LinkedIn is a popular professional networking platform that allows users to connect with other professionals in their industry. One of the key features of LinkedIn is the ability to build up a network of connections. With over 750 million users worldwide, LinkedIn provides access to a large pool of professional contacts.
A common question that many LinkedIn users have is whether it is possible to export their LinkedIn connections into a list that can be used outside of LinkedIn. The short answer is yes, LinkedIn does provide the ability to export your connections, with some limitations.
Exporting Connections on LinkedIn
LinkedIn allows you to export a list of your 1st-degree connections through their Settings page. To export your connections:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile and click on the “My Network” dropdown at the top
- Select “Manage my network”
- On the left sidebar, click on “Contacts”
- On this page you will see an option to “Export connections”. Click on “Export”
- LinkedIn will prepare an export of your connections and email it to you when ready. The file will be a .CSV file that can be opened in Excel or other spreadsheet programs.
This process allows you to easily get a list of all your 1st-degree connections on LinkedIn. The file contains typical contact information such as name, company, location, position, and profile URL. This makes it easy to save your connections for your records or potentially import into another CRM or contact management platform.
Limitations of LinkedIn Connection Export
While LinkedIn does allow you to export your 1st-degree connections, there are some limitations to be aware of:
- You can only export 1st-degree connections – you cannot export your 2nd or 3rd degree networks
- The export file will not contain any contact details beyond what is available on the member’s public profile
- There is no ability to export connections using filters or criteria
- You cannot export connection lists from LinkedIn Company Pages or Showcase Pages
- The export file will not include pending connection requests or ignored requests
For many purposes like record keeping, the 1st-degree connection export option is useful. But since it doesn’t include all network contacts or more detailed contact information, it has limitations for things like sales and marketing outreach.
Exporting All LinkedIn Contacts with Third-Party Tools
To get around some of the limitations of LinkedIn’s own export feature, many users turn to third-party tools and browser extensions to export their full LinkedIn network. Some of the more popular options include:
- Linked Helper – browser extension that provides expanded network exports
- Dux-Soup – data scraping tool for exporting LinkedIn information
- Octopus CRM – LinkedIn API integration for exporting connections
- Buzzstream – sales and marketing tool to export LinkedIn data
- SalesNexus – compiles connections, leads, companies into exportable lists
These tools pull data directly from your LinkedIn account using the LinkedIn API or web scraping, allowing for exports like:
- All 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree connections
- Filtered connection lists by job title, company, location etc
- Additional profile fields and contact details
- Exports from Company and Showcase Pages
- Custom exports based on saved LinkedIn searches
The capabilities vary across the different tools, but in general they provide more flexibility than LinkedIn’s own export option. However, you need to make sure to check the Terms of Service as some automation on LinkedIn is restricted.
Other Options for Exporting Contacts
In addition to the built-in LinkedIn tool and third party options already covered, there are a couple other approaches to get an export of LinkedIn contacts:
Save LinkedIn Search Results
LinkedIn’s advanced search allows you to search for contacts using lots of filters and then save those searches. The results of a saved search can be exported to a CSV file. This allows you to export very targeted lists of contacts based on the search criteria.
Browser Extensions for Contact Capture
There are Chrome and Firefox extensions like GrabContacts and ContactOut that allow capturing LinkedIn profile data on-the-fly as you browse LinkedIn. These can then be exported as CSV contact lists. Helpful for selectively exporting contacts without needing API access.
Convert Connections to Contacts
Another option is to individually connect with your 2nd and 3rd degree networks to make them 1st degree connections. This can be done manually or using automation tools. Once converted to 1st degree, those contacts could then be exported using LinkedIn’s built-in connection exporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the recommended ways to export my full LinkedIn network?
To export your full LinkedIn network beyond just 1st connections, third party tools like LinkedIn Helper, Buzzstream, or SalesNexus are recommended. They provide more flexibility like 2nd/3rd degree exports, contact filters, and additional profile data.
Is it safe to use third party tools to export my LinkedIn contacts?
Third party tools can access your LinkedIn data but you should make sure they are secure and have appropriate Terms of Service that allow features like full network exports. Avoid any tools that seem sketchy or require giving up your LinkedIn login credentials.
Can I export my LinkedIn connections into my CRM?
Yes, LinkedIn connection data can typically be imported into most CRMs. The exported .CSV file can be imported or synced. Many CRMs like Salesforce also have built-in integrations to connect with LinkedIn to pull contact data.
What details are included when I export my LinkedIn connections?
The LinkedIn connection export includes basic details like name, company, location, position, profile URL, and more. Third party tools may provide additional contact fields. But full contact details like email and phone numbers are not available unless connected to the profile.
Is it possible to export my LinkedIn Group members?
Unfortunately LinkedIn does not have a way to export or access group membership lists. Third party tools can sometimes compile group member data through scraping, but are limited. An option is to export connections and filter based on group membership.
Conclusion
Exporting your LinkedIn connections and contacts can be very beneficial for keeping records, building marketing lists, and syncing with CRMs. While LinkedIn’s own tools are limited, third party apps and browser extensions provide more flexibility to export all connection data. Be mindful of LinkedIn’s terms when using third party tools, and always confirm what types of data an app can access before installing.