Quick Answer
There are a few ways you can stop LinkedIn from showing you viewed someone’s profile:
- Turn on private mode in your account settings. This will stop LinkedIn from tracking your profile views.
- Unlike or disconnect from the person whose profile you viewed. LinkedIn won’t show them you viewed their profile if you are not connected.
- Upgrade to a premium account. Premium accounts have the option to turn profile view notifications on or off.
The only way to completely stop LinkedIn from tracking your profile views is to enable private mode or disconnect from the person. Premium accounts can only turn off notifications, but the views are still tracked.
Turning On Private Mode
The simplest way to stop LinkedIn from showing your profile views is to enable private mode. Here are the steps:
- Go to your account settings page by clicking on the “Me” icon at the top of LinkedIn and selecting “Settings & Privacy”.
- Under the “Privacy” section, toggle “Private mode” to the on position.
- Save your settings.
With private mode enabled, LinkedIn will stop tracking your profile views and showing them to others. The downside is you also won’t be able to see who viewed your own profile.
Private mode is available for free to all LinkedIn members. It provides the most straightforward way to browse anonymously and stop your views from being tracked.
Unconnecting From the Profile You Viewed
If you don’t want to turn on private mode for your whole account, another option is to disconnect from the person whose profile you viewed. Here’s how it works:
- Go to the profile page of the person you no longer want to connect with.
- Click on the “More” button near the top right of their profile.
- Select “Unfollow or Unconnect”.
- Choose to disconnect from the person.
Once you disconnect from someone, LinkedIn will no longer inform them when you view their profile. This is because LinkedIn only shows profile views between connected members.
The disadvantage of this method is you need to manually disconnect from each person whose views you want to hide. It can be time consuming if you looked at many profiles. But it lets you keep public mode enabled while selectively hiding views.
Upgrading to a Premium Account
The only way to keep LinkedIn from tracking your profile views, while still staying connected to people and having a public profile, is to upgrade to a premium account.
Premium accounts have access to a setting called “Profile viewing options”. Here are the steps to adjust this setting:
- Upgrade to any premium account level (Premium Career, Premium Business, Sales Navigator, etc).
- Go to the account settings page.
- Under “Privacy”, click on “Profile viewing options”.
- Toggle “Let others know when you’ve viewed their profile” to the off position.
- Save your settings.
With this setting disabled, LinkedIn will continue tracking your own profile views for analytics, but will stop informing other people when you look at their profiles.
The main drawback of this approach is it requires a paid premium account. LinkedIn’s cheapest option, Premium Career, costs $29.99 per month for this added privacy benefit.
Does Browsing in Incognito Mode Work?
When you view LinkedIn profiles in an incognito or private browser window, does that prevent tracking?
Unfortunately, no. LinkedIn still logs those profile views to your account and shows them to others.
Incognito or private browsing only hides your browsing history locally on your device. It does not stop LinkedIn from tracking the activity on their servers.
The only way to browse LinkedIn completely anonymously is by fully enabling private mode in your account settings. Incognito gives you limited local privacy, but does not stop remote tracking or information sharing.
Should You Disable Profile View Notifications?
For many LinkedIn users, the choice comes down to this – should you disable notifications that show when you’ve viewed someone’s profile? Here are some pros and cons to consider:
Pros of Disabling View Notifications
- You can browse more freely without worrying about others seeing your activity.
- Frequently viewing someone’s profile doesn’t alert them to your interest.
- You avoid embarrassing situations where you accidentally view someone’s profile.
- Your complete browsing history remains private.
Cons of Disabling View Notifications
- It becomes harder to tell when someone influential views your own profile.
- You lose out on relationship-building opportunities by hiding your interest.
- Reciprocal profile viewing can no longer lead to new connections.
- Premium account required if you still want public profile and full browsing access.
There are valid reasons on both sides. You need to evaluate whether you browse LinkedIn more for anonymous research or for actively connecting with new people. Your usage patterns should dictate your settings.
Conclusion
LinkedIn provides profile view tracking and notifications as a way to facilitate networking and relationship-building between members. However, this level of visibility is not always desirable.
If you want to browse LinkedIn privately without others seeing your activity, the clearest options are:
- Enable private mode in your account settings.
- Disconnect from people individually after viewing their profiles.
- Upgrade to a premium account and disable view notifications.
Incognito browsing alone is not enough to hide your profile viewing from LinkedIn’s tracking. Consider your personal preferences and networking goals to decide if you should disable LinkedIn’s view notifications. With the right settings, you can tailor the visibility to meet your needs.
Method | Stops Tracking Views | Downside |
---|---|---|
Private Mode | Yes | Can’t see your own viewers |
Unconnect | Partially | Time consuming |
Premium Account | No | Paid monthly cost |
Incognito Browsing | No | No benefit for privacy |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off notifications also stop the tracking?
No, disabling notifications in premium accounts stops others from being notified of your views, but does not stop LinkedIn from tracking your profile viewing activity. Only private mode prevents tracking.
Can I selectively hide my views from certain connections?
LinkedIn does not have settings to hide your views from some connections while leaving them visible to others. The options are all or nothing visibility.
Is there a way to remove specific views I don’t want others to see?
Currently there is no way to delete specific profile views from your LinkedIn history. Once tracked, the views remain visible to your connections.
Does private mode also hide my profile views from recruiters?
Yes, enabling private mode hides your LinkedIn activity from everyone – connections, recruiters, and premium account holders. No one can see your private mode profile views.
If I disable notifications, can I still tell when someone views my profile?
Yes, even with notifications off you can still see who viewed your own profile. Premium accounts keep this ability while hiding views outward to others.
Summary
– Use private mode to prevent LinkedIn tracking profile views entirely.
– Disconnect from people or disable notifications to selectively hide views.
– Incognito browsing does not stop remote view tracking by LinkedIn.
– Evaluate tradeoffs between privacy and relationship-building when choosing settings.
– Tailor visibility based on your personal LinkedIn browsing preferences.
Final Thoughts
LinkedIn profile views can feel like a popularity contest, pressuring you to analyze your connections and treat views as a valuable metric. But don’t forget the purpose of networking is quality, not quantity. Focus on building authentic relationships that advance your career.
Profile settings that increase privacy can actually improve connections by reducing shallow view-based judgments. Instead of fixating on vanity metrics, spend time crafting content and messaging that resonates with your goals.
Approach networking as a chance for meaningful impact, not a high score competition. With the right mindset, any privacy settings can help you connect with purpose.