How do I hide when I search for someone on LinkedIn?

There are a few ways you can hide your profile when searching for someone on LinkedIn. LinkedIn gives you control over your privacy settings and who can see your profile. Here are some tips to stay anonymous and hide your profile while searching on LinkedIn:

Make Your Profile Private

The easiest way to hide your profile from other LinkedIn members is to make your profile private. Go to your LinkedIn account settings and under Privacy, select your preferred privacy level. Choose the “Private” option – this will make your profile invisible in LinkedIn search results. Only your 1st-degree connections will be able to see your full profile.

Use LinkedIn Anonymous Viewing

LinkedIn has an anonymous browsing feature that allows you to search profiles without revealing your own identity. When enabled, your name and photo will not show up when you look at other profiles.

To use anonymous browsing:

1. Click on “Me” at the top of your LinkedIn homepage
2. Select “View profile anonymously”
3. Toggle anonymous viewing on

Your profile will now be hidden as you search and click on other people’s profiles. Disable anonymous browsing to show your profile again.

Remove Your Photo

Another way to be less visible is to remove your profile photo. Without a photo, it’s harder for others to identify you. Go to your profile and delete your profile picture to appear anonymous.

Use LinkedIn’s Private Mode

LinkedIn’s private mode allows you to be completely invisible while viewing other profiles. When turned on, your name, photo and any other personal information will not be displayed.

To use private mode:

1. Click your profile image
2. Select “Private mode”

This will hide your identity until you turn private mode off again. Anything you do on LinkedIn during this time will remain private.

Block Specific Connections

If you only want to hide your profile from certain connections, you can block them from seeing your profile. Go to your connections list and select the options next to the person you want to block. Choose “block” to remove yourself from their view.

Blocking is mutual – by blocking someone, you also remove their access to viewing your profile. Use this to prevent specific people from searching you on LinkedIn.

Adjust Your Public Profile Settings

Limit what the public can see on your profile to remain more private while searching LinkedIn. Go to your profile settings and adjust the following:

• Select “Your connections” for the “Who can see your connections” setting
• Choose “Only you” for the “Who can follow you” setting
• Set your industry, location, and other info to be visible only to your connections

This will give the public a minimal view of your profile while searching LinkedIn.

Use an Alternate LinkedIn Account

Create a secondary LinkedIn account to search anonymously. Use this account when you don’t want your main profile to be visible. Ensure this alternate account does not contain any identifiable information about you.

Log out of your main profile before using your anonymous LinkedIn account for searching. This will prevent your real identity from being revealed.

Appear Offline

LinkedIn has an “appear offline” setting under privacy that prevents others from seeing when you’re online. Being online can reveal your activity on LinkedIn.

To appear offline:

1. Go to your LinkedIn account settings
2. Under Privacy, select “Turn on/off appearing offline”
3. Toggle “Appear offline” on

This will show you as offline at all times when you are logged in. Others will be unaware when you are actively using LinkedIn.

Use Incognito or Private Browsing

Your web browser’s incognito or private browsing mode doesn’t record your browsing history or login information. Searching LinkedIn in a private window will prevent your account from being associated with the activity.

Follow these steps to browse privately:

1. Open an incognito/private window in your browser
2. Go to LinkedIn and search without logging in to your account
3. Once finished, close the private window

There will be no record of your private browsing session tied to your account.

Limit Profile Visibility to 2nd-Degree Connections

By default, LinkedIn allows 3rd-degree connections to see your profile. Reduce this to 2nd-degree connections for more privacy.

Here’s how to change this setting:

1. Go to your account Privacy settings
2. Under Profile viewing options, select “Your 2nd-degree connections”

This will remove visibility from the friends of your connections. Only you, 1st-degree, and 2nd-degree connections will be able to view your full profile while searching LinkedIn.

Customize Visibility by Segment

For precise control, you can customize which LinkedIn groups can view your profile while searching. Go to your account Privacy settings. Under customizing visibility by segment, choose which levels of connections, companies, and groups can see your profile.

Uncheck any groups or connections you want to hide from. This grants you granular control over who can see your profile as you search LinkedIn.

Use a Private or Incognito Window on Mobile

On iOS or Android devices, use a private or incognito window in your mobile browser to remain anonymous on LinkedIn:

• iOS: Open Safari and enable Private Browsing
• Android: Open Chrome and turn on Incognito Mode

Search LinkedIn logged out or disconnected from your account. Close the private window when finished to remove browsing records.

Disable Profile Badging

LinkedIn displays badges on your profile photo indicating you viewed someone’s profile. Turn off profile badging to avoid detection.

On desktop:

1. Go to your Privacy & Settings
2. Uncheck “Show my badges on my profile”

On mobile:

1. Go to your profile
2. Tap the settings icon
3. Toggle off Badges

With badging disabled, your profile views will remain private as you search LinkedIn.

Use an Anonymous LinkedIn Viewer

Some websites allow you to view LinkedIn profiles anonymously using a proxy service. These sites fetch and display the target profile so your account isn’t revealed.

Examples include Anonymous LinkedIn Viewer, SeeLinkedIn, and ViewLinkedInAnonymously. Use at your own discretion as some tools may violate LinkedIn’s terms of service.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does private browsing on LinkedIn prevent others from seeing my profile?

Yes, using LinkedIn’s private browsing option prevents your name, photo, and account details from being displayed when viewing other profiles. This hides your account activity from other members.

Can I tell if someone used anonymous browsing to view my profile?

No, LinkedIn does not show anonymous profile views in your viewer history. There is no way to detect if someone used anonymous browsing to view your profile.

Does blocking remove my profile from their search results?

Yes, blocking someone on LinkedIn removes your profile from appearing in their search results. It prevents them from accessing or viewing your profile in any way.

Can I tell if someone has blocked me on LinkedIn?

No, you cannot explicitly tell if another member has blocked you on LinkedIn. However, you may notice your profile access has been restricted or removed for a particular connection. This likely indicates they have blocked you.

Is having a private profile the best way to stay anonymous?

Making your LinkedIn profile private is the simplest approach for staying anonymous while searching. It removes your visibility in LinkedIn search and restricts access to your profile. Other privacy settings can enhance anonymity further.

Conclusion

LinkedIn provides many options for controlling your visibility and hiding your profile when searching. Key settings include private mode, anonymous browsing, profile privacy, blocking connections, and appearing offline. Third-party anonymous viewers can also obscure your activity.

Carefully manage your privacy configurations and browsing habits to remain anonymous. However, avoid tools that violate LinkedIn’s policies. With the proper precautions, you can search LinkedIn privately without revealing your own identity.