LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, with over 810 million members worldwide as of April 2022. On LinkedIn, you can connect with other professionals in your industry or location to build your network. When someone sends you a connection request on LinkedIn, you have the option to either accept or ignore the request. But can you see a list of pending connection requests that you haven’t responded to yet? Here’s what you need to know about viewing pending connection requests on LinkedIn.
Where to find pending connection requests
Yes, you can see all pending connection requests that you have not yet accepted or ignored. To view pending requests:
- Log into your LinkedIn account on the desktop site (you cannot view pending requests in the mobile app)
- Click on the My Network icon at the top of your homepage
- Select Manage next to the Connections icon
- On the Manage Connections page, click on the Pending tab
This will display a list of all connection requests you have not responded to yet. The list shows who sent the request along with any shared connections or groups you have in common.
Why view pending requests?
Here are some key reasons why you may want to periodically check your pending connection requests on LinkedIn:
- Accept requests from people you know – You can quickly identify connection requests from people you want to connect with but haven’t responded to yet.
- Decline unwanted requests – You can decline connection requests from people you don’t know or don’t want to connect with.
- Avoid missing opportunities – Sometimes requests can get buried and forgotten about. Checking pending requests ensures you don’t miss building relationships.
- Keep your network organized – Accepting or declining requests helps keep your connections clean and relevant.
How long do requests stay pending?
If you do not respond to a connection request on LinkedIn, it will remain pending indefinitely. There is no time limit on accepting requests. The request will stay in your pending list until you take action to accept or ignore it.
However, the person who sent the request can cancel it at any time if they don’t get a response. So while requests don’t expire on their own, the person who initiated the request can retract it if you haven’t accepted it after a certain period of time.
Does the sender know if you haven’t responded?
No, the person who sent the connection request has no indication if you haven’t responded to their request yet. Your pending requests are only visible to you, not to the senders.
The sender is only notified if you accept their request or if you explicitly ignore/decline the request. If a request sits pending indefinitely, the sender won’t get any notification from LinkedIn.
How many pending requests can you have?
LinkedIn limits the maximum number of pending connection requests you can have at one time to 500. Once you hit 500 requests, any new connection requests will be automatically declined until you manage pending requests under 500.
This limit prevents massive backlogs of thousands of pending requests. Keeping pending requests under 500 ensures you periodically review and respond to requests.
Can you turn off pending requests?
No, there is no setting to disable pending connection requests on LinkedIn. Anytime someone sends you a request, it will show up as pending until you respond.
Your options are to:
- Check pending requests frequently and accept or decline promptly
- Change your profile settings to signal you are being more selective and not open to requests
- Hide your LinkedIn profile from search engines (go to Privacy & Settings > Select what others see when you’ve searched)
But there is no way to completely switch off pending requests within your account settings.
Can you hide your pending requests count?
No, there is currently no way to hide or disable the pending requests count displayed on LinkedIn. The number of pending requests is always visible next to the Connections icon.
Some users wish they could remove the pending count because they don’t want new connections to see how many requests they have. However, LinkedIn does not provide an option to conceal the pending number.
What happens if you ignore requests?
If you choose to ignore a connection request on LinkedIn rather than accepting or declining it, here is what happens:
- The request stays permanently in your pending requests list
- The sender receives a notification you ignored their request
- The sender cannot send you a new request
Ignoring requests is a way to quietly decline connecting without offending the sender. However, it permanently removes the ability for that person to request you again.
Can you accept an ignored request?
No, unfortunately once you ignore a connection request on LinkedIn, you cannot later accept that same request. Ignoring a request is permanent.
If you ignored someone by accident and want to connect, you would need to send them a new connection invitation yourself. The original ignored request cannot revert to pending or accepted status.
Should you accept all pending requests?
It’s up to you whether to accept all pending connection requests. There are a few factors to consider:
- Relevance – Do you know this person or could you mutually benefit from connecting?
- Network size – Do you want to limit connections or build a large network?
- Request frequency – How often do you get requests? Too many may be unmanageable.
- Request quality – Are most requests from strangers or legitimate contacts?
Accepting all requests can quickly build up your network. But it may also add irrevelant contacts that provide little value. Be selective about who you connect with to maintain a quality network.
Should you decline all requests from strangers?
Again, it depends on your goals for your LinkedIn network. Here are some perspectives on handling requests from people you don’t know:
- Decline strangers – Keep your network focused on real contacts by declining unfamiliar requests.
- Accept selectively – Connect if you share relevant interests and could help each other.
- Connect broadly – You never know where opportunities come from, so accept all requests.
If your priority is having a targeted, professional network, politely declining strangers can help. But connecting broadly opens doors and gives your profile wider exposure.
How to politely decline requests
If you want to decline a connection request on LinkedIn, you can do so tactfully by:
- Using the standard decline reason when rejecting the request.
- Sending a personalized note clarifying why you are declining.
- Recommending the sender follows you or keeps in touch offline.
Being courteous reduces the chance of offending the person. Declining politely preserves your brand image and reputation.
Should you message senders when accepting requests?
Messaging someone when accepting their connection request is optional. Here are some pros of sending a message:
- You can thank them for the invitation to connect.
- You can start a conversation and signal you want to engage.
- It’s more personal than just accepting without comment.
However, messaging does take more time. It may not be feasible if you get a high volume of requests. Use your best judgment on when sending an acceptance message makes sense.
Pro tips for managing pending requests
Here are some best practices for effectively managing pending connection requests on LinkedIn:
- Check weekly – Set time weekly to review requests so they don’t pile up.
- Decline spam – Reject requests from people you don’t know to avoid spam.
- Follow up – Message senders when accepting to start relationships.
- Remove old requests – Sort by oldest and clear out any you missed.
- Limit to 500 – Once you hit 500, respond to get back under the limit.
Conclusion
Pending connection requests allow you to carefully evaluate new connections on LinkedIn before accepting or declining them. Checking your pending requests tab periodically enables you to strengthen your network with relevant contacts while avoiding spam.
Leverage pending requests to take control of your network growth. Apply policies on who you connect with and when you message requestors. Managing requests effectively keeps your profile connections clean, focused, and valuable.