How do I change my profile viewing options on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 850 million members. As a LinkedIn member, you have a profile that showcases your professional experiences, education, skills, accomplishments and more. Your LinkedIn profile allows you to connect and network with other professionals in your industry.

One important setting on LinkedIn is your profile viewing options. These options allow you to control who can view your LinkedIn profile and how much of your profile they can see. LinkedIn gives you several choices for your profile viewing settings. In this article, we’ll walk through how to change your profile viewing options on LinkedIn in just a few easy steps.

Viewing Your Current Profile Viewing Settings

Before changing your profile viewing options, it’s a good idea to check what your current settings are. Here’s how to view your existing LinkedIn profile visibility settings:

1. Go to your LinkedIn profile page
2. Click on the “Me” icon at the top right of your LinkedIn toolbar
3. Select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu
4. Click on “Privacy” in the left sidebar
5. Under “Profile viewing options”, you will see your current settings

This will show you who is currently able to view your full profile and who is limited to seeing your public profile only. Take note of these settings before moving on to changing your profile viewing options.

Changing Your LinkedIn Profile Visibility

Now let’s go through how to update your LinkedIn profile viewing settings. LinkedIn gives you 3 main options:

1. Your public profile only: This displays your name, headline, current position and education only. Your connections, experiences, skills etc. will be hidden.
2. Your connections only: Only people you are connected to can see your full profile.
3. All members: Anyone on LinkedIn can view your full profile.

Additionally, LinkedIn allows you to customize these settings to control what specific groups of people can see your full profile or only your public profile. Here are the steps to update your profile visibility options:

1. Go to your profile page and click the “Me” icon > Settings & Privacy > Privacy
2. Under “Profile viewing options”, click “Change” to edit your settings
3. Select one of the 3 main options: public profile, connections only, or all members
4. If desired, click “Customize your settings” to customize visibility by relationship or group.
5. Click “Save changes” at the bottom to apply your new settings.

And that’s it! Those steps will allow you to modify your LinkedIn profile viewing options to control who can see your full profile. Some additional things to note:

• It may take up to 48 hours for changes to take effect across LinkedIn.
• Be thoughtful about which audiences you allow to view your full profile.
• Check back periodically to ensure your settings are what you want.

Customizing Settings by Relationship or Group

In step 4 above, you have the option to “Customize your settings” to specify visibility for certain relationships or groups. Here are some examples of how to use these customized settings:

Customizing by Relationship

• Your Connections: Choose which connections can view your full profile or only your public profile
• LinkedIn Members: Select which LinkedIn members outside your connections can see your full profile
• People with email domain: Enter an email domain to control access for people with that domain email

Customizing by Group

• Your Groups: Select which LinkedIn groups you are a member of can see your full profile
• Your Companies: Choose which of your company followers can view your full profile

Using these customized settings allows you to really dial in visibility for certain networks, companies or groups. Keep in mind the more you customize, the more complex it becomes to maintain so find the right balance for your needs.

Managing Profile Viewer Notifications

In addition to controlling general visibility, you can also manage profile viewer notifications on LinkedIn. Here’s how it works:

• When someone views your profile, you have the option to be notified by email
• You can turn notifications on or off for both connections and non-connections
• Here’s how to update these email notifications settings:
  1. Go to your profile and click the “Me” icon > Settings & Privacy > Privacy
  2. Under “Profile viewing options”, click “Change” to edit your settings
  3. Toggle notifications on or off for connections and/or non-connections
  4. Click Save changes

Turning off viewer notifications can reduce unwanted emails. But leaving them on lets you know when important people are viewing your profile. Adjust these notifications to meet your preferences.

Conclusion

Your LinkedIn profile visibility settings allow you to control how people view your profile. Take advantage of the options to set your profile to public, connections only or customize by relationship or group. Additionally, manage viewer notifications to reduce unwanted emails. Your profile is an important professional networking tool, so be thoughtful about your visibility settings.

Here are some key takeaways:

• Check current visibility settings under “Settings & Privacy”
• Choose public, connections only or all members visibility
• Customize settings by relationship or group if desired
• Toggle viewer notifications on or off as needed
• Review settings periodically to ensure they are still appropriate

With the right profile visibility settings, you can showcase your professional brand effectively on LinkedIn. So be strategic about who can view your profile and how you are notified when people check you out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hide my profile from specific people?

Yes, LinkedIn allows you to block specific members from viewing your profile. Simply go to their profile, click the “More” button and choose “Block”. This will prevent them from viewing your full profile.

Does changing my settings only affect future profile views?

No, changing your visibility settings will affect the access of all LinkedIn members going forward, even those who may have already viewed your profile in the past.

What’s the difference between public profile and full profile visibility?

Your public profile only displays very basic info like your name, headline and current position. Your full profile includes all details in your profile like employment history, education, skills, accomplishments etc.

Can I see who has viewed my profile?

LinkedIn’s premium accounts include the ability to see expanded profile viewer information, such as who has viewed your profile in the last 90 days. With a free account, you can only see the total profile view count.

Conclusion

Your LinkedIn profile is an important personal branding and networking tool. Control access to it by carefully selecting your profile viewing options. Choose the right level of visibility for your needs, customize as needed, and manage viewer notifications. With the right settings, you can present yourself professionally and connect with the right people.