Searching for someone on LinkedIn is a common occurrence. With over 800 million members on the platform, LinkedIn has become the go-to place for professionals to network, find jobs, be found for jobs, and connect with colleagues and contacts. However, one question that often comes up is – can people see you searched them on LinkedIn?
The short answer is maybe. LinkedIn’s search algorithm is designed to balance the privacy of users with relevant search results and recommendations. So whether someone can see you viewed their profile depends on your relationship with them on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn Search Settings
LinkedIn has a few different account and privacy settings when it comes to searching and being searched:
Private Mode
LinkedIn Premium members have access to a “private mode” setting. This prevents other members from being notified when you visit their profile. It essentially allows you to search anonymously without others seeing your activity.
Profile Viewing Options
In your account settings, you can select who can see your profile views. The options are:
- Your connections only
- Your network only (connections and their connections)
- All LinkedIn members
If you limit profile viewing to just connections, then only your 1st degree connections will be notified when you view their profile. If you select your entire network, 2nd and 3rd degree connections will also be notified of your views.
Search Appearances
Similarly, you can control if you want to appear in searches from non-connections. If you disable this, people who are not connected to you will not see you in their search results.
When Can Someone See You Viewed Their Profile?
In general, the only time someone will be notified you viewed their profile is if:
- You are connected to them
- You view their profile individually outside of search results
- They have profile viewing enabled for your level of connection
For example, if you search for “software engineers” and click on someone’s profile you are connected to, they will see you visited their profile under “Who’s viewed your profile”.
However, if you search for someone you are not connected to, they will not be notified you clicked on their profile from the search results. This allows you to anonymously search and browse profiles up to a point.
When You Appear In Someone’s Profile Views
The reverse is also true. The main times when you will show up as viewing someone’s profile are:
- You are directly connected
- You view their profile individually, not through search
- They have profile viewing enabled for your level of connection
So if you are connected to someone, you viewed their profile outside of search results, and they have profile viewing on for connections, then you will appear under “Who’s viewed your profile”.
LinkedIn Profile View Notifications
When someone does see you viewed their profile, it shows up in a few places:
Who’s Viewed Your Profile
This section shows the last 90 days of profile views. It includes pictures of connections and 2nd connections who have viewed your profile.
Notifications
You may also get notifications directly in your LinkedIn inbox when certain connections view your profile. Typically this only occurs for close connections.
Relationship Updates
When 2nd and 3rd degree connections view your profile, you see this under relationship updates like “John Doe view your profile”.
Avoiding Profile Views
If you want to browse LinkedIn profiles anonymously, here are some tips:
- Use LinkedIn’s private mode if you have a Premium account
- Search for profiles using search, don’t view profiles outside of search results
- Use an anonymous or private browsing window in your internet browser
- Limit your own profile viewing settings
As long as you are searching while logged out or in private mode, or only clicking profiles from search, you can browse without notifications to others.
Third-Party LinkedIn Tools
There are also third-party browser extensions and tools for finding out who viewed your LinkedIn profile. Examples include RocketReach, Connectifier, and LinkedIn Checker.
However, LinkedIn has cracked down on many of these tools, limiting their functionality. They maintain profile viewing data must be accessed through official LinkedIn channels.
Is There a Way to See Anonymous Visitors?
LinkedIn intentionally limits the profile viewing data you can access about anonymous visitors or searches.
If you try to look up non-connections who have viewed your profile, you will see a message like “You don’t have enough profile views from unconnected members to show in this list”.
The only way to see anonymous profile views is through LinkedIn’s premium “Lead Profile Views” tool, which shows aggregate non-member views. But it does not show individual visitor information.
Can You See Who Views Your LinkedIn Profile Anonymously?
In summary, there is no way to see exactly who is viewing your LinkedIn profile anonymously. LinkedIn does not show profile views for non-connections. The only views shown are for direct connections and network connections depending on your settings.
Some third-party browser tools claimed to reveal anonymous LinkedIn visitors, but LinkedIn blocks the data access needed for those tools.
The only option LinkedIn provides is aggregate anonymous viewer data for premium members. But no specific visitor information is available unless they are a 1st or 2nd degree connection on LinkedIn.
Does Turning Off Profile Viewing Stop Views?
Turning off profile viewing under account settings does not completely stop other people from seeing your profile or searching for you. It simply stops views from appearing under “Who’s viewed your profile”.
Members can still find you through searches, groups, content sharing, and other areas of LinkedIn. They just won’t register as an individual view.
Can You See Who Looks at Your Profile on the App?
LinkedIn’s mobile app functions similarly to the desktop site when it comes to profile views. You can only see views from direct connections under the “Who’s viewed your profile” section.
The app does not show profile views from anonymous searchers or indirect connections. The same limits apply in terms of what information LinkedIn shows profile visitors.
Does LinkedIn Notify When You Save a Profile?
Saving a LinkedIn profile to your connections does not notify the member. It simply adds them to your connections list on your account. This allows you to keep track of profiles without others receiving a notification.
However, if you send them an invite to connect after saving the profile, they will be notified of the connection request.
Is There a Way to Hide Your Visit Entirely?
The only way to prevent a LinkedIn connection from seeing your profile view is to:
- Use private browsing
- View profiles anonymously through search results, not individual profile visits
- Disconnect from them on LinkedIn
As long as you are connected, they have profile viewing enabled, and you view a profile outside of a search, your connection will see you visited their profile.
Conclusion
LinkedIn is designed to show profile visits from direct connections only. Searching anonymously and browsing profiles through search results allows you to maintain privacy while viewing public information. If you want to be sure connections are not notified, use LinkedIn’s private mode or an anonymous browser when searching. Limiting your own profile view settings also prevents visibility. While third-party tools claimed to show anonymous views, LinkedIn has restricted their data access. The only way to see anonymous profile views is through aggregate data for premium members.