Viewing someone’s LinkedIn profile anonymously can be useful in certain situations, such as researching a potential business partner or keeping tabs on a competitor’s employees. However, LinkedIn does not allow profile views to be completely hidden. Here are some tips to make your LinkedIn views more private.
Use private browsing mode
The easiest way to view a LinkedIn profile anonymously is to use your web browser’s private or incognito browsing mode. This prevents LinkedIn from storing cookies that can track your viewing activity. Here are instructions for enabling private browsing:
- Chrome – Click the 3 dots in the top right, select New Incognito Window
- Firefox – Click the 3 lines in the top right, select New Private Window
- Safari – Click File, select New Private Window
- Edge – Click the 3 dots in the top right, select New InPrivate Window
One limitation is that the other person can still see the number of profile views has increased. But they won’t see it’s specifically from you.
Use a secondary account
Creating a secondary LinkedIn account is another option if you want to view someone’s profile regularly without them knowing. Just don’t connect it with your real identity in any way.
Here are some tips for maximizing privacy with a secondary account:
- Use a new email address from a provider like Gmail or Outlook.
- Do not connect it to other social media accounts that can reveal who you are.
- Be careful about sending connection requests to common contacts who might mention your viewing to the person.
Again, the profile view count will still increase. But the person won’t know it’s specifically you viewing their profile repeatedly.
Use LinkedIn Recruiter account
If you have access to a LinkedIn Recruiter or Sales Navigator account through your company, you can anonymously view up to 200 LinkedIn profiles per month. The other person will not see any increase in their profile view count.
To view a profile anonymously with a Recruiter/Sales Navigator account:
- Search for the person’s name or go directly to their profile URL.
- Click on the profile image.
- Check the box for “View anonymously” in the right rail.
This is the only way to view a LinkedIn profile without the other person knowing at all. But most people don’t have access to these paid LinkedIn accounts.
Use LinkedIn ad targeting
Believe it or not, another sneaky way to view someone’s profile anonymously is by targeting them with LinkedIn ads. Here are the steps:
- Go to the LinkedIn ads platform and create a new campaign.
- Under audience targeting, select “By LinkedIn URL”.
- Enter the profile URL of the person you want to target.
- Configure a $1 per day budget just to keep the ad running.
- The person will not know you’ve viewed them unless they notice being targeted with your ads.
This avoids any indication to the person that you viewed their profile. But it does require setting up a LinkedIn ad campaign and spending money just to view a profile.
Use a LinkedIn profile monitoring tool
There are third-party services available that can monitor LinkedIn profiles for you anonymously. For example:
- LinkedPeeper
- Profile Radar
- RocketReach
These tools work by periodically scraping data from the target person’s LinkedIn profile. Some of them cost money but can be useful for monitoring employees, competitors, or business prospects.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn does not allow totally anonymous profile viewing, there are ways to be sneakier about it. Using private browsing, secondary accounts, recruiter accounts, ads, and third-party tools can help view profiles without the other person knowing in many cases.
However, keep in mind that looking up people you have no legitimate business relationship with raises some ethical concerns. Make sure you have a valid reason related to business, career, or education before viewing someone’s profile anonymously.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does LinkedIn notify someone when you view their profile?
LinkedIn does not directly notify someone when you view their profile. However, premium account holders can see the number of profile views and from what companies they came from in the last 90 days. So they may be able to deduce you viewed them if no one else from your company did.
Is there a way to see who viewed my LinkedIn profile?
Unfortunately regular LinkedIn members cannot see exactly who viewed their profiles. Only paid subscribers with Recruiter, Job Seeker, Sales Navigator, or Business Plus accounts can see some version of profile view history, usually limited to just the company name or industry.
Can I hide my LinkedIn profile views from specific people?
No, there is no setting in LinkedIn to hide profile views from specific individuals. The only way to do it is using the anonymous viewing options mentioned earlier in this article.
What happens if I view someone’s LinkedIn profile while logged out?
When viewing a LinkedIn profile while logged out, the person will still see their view count go up. So they know someone viewed them, just not exactly who it was. To view 100% anonymously, you need to use a LinkedIn Recruiter account.
Can I see who viewed my LinkedIn if I have a premium account?
Premium account holders can see some data on who viewed their profile, but not specific names. You can see numbers of views and which companies they came from. Paid subscribers with Recruiter, Job Seeker, and Sales Navigator accounts get more detailed analytics on page views.
| LinkedIn Account Type | Profile View Data Available |
|---|---|
| Regular free account | Number of profile views in last 90 days |
| Premium Career account | Number of views and companies in last 90 days |
| Recruiter account | Names and companies of viewers in last 90 days |
| Sales Navigator account | Names and companies of viewers in last 90 days |
| Job Seeker account | Names and companies of viewers in last 90 days |
Is there a way to permanently delete my LinkedIn view history?
There is no way for regular LinkedIn members to manually clear or delete their view history. LinkedIn automatically removes profile view data after 90 days. After that, it is permanently deleted from their records. So you just have to wait 90 days for your viewing history to disappear.
Can I get notified if specific people view my LinkedIn profile?
LinkedIn does not have a feature to get notified when specific individuals view your profile. The closest option is the premium account feature that shows you what companies profile visitors work for in the last 90 days. So you could potentially deduce if someone specific at that company viewed you.
Is there a way to pay to see who viewed my LinkedIn profile?
Yes, LinkedIn Recruiter and Sales Navigator premium accounts allow you to see more detailed profile visitor information for up to 90 days. These paid accounts cost around $100-$150 per month. So you have to decide if it’s worth paying just to find out who exactly has viewed your profile recently.
