There are a few ways to view someone’s LinkedIn profile or activity without them being notified that you did so. LinkedIn’s default settings notify other users when you visit their profiles, but you can change this in your account settings. You can also view profiles in an incognito or private browser window, which won’t leave a footprint that you visited.
Change Notification Settings
The easiest way to browse LinkedIn without notifying connections is to change your account settings. Here’s how:
- Go to your LinkedIn account settings
- Under Privacy & Settings, go to Communications
- Uncheck the box for “Let others know when you’ve viewed their profile”
This will stop LinkedIn from informing other users when you visit their profiles. The change takes effect immediately.
You can also change the settings to only notify your 1st-degree connections, or no one at all. Note that even with notifications disabled, LinkedIn still tracks profile views internally.
Use Incognito/Private Browsing
Most major web browsers have an incognito or private browsing mode. When enabled, the browser won’t record your browsing history, cookies, site data or logins.
To view a LinkedIn profile without notifying:
- Open an incognito/private window in your browser
- Go to LinkedIn and sign in if needed
- Search for the profile you want to view
- LinkedIn will not record the profile view or notify the user
After you close the incognito window, it will be like you were never there. This works well for occasional anonymous viewing. Just remember to sign out of LinkedIn before closing the window.
Some popular browsers and their private modes:
- Chrome – Incognito mode
- Firefox – Private Browsing mode
- Safari – Private Browsing mode
- Edge – InPrivate mode
Use Another Account
Another option is to sign into a secondary LinkedIn account to view profiles anonymously.
- Create a second LinkedIn account (it can be a dummy account)
- Sign into that account when you want to browse anonymously
- People will not be notified since it’s a different account
This allows you to view profiles regularly without connections on your main account knowing. Just make sure to sign out before accessing your regular account again.
LinkedIn Viewer Tools
There are some third-party services that offer anonymous LinkedIn profile viewing. These tools will load the selected profiles for you without requiring a login or triggering notifications.
Some popular LinkedIn viewer tools include:
- Anonymous LinkedIn Viewer
- SpyFly
- LinkedInChecker
- ILinked
To use these, you just enter the profile URL you want to view. The page loads anonymously through the viewer service, so the user is unaware. While convenient, be aware these tools could potentially access your viewing data.
Why View LinkedIn Anonymously?
There are valid reasons for viewing LinkedIn profiles without notifying connections:
- Researching professionals in your industry
- Getting insights for sales prospects
- Seeing how connections are portraying themselves
- Checking out the competition
- Keeping up with companies you follow
An anonymous viewing option helps avoid awkward “You viewed my profile” notifications. You don’t always want others knowing when or how often you looked them up.
Is Anonymous Browsing Allowed?
Technically, browsing LinkedIn anonymously violates the platform’s User Agreement. The terms prohibit accessing LinkedIn via unauthorized third-party applications. The official guidance is to always browse openly and transparently.
However, LinkedIn does not actively monitor or restrict private browsing or viewer tools. There don’t appear to be repercussions for individuals who view profiles anonymously on occasion. Just don’t abuse the practice or use it for unethical purposes.
Limits to Anonymous Viewing
While the options above prevent profile view notifications, they have some limitations:
- Your activity still appears in LinkedIn’s analytics
- Paid account holders can see who viewed their profile
- You can’t send InMail messages anonymously
- Premium account perks require a login
- Incognito mode doesn’t persist cookies/logins
So while others users may not be informed, LinkedIn still logs the activity. Anonymous viewing also prevents full interaction or access to paid features.
Other Ways to Be Private on LinkedIn
In addition to viewing profiles anonymously, there are other ways to use LinkedIn more privately:
- Turn off your “Viewers Of This Profile” setting
- Disable your activity broadcasts and announcements
- Remove individuals from seeing your activity feed
- Turn off search engine indexing of your profile
This gives you more control over who can see your profile activity and where your profile appears. Use Privacy & Settings to manage your visibility and data sharing.
Conclusion
Viewing LinkedIn profiles anonymously takes a bit more effort than regular browsing, but gives you privacy when checking out other users. The best approach depends on how often you want to browse anonymously versus openly. Change your notification settings, use private browsing, or try a LinkedIn viewer tool to avoid leaving a profile footprint. Just be wise in how you use anonymous viewing and respect others’ privacy as well.