LinkedIn is a valuable platform for networking and building your professional brand. With over 740 million members worldwide, it’s likely you use LinkedIn regularly to connect with colleagues, search for jobs, or read industry news. As you use LinkedIn more and more, your search history can become quite extensive. But unlike a web browser, LinkedIn doesn’t have an obvious “history” section where you can revisit past searches. So how do you see your full search history on LinkedIn?
Viewing Your Recent Search History
LinkedIn does provide access to your recent search history, although it’s a little buried in the interface. Here’s how to find it:
- Go to the LinkedIn homepage and log in if you aren’t already.
- Click on the search bar at the top of the page. This will display a dropdown menu.
- In the dropdown menu, click “See your recent searches.”
This will display a list of your most recent searches on LinkedIn. The list shows the keywords or names you searched for, as well as the category (People, Jobs, Content, etc.).
The recent search history page shows your last 50 searches. These are searches performed across LinkedIn, not just job searches. Your name searches, company searches, group searches, etc. will all be included.
Filtering and Clearing Recent Searches
On the recent searches page, you have a few options:
- Filter by type of search (People, Jobs, Content) using the dropdown menu.
- Clear your full recent search history by clicking “Clear all” at the top of the page.
- Delete individual searches by hovering over a search and clicking the “X” that appears.
Filtering by search type and clearing some searches can help you tidy up your history and keep it relevant.
Retrieving Your Full Search History
The recent searches page only shows your last 50 searches. To see your full search history since you joined LinkedIn, you’ll need to request a copy of your data from LinkedIn. Here’s how:
- Go to the LinkedIn settings page. Click “Privacy & Settings” from the drop-down menu.
- Scroll down and click “Get a copy of your data.” This initiates a data request.
- Select the data you want to download. Make sure “Search history” is checked.
- Enter your password to confirm your identity.
- LinkedIn will prepare an archive. You’ll get an email when it’s ready to download.
- The search history file will contain every search you’ve performed on LinkedIn since you joined.
It may take up to 48 hours for LinkedIn to compile your full data archive and email it to you. Once you have the file, you can see your historic search activity in one long list.
Important Notes About Downloading Your Data
- You can only make one data request every 24 hours.
- LinkedIn can take up to 48 hours to prepare your download archive.
- The download link in the email expires after 4 days.
- You may not be able to download data from some areas, like LinkedIn Recruiter accounts.
Just be aware of those limitations when requesting your full LinkedIn data archive.
Using Third-Party Tools
In addition to LinkedIn’s built-in options, there are some third-party tools and browser extensions that can help you view and manage your LinkedIn search history:
Linkclump
Linkclump is a Chrome and Firefox extension that keeps a search history of all your LinkedIn searches. You can view or delete past searches right within the extension pop-up.
ClearLinkedInSearchHistory
This Chrome extension clears all recent searches from your LinkedIn account with one click. Use it to quickly erase your history.
LinkedIn X-Ray Search
This Chrome extension calls itself “Google for LinkedIn.” It allows advanced LinkedIn searches and displays your full search history within the extension.
Super Connector for LinkedIn
Super Connector has a handy “visited profiles” feature that tracks everyone you view on LinkedIn. It’s useful for seeing your history of profile views.
These tools provide another angle for accessing your LinkedIn search and browsing history outside of LinkedIn’s own interface. Consider them if you need power-user features.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my LinkedIn search history private?
Your LinkedIn search history is private and is not visible to other members. Only you can see your own search history when logged into your account. LinkedIn does use search data internally for things like personalizing your feed recommendations. But they do not share individual search histories.
How far back does LinkedIn’s search history go?
The recent search history page shows your last 50 LinkedIn searches. To see your full search history back to when you joined LinkedIn, you would need to download your account data. This contains your complete search record.
Can I delete a single search from my history?
Yes, while viewing your recent searches, you can hover over any search and click the “X” icon to delete that search. You can also click “Clear all” to erase your full recent search history.
Can I turn off LinkedIn search history?
There is no setting to fully disable search history on LinkedIn. Your activity is always tracked while logged in. The only option is manually clearing your recent history or deleting your account entirely.
Does LinkedIn search history expire?
Your full search history does not expire as long as you have your LinkedIn account. Even years-old searches remain in your data. The recent searches page will always show your last 50 searches though.
Conclusion
LinkedIn provides minimal search history management compared to a web browser. But you still have options to view and clear your record of searches on LinkedIn.
Check your recent searches page to see your last 50 LinkedIn queries. And if you need your full history, download your LinkedIn data archive. This contains every search since you joined.
Your LinkedIn search history gives insight into how you use the platform. Review it occasionally to identify patterns and improve your search efficiency going forward.
