LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 800 million members. With so many professionals interacting on the site, a common question is: does LinkedIn show you who viewed your profile?
The short answer is: LinkedIn does track profile views, but doesn’t show you the identity of all viewers. Only LinkedIn Premium account holders can see the full list of who viewed their profile.
Here’s a more in-depth look at how LinkedIn profile viewing works, and whether you can see who’s viewed you without Premium.
LinkedIn Profile Views Overview
Every LinkedIn profile has a “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” section that shows you some of the people who’ve recently looked at your profile. Here are some key things to know about LinkedIn profile views:
- LinkedIn tracks when any member views your profile.
- The list of who’s viewed you is available on desktop under your profile photo.
- On mobile, you can see profile views by tapping the “Me” icon and looking under “Viewers of this profile”.
- By default, LinkedIn only shows you a limited selection of your recent profile viewers.
- The viewer list is refreshed frequently, with new viewers replacing old ones.
So while LinkedIn does monitor your profile views behind the scenes, most members only see a sample of recent viewers. The full details are hidden from basic members.
Why Doesn’t LinkedIn Show All Profile Views?
LinkedIn limits the viewer list to protect user privacy and encourage professional networking. Here are a few reasons why they don’t show full profile view data:
- Privacy – Members may not want others knowing they viewed a profile.
- Encourage connections – LinkedIn wants to motivate users to connect and interact versus just view anonymously.
- Limit data clutter – Showing hundreds of profile viewers could overwhelm users.
- Feature exclusivity – The full viewer list encourages Premium upgrades.
The profile viewer list aims to show some relevant samples rather than all data. Next, we’ll look at who can see the full details.
Who Can See All LinkedIn Profile Views?
While basic LinkedIn members only see a sample, Premium subscribers can view the full list of everyone who’s looked at their profile. Here’s an overview:
LinkedIn Account Type | Can See Full Profile Viewer List? |
---|---|
Free Account | No, only recent sample of viewers |
Premium Business Account | Yes |
Premium Career Account | Yes |
Recruiter Lite Account | No |
Recruiter Corporate Account | Yes |
Sales Navigator Professional | Yes |
Sales Navigator Team | Yes |
As you can see, LinkedIn Premium subscribers – both individual and company accounts – can see the full list of who’s viewed their profile. This allows tracking viewers over time.
What Profile View Data is Available?
For Premium users, the full profile viewer list shows:
- Name and photo of each viewer
- Viewer’s job title and company
- Location of viewer
- Industry viewer works in
- Date and time the viewer looked at your profile
- Ability to filter list by time period or viewer traits
This rich viewer data enables Premium subscribers to understand who’s interested in them professionally. Users can filter by location, company, job title, and more to focus on high-potential connections.
How Often is the Viewer List Updated?
For free users, the profile viewer sample is updated frequently, so you’ll see new viewers all the time. Exactly how often the list refreshes isn’t clear.
For Premium members viewing the full list, LinkedIn states the data is updated weekly. So maximum visibility into who viewed your profile is available on a weekly basis for paying subscribers.
Can You See Who Viewed You Anonymously?
Some LinkedIn members choose to view profiles in anonymous mode, which prevents their name from showing up to the profile owner. Here’s how anonymous profile viewing works on LinkedIn:
- Members can enable anonymous viewing under Privacy & Settings
- When anonymous, your name won’t display to others as a profile viewer
- Anonymous users appear in the viewer list as “Anonymous LinkedIn Member”
- Anonymous viewing is not available on mobile devices
So while members can opt for anonymous viewing, you’ll still see them in your viewer list – just without identifying details. Anonymous viewers are visible to both basic and Premium subscribers.
Does Viewing Profiles Anonymously Work?
Overall, anonymous browsing has mixed results on LinkedIn. Some members report it works reliably and hides their name. But others have complained that they still appeared on viewer lists despite enabling the anonymous setting.
Based on user reports, limitations of anonymous viewing include:
- Buggy functionality – anonymous setting may not always work
- Doesn’t hide you on mobile – can only anonymous browse on desktop
- Connections still visible – you’ll appear to 2nd-degree connections or further
- Paid accounts see all – Premium subscribers see your name regardless
So while intended to improve privacy, LinkedIn’s anonymous profile viewing has some gaps. Expect connections and paid members to still see your name when browsing profiles.
Does Looking at Profiles Notify the User?
A common concern is whether LinkedIn tells users when you’ve viewed their profile. Rest assured your browsing is private by default.
