Outlook Web App policy

Question

Hi All,

I have a requirement to disable the feature below. Currently, I can see the LinkedIn tab for users in Outlook & OWA. If I disable this setting, will it remove the LinkedIn tab in both Outlook Web App (OWA) and the Outlook desktop client?

Path: Exchange Admin Center -> Roles -> Outlook Web App policies -> Select the Default Policy ->Manage features (sidebar) -> Uncheck "LinkedIn contact sync"

Could you please confirm the impact of this change?

Answer 1

Hi Glenn Maxwell

Based on my research, unchecking "LinkedIn contact sync" in the Exchange Admin Center (OWA policies) will not remove the LinkedIn tab. The tab will remain visible in the Classic Outlook desktop client, the New Outlook for Windows, and OWA.

The setting you referenced (Path: Exchange Admin Center -> Roles -> OWA policies -> LinkedIn contact sync) only controls contact synchronization. Disabling it prevents users from saving/syncing their LinkedIn connections into their personal Exchange Contacts folder. It does not hide the live "LinkedIn" tab that appears on a user's Microsoft 365 Profile Card.

To remove the LinkedIn tab globally across all platforms, you should disable the integration at the organizational (tenant) level (Via the Microsoft Entra admin center).

• Log in to the Microsoft Entra admin center.
• Navigate to Identity > Users > User settings.
• Under the LinkedIn account connections section, set the toggle to No.
• Click Save.

It may take 24 hours for this tenant-level change to fully propagate and remove the LinkedIn tab from the profile cards across all of your users' Outlook clients.

For more details on how the Profile Card and LinkedIn integration is managed, please refer to the official Microsoft documentation: Integrate LinkedIn account connections in Microsoft Entra ID

In addition, I found a topic that addresses your concern. You can refer to it here: How to Disable LinkedIn Integration in Microsoft 365

Note: This information is provided as a convenience to you. These sites are not controlled by Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please ensure that you fully understand the risks before using any suggestions from the above link.

I hope this information helps.

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Answer 2

Unchecking “LinkedIn contact sync” in an Outlook on the web mailbox policy affects only Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows that honor that OWA mailbox policy. It controls whether users can add their LinkedIn connections to their mailbox as contacts and have those contacts kept in sync.

This change does not control or guarantee removal of LinkedIn-related UI in the classic Outlook desktop client. Classic Outlook uses separate mechanisms (for example, Outlook Social Connector and related Group Policy/registry settings) to manage LinkedIn and other social features.

So, the impact of unchecking LinkedIn contact sync in the OWA policy is:

• Outlook on the web / new Outlook for Windows: LinkedIn contact synchronization is disabled for mailboxes assigned that policy.
• Classic Outlook desktop: No guaranteed impact; LinkedIn UI there must be managed via Outlook/Office settings or Group Policy, not via the OWA mailbox policy.

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References:

• Create a mailbox policy in Exchange Online for Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows
• View or modify policy properties in Exchange Online for Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows
• Set-OwaMailboxPolicy
• How to manage the Outlook Social Connector by using Group Policy
• Turn off LinkedIn information