Yes, it is possible to download courses from LinkedIn Learning to view offline. LinkedIn Learning is an online learning platform that offers thousands of courses in topics like business, technology, and creative skills. While LinkedIn Learning is designed as an online learning system, they do provide the ability to download courses for offline viewing. This can be useful if you want to view courses when you don’t have an internet connection, such as when traveling or commuting. Here’s what you need to know about downloading LinkedIn Learning courses.
What are the requirements for downloading LinkedIn Learning courses?
There are a few requirements in order to download LinkedIn Learning courses:
– You need an active LinkedIn Learning subscription. Downloads are only available for paid subscribers.
– You can only download courses on desktop/laptop. The download feature is not available in the LinkedIn Learning mobile apps.
– You can only have a limited number of active downloads at one time, usually around 20.
– Downloads expire after 30 days and will need to be renewed.
So as long as you have an active LinkedIn Learning paid account, you can download select courses through the desktop site or app. Just be aware of the download limits and expiration dates.
How do I download courses on LinkedIn Learning?
Downloading a LinkedIn Learning course is a straightforward process:
1. Log into LinkedIn Learning on your desktop or laptop. You cannot download from the mobile app.
2. Navigate to the course page for the class you want to download.
3. Click on the “Download” button below the course description.
4. A download window will appear. Select the video quality you prefer. Higher quality will result in a larger file size.
5. Click “Download”.
The course videos and materials will now download onto your computer as a ZIP file. The time it takes to download will depend on the length of the course and your internet connection speed. You can access your downloads by clicking on “My Downloads” in the LinkedIn Learning platform.
Where are LinkedIn Learning downloads saved?
When you download a course on LinkedIn Learning, the files are saved to your computer’s default Downloads folder.
For example, on Windows the downloads usually go to:
C:\Users\[Your Username]\Downloads
And on Mac they usually go to:
/Users/[Your Username]/Downloads
You can access the Downloads folder directly through your file explorer.
The downloaded course will be saved as a ZIP file that contains the course video files as well as any supplemental PDFs, images, or Excel files included with the course.
How do I view LinkedIn Learning downloads offline?
To view LinkedIn Learning downloads offline:
1. Navigate to the Downloads folder on your computer where the course ZIP file is saved.
2. Double click the ZIP file to extract the contents. This will create a new folder containing the course videos and materials.
3. Open the index.html file within this folder. This will open the course contents page in your web browser.
4. Click on any of the lecture videos to play them directly in your browser’s media player.
The course videos are saved in MP4 format and can be played just like any other video file when offline. You will not have access to supplemental materials on the LinkedIn Learning platform, but any downloads like PDFs or Excel files will be available in the extracted course folder.
Can I play LinkedIn Learning downloads on my mobile devices?
Unfortunately, you cannot directly view LinkedIn Learning downloads on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
The downloads are formatted as web-based HTML files that require a desktop browser to play properly. However, there are a couple of workarounds:
– You can use a third party app like Documents by Readdle to view the HTML files on your iOS device. This isn’t an ideal experience but does allow basic offline access.
– Convert the MP4 video files into a mobile-compatible format using Handbrake or a similar tool. Then transfer the converted videos onto your phone or tablet so you can watch them natively in the Videos app when offline.
So while mobile viewing isn’t directly supported, you do have some options for accessing your LinkedIn Learning downloads on-the-go with a bit of extra effort.
How long do LinkedIn Learning downloads last?
LinkedIn Learning downloads expire 30 days after the download date. After 30 days, the download will be automatically deleted from your device and you will need to renew the download to access it offline.
There is no way to extend the 30-day expiration date on LinkedIn Learning downloads. However, you can download a course again to get another 30 days. Just remember that each renewal will count against your total download limit.
To keep track of expiration dates:
– On desktop, check the “My Downloads” page in LinkedIn Learning to see the expiration date next to each download.
– Or in your Downloads folder, look at the modified date on the ZIP file, and add 30 days.
Setting a calendar reminder for a few days before expiration is a good way to remember to renew valuable downloads.
What are the limits on simultaneous LinkedIn Learning downloads?
LinkedIn Learning limits subscribers to 20 active downloads at one time. If you try to download more than 20 courses, you will get an error message that you have reached your download limit.
To manage your download limit:
– Track your active downloads on the “My Downloads” page in LinkedIn Learning. This will show you how many slots you have left.
– Let older downloads expire to free up slots for new downloads. Downloads automatically delete from your device after 30 days.
– Renew downloads of your most important courses as older ones expire. Just download the course again to get a new 30-day expiration date.
– Prioritize what you really need offline. Avoid wasting download slots on courses you won’t urgently need when offline.
