process is quick and does not cancel your subscription.
Navigating to the Premium Settings
To begin the adjustment, you must access your LinkedIn account settings. From the main dashboard, click on your profile picture or initials located in the top right corner of the screen. This action opens a dropdown menu where you need to select "Settings & Privacy." Once inside this menu, the interface is divided into distinct sections. Look for the "Visibility" heading, which is usually found on the left-hand navigation panel or the main column depending on your device. Expanding this section will reveal the specific toggle for the premium badge.
The Specific Steps to Turn Off the Badge
Within the Visibility settings, locate the option labeled "Show off your premium features." This toggle controls the visibility of the badge and potentially other premium indicators on your profile. By default, this switch is set to the "On" position, which is why the badge appears publicly. To turn off LinkedIn premium badge visibility, simply click or tap the toggle to move it to the "Off" position. The interface usually provides a confirmation message or a change in color (often to gray) to indicate that the feature has been successfully disabled.
What Happens After You Disable the Badge
Once you turn off the setting, the premium badge will immediately disappear from your public profile. Visitors to your page will no longer see the indicator, and your profile will revert to a standard display. It is important to note that this action only affects visibility; your premium subscription and all associated benefits remain fully active. You will still have access to InMail, advanced search filters, and learning courses, but these advantages will be invisible to your network unless you choose to mention them.
Managing Your Professional Image
Removing the badge is a simple act of profile curation. It allows you to present yourself as a professional first and a subscriber second. This is particularly useful for individuals who utilize LinkedIn primarily for networking and recruitment rather than lead generation. By hiding the badge, you shift the focus of your profile back to your headline, experience, and accomplishments. This subtle change can alter the tone of connection requests and messages, encouraging more organic engagement based on merit rather than perceived access.
