Recover a LinkedIn Account Held by a Former Employee or Agency
When a LinkedIn Page, ad account, or seat is still tied to someone who no longer works with you.
Is this your situation?
A former employee or agency still controls a LinkedIn Page, ad account, or seat your business depends on. You need that access back without losing the page, content, or ad history attached to it.
Do this first
You want to check who still has admin access before creating anything new. You are checking whether you, or anyone still with the business, holds super admin or account manager access. A member must be a super admin of the Page to add another admin to the Page.
Which situation is yours?
- Former employee still shown as Page admin, able to edit other admins' roles
- Agency still holds account manager access, the role needed to remove ad account users
- No one at your business holds admin or account manager access anymore, anywhere
- Former employee controls a Recruiter or Sales Navigator seat tied to your business
- You removed your own admin role from the Page by mistake
- Former employee's account is unreachable entirely, with no contact remaining
- Former employee is the last super admin, who cannot be removed from the Page
How LinkedIn handles this
- A Page admin can edit the roles of other current admins on their Page.
- A super admin cannot be removed from a Page if they are the last super admin on the Page.
- A user must have the account manager role to remove another user from an ad account.
- Every LinkedIn Page must have at least one super admin.
- Every ad account must have a billing admin, and the person who creates it is automatically assigned that role.
Which recovery path is yours?
- Does anyone still with your business hold super admin access to the Page? That person can edit the roles of other current admins on the Page through Manage admins.
- Is the former employee the last super admin on the Page? A super admin cannot be removed from a Page if they are the last super admin on it.
- Does anyone still with your business hold account manager access on the ad account? A user must have the account manager role to remove another user from an ad account.
- Is nobody from your business still an admin or account manager anywhere? If a member has submitted a request for admin access but has not received a response, they can contact LinkedIn support.
- Does the ad account still need a billing admin assigned? Every ad account must have a billing admin.
What not to do
- Creating a duplicate Page or account You want a working Page or ad account again, without checking admin status first.Why it happens: The reader assumes recovery is impossible without checking admin status first.
- Trying to remove the last super admin A super admin cannot be removed from a Page if they are the last super admin on it.Why it happens: The limitation is not visible until the removal is attempted.
- Expecting support to disclose who the admin is LinkedIn customer support cannot provide admin information to members or employees of the Page.Why it happens: Readers assume support can identify admins on request.
What to have ready
- Current admin list List who still shows as a Page admin.
- Your own access level Confirm whether you hold super admin or account manager status.
- Ad account ownership Check whether the account sits in Business Manager.
- Seat type Note whether it is a Recruiter or Sales Navigator seat.
- Billing admin identity Confirm who the ad account's billing admin is.
- Page follow status Follow the Page before requesting admin access to it.
- Number of remaining super admins Every LinkedIn Page must have at least one super admin.
- Account manager count on the ad account A user must be an account manager to remove a user from an ad account.
Stop this happening again
This situation repeats whenever a Page or ad account depends on one person's access. Add a backup admin once access is restored so no single departure can lock the business out again.
Quick reference
| Situation | What governs it |
|---|---|
| Removing a former employee as Page admin | Not stated by LinkedIn |
| Removing a former employee from an ad account | Requires a current account manager to act. |
| Former employee is the last super admin | Cannot be removed from the Page if they are the last super admin. |
| Every Page | Must have at least one super admin. |
| Every ad account | Must have a billing admin. |
| Requesting admin access | Requires following the Page first. |
| LinkedIn support and admin identity | Support cannot give admin information to employees of the Page. |
| A former employee removed from a Page | Still retains access to the Business Manager and any other ad accounts and Pages they were assigned to. |
Keeping track of who has access
Losing access when an employee or agency leaves is preventable with the right structure in place beforehand. Delvia keeps a record of who holds admin and billing roles across your Pages and ad accounts. That record is what turns a departure into a routine handoff instead of a recovery effort.
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