Here’s an overview of what users see when you view their profile:
- They won’t receive any notifications you viewed their profile.
- You’ll appear anonymously or under your name in their viewer list.
- Premium members will see viewer details like your job title and location.
- Basic members will just see “You appeared in x’s viewer list”.
So while your browsing isn’t secret, LinkedIn doesn’t actively alert users or let them track you in real time. Your privacy is maintained unless users upgrade to Premium.
How to Manage Profile Viewers as a Free User
As a regular LinkedIn member, you have limited options when it comes to managing profile viewers. But here are a few tips:
- Check who’s viewed you 1-2 times per week for new viewers. More frequent checks won’t lead to more data.
- Make notes on interesting viewers you may want to connect with.
- Consider upgrading to Premium temporarily if you need more viewer insights for job hunting or prospecting.
- Use anonymous viewing when you want to browse, but without displaying your name to others.
While you can’t see the full viewer list, regular monitoring can help surface relevant viewers and possibilities.
Should You Upgrade to Premium?
For heavy LinkedIn users, upgrading to Premium can provide more control over profile views and visitor data. Benefits include:
- See full list of everyone who’s viewed your profile with rich details.
- Sort viewers by time period, location, job title and other filters.
- Anonymously browse profiles without revealing your name.
- See how many times visitors return and their engagement.
- Compare your profile views versus peers.
Premium provides the full picture into who’s looking at your profile and how. The expanded analytics help focus networking and evaluate career interest.
Should You Pay for Premium Long Term?
For most users, the free LinkedIn plan is sufficient for profile management. Premium is best for short term intensive networking.
Reasons you may not need a permanent Premium subscription:
- Costs $29.99-$59.99 per month depending on plan.
- Core networking features like search are free.
- Sample viewer list gives a snapshot of who’s looking.
- You only need the full viewer data during job or prospecting pushes.
Consider a 1-3 month Premium subscription when you need maximum exposure and visitor details during an active job or sales search. Otherwise, the free account offers core functionality.
Does LinkedIn Notify You Who Views Your Profile?
LinkedIn provides two main ways to see who’s viewed your profile – the viewer list and notifications. Here’s an overview of how LinkedIn notifications work for profile views:
- You’ll receive email summaries of your profile view activity, like “Your profile was viewed 50 times this week”.
- The emails don’t name specific viewers, only total numbers.
- Notifications focus on view spikes, like unusually high or lower activity.
- Mobile push alerts on the app may also highlight surges in profile views.
- Beyond summaries, LinkedIn doesn’t directly notify you of each viewer.
The main way to see individual viewers is by checking your profile. Notifications only highlight general trends or anomalies in traffic. You won’t receive alerts each time someone looks at your profile.
How to Turn Off Viewer Notifications
If you don’t want any emails about your LinkedIn profile views, you can disable them in your settings. Here are the steps:
- Go to the Notifications tab under Settings & Privacy on desktop.
- Open the Messages section.
- Toggle off the switch for “Profile view updates”.
- Confirm by selecting “Turn off” when prompted.
This will stop LinkedIn from sending you any emails about your profile view activity. However, you can still see visitors in your viewer list.
Can You See Who Views Your LinkedIn Profile for Free?
In summary, here’s what basic LinkedIn members can see about their profile viewers without Premium:
- Sample list of some recent viewers
- Anonymous visitors marked as “Anonymous”
- View count summaries in notification emails
- General profile view trends and spikes
While you can’t access the full viewer data, these free tools provide a snapshot of who’s interested in your profile. Focus on any standout viewers relevant to your goals.
Downsides of LinkedIn’s Free Profile Viewing
The main limitations for non-Premium members when viewing profile visitors are:
- Can’t see full list of all viewers
- No details on visitor’s job, location, company
- Sample rotates frequently so can’t track long term visitors
- No insight into follower retention and repeat visits
- Anonymous setting inconsistently hides your name
Paid subscribers get a much deeper view into their audience and followers. But occasional checks of the free viewer list can still benefit networking.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn provides limited profile view data for free, savvy users can still benefit. Check weekly for interesting new viewers, watch for spikes in traffic, and leverage notifications to understand engagement levels.
Premium unlocks more detailed viewer analytics, but is best suited for short term professional pushes unless ongoing networking is core to your role. For most members, monitoring the sample viewer list when able provides sufficient visibility without the Premium costs.
Consistent profile updates, active networking, and thoughtful audience tracking will serve you well on LinkedIn, even without seeing exactly who’s viewed your profile.