Can people see my email address on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is one of the most popular professional social networking sites, with over 722 million members worldwide as of December 2022. Many professionals use LinkedIn to network, build their personal brand, and look for job opportunities. With so many users, privacy settings are an important consideration on LinkedIn.

One common question is whether people can see your email address on LinkedIn. The short answer is: it depends on your privacy settings. LinkedIn gives you control over who can view your email address. Your email address will not be visible to just anyone browsing your profile.

LinkedIn’s Default Email Privacy Settings

By default, LinkedIn hides your email address from public view. Only you and LinkedIn can see your email address. It will not be displayed on your public profile for other members to see. So with the default settings, people will not see your email when viewing your profile.

There are three default privacy settings that impact email visibility:

• Share profile editing with connections only
• Select visible to “Only me”
• Share email address with “Nobody”

These defaults prevent your email from being publicly visible. Only you, the account owner, will be able to see your email address. This gives you control over who can directly contact you via email.

Who Can See Your Email on LinkedIn

While your email is private by default, you can adjust settings to share it with others on LinkedIn. Here are the people who can potentially see your email if you change the defaults:

• All LinkedIn members – You can opt to display your email publicly on your profile. This allows any LinkedIn user to see it.
• Your Connections – You can share your email with only your 1st-degree connections so they can contact you directly.
• 2nd & 3rd degree connections – You can extend email access to your 2nd and 3rd degree connections.
• Selected groups – Share your email only with members of specific LinkedIn groups you’re in.
• Your company – Share your work email with colleagues in your company who are also on LinkedIn.

So depending on your settings, a varied audience may be able to see your email address in your profile. It’s up to you how visible you want it to be.

How to Customize Your Email Privacy Settings

Here are instructions on how to customize your email visibility settings on LinkedIn:

1. Go to your LinkedIn profile page and click “View profile” to access your public profile view.
2. Click the “Edit public profile & URL” button located in the intro card section.
3. This will open your profile editing page. Click the “Contact info” tab.
4. Under “Contact info visibility,” click the dropdown next to email address and select your preference:
   • Visible to everyone – Your email will be public in your profile.
   • Visible to my connections – Only 1st degree connections will see it.
   • Visible to anyone with the link – Anyone with a direct link to your profile can see it.
   • Visible only to me – You’re the only one who can see your email address.
5. Click “Save” at the bottom of the page to apply your new email visibility setting.

Following these steps allows you to customize exactly who can view your personal or work email on your LinkedIn profile.

Pros and Cons of Displaying Your Email Publicly

There are advantages and disadvantages to making your email address visible on your LinkedIn profile:

Pros:

• Lets people easily contact you for business opportunities
• Convenient for networking and communicating
• Projects openness and accessibility
• Can increase engagement with your profile

Cons:

• Increases unsolicited emails and spam
• Risks privacy and security of your email address
• Some prefer to keep email private until they connect with someone
• Harder to control who has access to your email address

The choice depends on your personal preferences and career goals. For many, the risks outweigh the benefits of making their email public.

Best Practices for Email Privacy

Here are some best practices as you manage your LinkedIn email visibility settings:

• Use a dedicated professional email address, separate from your personal email.
• Avoid using your work email as it may violate company security policies.
• Update your visibility settings periodically as your preferences change.
• Use LinkedIn’s profile viewing options to see what your public profile looks like to others.
• Limit public access to establish connections first before sharing your email.
• Turn on notifications to monitor changes made to your profile and visibility settings.

Following these tips can help you stay in control of your LinkedIn email visibility.

Conclusion

Your email address on LinkedIn has default privacy settings that keep it hidden from public view. You have options to share your email selectively with your connections, groups, company, or the entire LinkedIn community. The choice is yours based on your career goals, preferences, and comfort level with sharing personal information online. Adjust your settings conservatively and use best practices to maintain your privacy and security on LinkedIn.