Can I download picture from LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a popular social media platform used primarily for professional networking and career development. With over 722 million users worldwide, LinkedIn allows professionals to connect with each other, find jobs, promote their businesses, and more.

One of the core features of LinkedIn is the ability to showcase your professional profile, often with a profile picture. Naturally, LinkedIn users may want to download or save someone else’s profile picture for various reasons. However, LinkedIn has certain restrictions in place regarding downloading other people’s photos.

In this article, we’ll provide a detailed overview explaining if and how you can download pictures from LinkedIn.

Can You Download Profile Pictures on LinkedIn?

The short answer is yes, it is possible to download profile pictures from LinkedIn, but there are some caveats.

LinkedIn does not directly provide users with an option or button to download someone else’s profile photo. This is an intentional restriction imposed by LinkedIn to protect user privacy and security.

However, there are workarounds that allow you to save or download a profile picture on LinkedIn, typically by using your browser’s image saving functionality or using third-party tools and extensions.

So in summary:

• LinkedIn does not offer a native feature to download other users’ profile pictures
• But there are workarounds to save LinkedIn profile pictures using your browser or third-party tools
• These workarounds essentially bypass LinkedIn’s restrictions on downloading other users’ images

Next, let’s look at the step-by-step methods to download photos on LinkedIn.

How to Download Someone’s Profile Picture on LinkedIn

Here are three different ways you can save a LinkedIn profile picture:

Method 1: Use the Browser’s ‘Save Image As’ Option

Most modern web browsers provide the ability to directly save images you come across while browsing. Here are the steps to use this method:

1. Go to the LinkedIn profile whose picture you want to download. Make sure the profile photo is public and visible.
2. Right-click on the profile picture and select ‘Save image as’ (may be worded slightly differently in some browsers).
3. Choose where you want to save the image on your device. LinkedIn profile pictures are downloaded as JPG files.
4. Click ‘Save’ and the profile photo will be downloaded to the selected location.

This is the simplest way to quickly grab someone’s LinkedIn profile picture. However, it only works on the desktop site and not on the mobile app.

Method 2: Use Browser Extensions or Add-ons

Several third-party browser extensions and add-ons are designed specifically for saving images from websites. These tools add a downloader button to your browser so you can easily save images with one click.

Some popular extensions you can use are:

• Image Downloader for Chrome
• Download All Images for Firefox
• Image Downloader for Edge

To use these:

1. Install the extension on your desktop browser.
2. Go to the LinkedIn profile and click the downloader button added by the extension.
3. Select to download just the profile image or all images on the page.
4. The image(s) will be saved to your downloads folder.

Browser extensions provide quicker bulk image saving from LinkedIn and other sites.

Method 3: Use Online Image Downloaders

There are many free online tools and apps you can use to download images by just entering the source URL. Some examples include:

• SaveImage.io
• ImgSaver
• URL2PNG

To use these web-based image downloaders:

1. Go to the LinkedIn profile and copy the URL of the profile picture.
2. Paste this URL into the image downloader tool.
3. Click download and the tool will extract and save the image for you.

Online downloaders work on both desktop and mobile, providing a versatile way to pull images from LinkedIn.

Is Downloading LinkedIn Pictures Legal?

While it is technically possible to download LinkedIn profile pictures using the methods above, there are some legal considerations to keep in mind:

• LinkedIn’s User Agreement prohibits scraping, copying, or redistributing their content without permission.
• The profile picture is the personal intellectual property of the LinkedIn member.
• Saving or reusing the image without consent could infringe on the member’s copyright.
• There are cases of people filing lawsuits and complaints over misuse of LinkedIn photos.

So while you may be able to get around LinkedIn’s downloading restrictions, doing so legally and ethically is complex.

Some general guidelines to follow:

• Only download your own LinkedIn profile pictures or those shared with you directly.
• Do not repost or redistribute downloaded pictures without express consent.
• Use the images only for their intended professional purposes.
• Delete saved LinkedIn photos after reasonable use.

Ultimately, respect other users’ privacy and property when handling their profile images.

Why Would You Want to Download Someone’s LinkedIn Picture?

There are some legitimate reasons why a user may want to save someone else’s LinkedIn photo, such as:

• Adding it to a professional presentation with credits
• Using it in a case study or profile write-up with permission
• Personal contact management and records
• Journalistic or reporting purposes
• Business partnership collateral with consent

However, downloading any LinkedIn images requires ethical consideration of things like:

• Copyright law
• User privacy and consent
• LinkedIn’s Terms of Service
• Professional courtesy

Conclusion

While LinkedIn does not offer native download options for other users’ profile pictures, it is possible to save LinkedIn photos through workarounds using your browser, extensions, or online tools. However, there are ethical and legal limits on how you can use such downloaded images. The best practice is to only save and use LinkedIn pictures when you have full permission and for appropriate professional purposes. Always respect other users’ privacy and property when handling their profile images.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is scraping LinkedIn profiles illegal?

Scraping or copying data from LinkedIn profiles without permission is generally not allowed under LinkedIn’s User Agreement and could face legal action if done excessively. Occasionally saving profile images manually for personal use is in more of a legal gray area, but systemic scraping of LinkedIn violates its terms.

Does LinkedIn notify users if you download their photo?

No, LinkedIn does not actively notify users if someone downloads or saves their profile picture through workaround methods. The download is done from the user’s side through their browser or tools without LinkedIn’s involvement.

Can you get in trouble for misusing LinkedIn photos?

Yes, you could face legal consequences like copyright complaints and lawsuits if you misuse downloaded LinkedIn pictures. This includes reposting or distributing the images without consent, using them commercially, or modifying them negatively. Always get explicit permission before reusing LinkedIn profile photos.

What are the dimensions for a LinkedIn profile picture?

The recommended dimensions for a LinkedIn profile picture are 400×400 pixels minimum and 20MB maximum file size. LinkedIn profile pictures are square cropped and display at 400×400 on your profile. But you can upload larger images up to 20MB, which will be resized.

Can I use an online LinkedIn photo as my Zoom background?

You should avoid using a LinkedIn profile picture as a Zoom background without that person’s explicit consent. Their profile image is their personal intellectual property, so reusing it in this way could be copyright infringement. It’s best to only use your own LinkedIn profile photo or pictures you have full rights to.

Table Comparing Methods to Download LinkedIn Profile Pictures

This summarizes the main advantages and differences between the top methods to download LinkedIn profile pictures for reference.