With some management of download renewals and expirations, you can effectively cycle through your most valued LinkedIn Learning courses within the 20 download limit.
Can I download an entire LinkedIn Learning learning path?
Unfortunately, LinkedIn Learning does not let you download entire learning paths or playlists all at once. You have to download each course within a learning path individually.
There is no bulk download option for playlists or multiple courses. The maximum is downloading 20 individual courses at a time, one by one.
This can make downloading longer learning paths tedious. Here are some tips to make it more manageable:
– Focus on downloading the most critical courses in a learning path first. Add lesser important ones over time as slots free up.
– Download courses from a learning path one by one in order of priority. Use the “My Downloads” page to monitor your progress.
– Renew downloads on must-have courses as you get close to the end of the learning path.
While not ideal, downloading courses individually can work for shorter learning paths. For longer ones, try picking out the most essential courses.
Should I download the “Exercise Files” included with some courses?
Some LinkedIn Learning courses include supplementary “Exercise Files” such as example projects, datasets, or source code. These can be very useful for practicing the skills taught in the course, but are separate downloads from the course videos.
In general, it’s a good idea to also download the Exercise Files for courses whenever they are available, for these reasons:
– Lets you work through hands-on projects offline after watching the videos.
– Exercise Files expire and have to be renewed separately from the course downloads.
– They don’t count against the 20 download limit, since they are not the actual course.
– Allows accessing exercises on the go if transferring files to a mobile device.
Just be selective with Exercise File downloads for very large datasets. Focus on downloading projects instead of optional supplementary files. With this approach, Exercise Files are a useful complement to course downloads.
What courses and content can I download on LinkedIn Learning?
You can download most LinkedIn Learning courses, with a few exceptions:
| Content Type | Can Download |
| LinkedIn Learning video courses | Yes |
| LinkedIn Learning Paths | No (but can download individual courses) |
| Exercise files and datasets | Yes |
| Audio-only courses | No |
| Interactive courses | No |
| Live events | No |
So standard LinkedIn Learning video courses can be downloaded, along with their exercise files. But other types of content like audio courses, interactive tutorials, live events and full learning paths cannot be downloaded all together. Focus on downloading the core video courses from your favorite instructors and topics.
Which courses should I download from LinkedIn Learning?
With a 20 download limit, you’ll need to be selective about which LinkedIn Learning courses you download for offline access. Here are some factors to consider:
– **Relevance** – Will you need this skill offline? Download courses for knowledge you’ll apply on-the-go.
– **Size** – Balance shorter overview courses with deeper dives into key topics.
– **Interests** – Download courses you’re excited to take on skills you want to develop.
– **Utility** – Courses with exercise files or datasets have more value for offline practice.
– **Renewability** – Download evergreen courses with long term value to renew each month.
Prioritize downloads based on what will be most valuable for your offline learning and professional needs. For most relevance, focus on downloading complete courses rather than individual videos from within courses.
What are some of the most popular LinkedIn Learning downloads?
While download preferences are personalized, here are some examples of popular LinkedIn Learning downloads:
– **Business and leadership:** Communication skills, time management, business strategy
– **Tech and coding:** Programming languages like Python and JavaScript, web development, machine learning
– **Creative:** Photography skills, graphic design tools like Photoshop and Illustrator
– **Software:** Productivity apps like Excel, project management tools
– **Personal development:** Mindfulness, emotional intelligence, public speaking
Downloads tend to focus on technical hard skills for professional growth as well as evergreen soft skills. Think about your own career goals and interests to decide which courses would be most valuable to download.
What tips and best practices should I keep in mind?
Here are some top tips for successfully downloading and managing your LinkedIn Learning courses:
– **Check download limits** – Monitor your available downloads before starting.
– **Let old downloads expire** – Renew only your most critical courses each month.
– **Download exercise files** – Get any complementary datasets or projects.
– **Extract files** – Unzip downloads to access materials offline.
– **Transfer videos** – Optionally convert and transfer videos to mobile if needed.
– **Make a schedule** – Plan out which downloads to renew based on expiration dates.
– **Tag files** – Use descriptive filenames or folders to stay organized.
– **Prioritize relevance** – Focus downloads on current learning needs.
With some strategic management of your storage limits and expirations, you can build an offline video library of the most valuable LinkedIn Learning courses for your career goals and interests.
Conclusion
The ability to download LinkedIn Learning courses enables you to continue learning relevant professional skills even without an internet connection. While there are download limits and expirations, strategically using this feature can give you offline access to the LinkedIn Learning content you need most. Just focus on the most critical courses for your goals, manage renewals diligently, and extract files for convenient offline access. Used well, downloading can take your LinkedIn Learning experience far beyond the web browser.