LinkedIn allows you to read messages in your inbox without automatically sending a read receipt to the sender. This gives you more control over when the sender is notified that you’ve seen their message.
Turn Off Read Receipts in Your LinkedIn Account Settings
The easiest way to read LinkedIn messages without sending read receipts is to disable read receipts in your account settings:
- Click on the “Me” icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage and select “Settings & Privacy” from the dropdown menu.
- In the left sidebar, click on “Communications.”
- Under “Messages,” uncheck the box next to “Send read receipts.”
- Scroll down and click “Save.”
This will prevent read receipts from being sent for any new messages you receive. The sender will not know if or when you’ve read their message.
Preview Messages Without Opening Them
You can also preview incoming LinkedIn messages without technically opening them and triggering a read receipt:
- Hover over the message in your inbox. A preview window will pop up showing the first few lines of text.
- Quickly scan the preview to get an idea of what the message says without fully opening it.
This technique allows you to triage your inbox and decide which messages are worth responding to right away. For less urgent ones, you can leave them marked as unread until you have time to deal with them.
Use Anonymous Mode to Read Messages
LinkedIn’s anonymous mode lets you view profiles and messages without revealing your identity to the other user. To use it:
- Click your profile image in the top right corner.
- Select “View As Anonymous” to activate anonymous mode.
- You can now open messages in your inbox without the sender being notified.
- Your name and photo will be hidden from the sender if you reply while in anonymous mode.
- To turn anonymous mode off, click “Stop Viewing As Anonymous.”
The downside to this method is that you cannot reply to messages while anonymous without revealing your identity. But it allows you to quietly read and screen messages.
Use a Private or Incognito Browsing Session
Most web browsers give you the option to browse in private or incognito mode. This prevents LinkedIn from associating your reading activity with your account.
To use private browsing:
- Open a new incognito/private window in your browser.
- Go to LinkedIn and log into your account.
- LinkedIn will not be able to document your activity in this window.
- You can view and read messages without triggering read receipts.
- Close the private window when done without saving history or cookies.
The limitation here is that you won’t be able to reply to any messages without switching back to a regular browsing session.
Install a Read Receipt Blocker
There are various browser extensions and apps available that are designed to block read receipts across multiple platforms including LinkedIn. Examples include:
- NoReadReceipts for Chrome
- ReadReceipt for Firefox
- Unseen for iOS/Android
These tools work by blocking or masking the requests that trigger read receipts when you open messages. Install one appropriate for your browser or device, and it will disable read receipts automatically.
Use an Alternate LinkedIn Account
If you have multiple LinkedIn accounts, you can sign into an alternate one to view messages anonymously:
- Sign out of your main LinkedIn account.
- Sign in to a secondary or alternate account.
- You can now read messages sent to your main account without revealing you’ve seen them.
While inconvenient, this ensures the sender is completely unaware you’ve read their message. Just don’t accidentally reply from the wrong account!
Temporarily Disable LinkedIn Notifications
The LinkedIn mobile app can automatically notify someone when you’ve read their message based on when you view the notification.
To prevent this:
- Go to your device notification settings for the LinkedIn app.
- Disable notifications temporarily.
- Open the LinkedIn app and view messages normally.
- Re-enable notifications when you’re done.
Without notifications, the mobile app won’t clue the sender in on when you’ve seen their message.
Delayed Responses to Avoid Signaling You’ve Read the Message
Rather than replying immediately after reading a message, you can strategically delay your response by a few hours or days. This avoids signaling to the sender that you’ve seen their message right away.
Simply wait until an appropriate amount of time has passed before replying. However, be careful not to delay too long or the sender may think you’re ignoring them.
Politely Ask the Sender to Disable Read Receipts
If a particular sender has read receipts enabled, you can politely ask them to disable read receipts when messaging you in the future. Many users are happy to oblige requests like this.
Send them a message saying something like:
“Hi there, I wanted to let you know that I prefer not to send or receive read receipts on LinkedIn. Would you mind disabling them on your account when you message me? I would really appreciate it. Thank you!”
As long as you ask nicely, most senders will respect your preferences and turn off read receipts when messaging you specifically.
Why Disable LinkedIn Read Receipts?
There are a few reasons why you may want to disable read receipts on LinkedIn:
- Avoid looking rude – Being able to see someone read your message but not respond quickly can come across negatively.
- Reduce pressure to respond – Read receipts can create pressure to reply immediately even if you’re busy.
- Improve inbox triage – Preview messages first before sending receipts and cluttering your inbox.
- Stay discreet – Read receipts reveal more information than you may want to share.
The techniques in this guide give you more control over your LinkedIn messaging experience. Disable read receipts to manage conversations on your own terms.
Other LinkedIn Message Tips
In addition to disabling read receipts, some other tips can help you master LinkedIn messaging:
- Personalize messages – Avoid generic greetings and make messages specific to the recipient.
- Ask smart questions – Give the recipient an easy starting point to continue the conversation.
- Follow up thoughtfully – If you don’t get a response, follow up politely without badgering.
- Watch your tone – Be positive and professional even in difficult conversations.
- Proofread carefully – Check for typos, grammar issues, and unclear phrasing.
Messaging is an important way to build relationships on LinkedIn. By disabling read receipts and messaging strategically, you can have more effective conversations.
We hope this guide gives you the knowledge to take control of your LinkedIn messaging experience. Happy connecting!