Yes, it is possible to change the privacy settings on a LinkedIn post after you’ve published it. LinkedIn allows users to control who can see their posts by adjusting the privacy settings. When you first create a post, you can choose to share publicly, with your connections only, or with a customized group of connections. If you change your mind later or want to update the audience, you can edit the post and modify the privacy settings. In this article, we’ll walk through how to change privacy settings on both standard text posts and share articles on LinkedIn. We’ll also look at some best practices for using privacy settings effectively on the platform.
Changing Text Post Privacy Settings
Changing the privacy on regular text, photo or video posts on LinkedIn is straightforward:
- Go to your LinkedIn feed and locate the post you want to adjust.
- Hover over the post and click on the three dots icon in the upper right corner.
- Select “Update privacy settings” from the dropdown menu.
- Choose who you want to share the post with:
- Public – Anyone on or off LinkedIn
- Connections only
- Custom list of connections (you can build a list here)
- Click “Save” to apply the new privacy setting.
Once you update the privacy setting, the post will only be visible to the audience you selected moving forward.
Changing Share Article Privacy
The process for changing privacy settings on share articles is very similar:
- Go to your profile and locate the article share post.
- Hover over the post and click the three dots icon.
- Choose “Update privacy settings.”
- Select your desired privacy setting: public, connections only, or custom connections.
- Click “Save” to apply the setting.
The article share post will now only be visible according to the new privacy setting.
Best Practices for LinkedIn Post Privacy
When using LinkedIn’s privacy settings for posts, keep these best practices in mind:
- Think about your audience and goals – Are you trying to reach a wide professional audience or speak to close connections?
- Consider network expansiveness – Public posts can reach beyond your 1st degree connections.
- Be thoughtful about image posts – Public photos will be indexed by search engines.
- Review old posts periodically – Your comfort level may change over time.
- Use custom settings to target specific groups.
- Double check settings before posting anything confidential.
- Balance privacy with engagement – Private posts won’t spread as readily.
Understanding how audiences interact differently with public, private and custom post privacy is key to getting the most out of LinkedIn.
Who Can See Post Privacy Changes?
When you update the privacy settings on an existing LinkedIn post, it’s important to note who will be able to see the post going forward:
- Anyone who could previously see the post will still have access to it.
- New audiences will not be able to see the post after you change the privacy setting.
- You can delete a post if you want to completely remove access for all audiences.
So privacy changes only impact who can see the post moving forward – they do not retroactively block people who may have already interacted with the post under its previous setting.
Troubleshooting Problems with Post Privacy Settings
In some cases, you may change a post’s privacy but notice that the wrong audience still appears able to access it. Here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Double check that you saved the new privacy setting properly.
- Make sure you refreshed the page or app to reflect the change.
- Log out and back in to LinkedIn to clear any caching.
- Try viewing the post in an incognito browser while logged out.
- Consider that others may still have direct links to the post from previous visibility.
- Repeat the steps to change privacy settings on that post again.
Most issues around post privacy settings stem from either user error in configuring the settings or the need to clear caches/cookies. But if problems persist, you can try deleting the post and publishing a new version with your desired privacy applied correctly from the start.
Privacy Considerations for Company Pages
The privacy controls discussed in this article apply to your personal LinkedIn profile and posts. Company pages on LinkedIn do not have the same post privacy options:
- Posts from company pages are always public.
- Only company admins can post on behalf of the company.
- Admins may wish to publish only universally acceptable content.
- Consider liability, corporate policy and public optics for company posting.
Maintaining brand image and representing your organization appropriately on public company pages carries more weight than personal profile privacy. Policy likely limits internal confidentiality and arguments that could reflect poorly.
Conclusion
LinkedIn provides robust privacy controls that empower you to choose exactly who sees your content. By adjusting post privacy settings, you can target public professional audiences, speak privately to your direct connections, or find a middle ground with custom connection lists. Just be aware that changing the privacy after publishing only limits future visibility – previous audiences may still have access to that content through caches, links or prior direct engagement. With these tips in mind, you can confidently shape the right privacy settings for your LinkedIn posts and uphold professional presence.