How many connections can I send per day on LinkedIn?

Quick Answer

On LinkedIn, free account holders can send up to 30 connection requests per day, while paid Premium account holders can send up to 150 connection requests per day. The daily limits reset at 12am Pacific Time each day. If you try to send more requests than your daily limit, you will get an error message telling you that you’ve reached the limit. Sending too many requests in a short period of time can also trigger a temporary limitation on your account.

Explanation of the Daily Connection Request Limits

LinkedIn limits the number of connection requests members can send each day as an anti-spam measure. Here are the specifics on the daily limits:

• Free account holders: Can send up to 30 connection requests per day
• Premium Business, Sales Navigator Team, Recruiter Lite, and Premium Career account holders: Can send up to 150 connection requests per day
• Recruiter, Educator, Business Plus, and Sales Navigator Professional account holders: Can send up to 250 connection requests per day
• The limits reset at 12am Pacific Time each day
• If you hit the limit, you’ll see an error message saying “Daily Limit Exceeded” when trying to send more requests
• Trying to circumvent the limits by creating multiple accounts or spamming requests may lead to restrictions on your account(s)

These limits are in place to prevent spammy behavior and ensure LinkedIn members have a quality experience on the platform. LinkedIn wants to make sure connection requests lead to meaningful conversations and relationships between professionals.

What Happens When You Hit the Limit?

If you try to send a connection request after reaching your daily limit, you will see an error message near the top of the page that says “Daily Limit Exceeded.” You will not be able to send any further requests that day.

Here is an example of the error message you will receive:

Where it says “{0} of {1} connections,” the {0} will show how many requests you’ve sent so far that day, and {1} will show your daily limit (either 30 or 150).

You will need to wait until 12am Pacific Time for your limit to reset before you can send more requests. At that time, you will be able to connect with up to your daily limit again.

What Triggers the “You’re Temporarily Restricted” Error?

In some cases, if you send a very large number of requests in a short period of time, you may trigger an error message stating “You’re Temporarily Restricted.” This is LinkedIn’s way of throttling your activity to prevent spammy behavior.

Here is an example of the “Temporarily Restricted” error:

This restriction is typically triggered if you send something like 200+ requests within an hour, or over 1,000 requests within a day, even if you haven’t reached your official daily limit.

The exact thresholds that trigger the temporary restriction are not publicly known. The amount of activity and the timeframe LinkedIn deems as suspicious is determined by their spam prevention algorithms.

If you get the temporarily restricted error, you will be blocked from sending further requests or carrying out some other actions on LinkedIn for a period of time. This is usually 24-48 hours.

The restriction is designed to curb spam and abuse of LinkedIn’s connection features. Once the time period passes, your account should go back to normal.

Tips to Avoid Hitting LinkedIn’s Limits

Here are some tips to make sure you don’t hit LinkedIn’s daily connection request limits:

• Carefully pace yourself by spreading out requests over days/weeks rather than sending batches
• Use LinkedIn’s search tools to find relevant profiles rather than blindly connecting
• Personalize connection requests with a note so they’re less likely to be perceived as spam
• Focus on building genuine relationships, not just amassing connections
• Upgrade to a premium account like Sales Navigator if you need to send more requests

Building connections thoughtfully and intentionally is better than trying to connect with as many people as possible in a short period of time. LinkedIn wants to maintain trust and prevent misuse of their platform.

Can You Increase Your Daily Limit?

As mentioned previously, one way to increase your daily connection request limit is to upgrade to a premium paid account on LinkedIn.

Here is a table summarizing the increased limits for different paid account types:

As you can see, premium account holders get 5-8x higher daily limits compared to free members.

The other option that can increase your limit is getting “Administrator Approved Requester” status. This is LinkedIn’s whitelisting program for accounts needing to send large volumes of requests for legitimate purposes.

You have to apply for admin approval and LinkedIn will review your request history, account status, and reason for needing more connections. If approved, your limit can be increased, though the exact amount varies case by case.

Getting admin approved requester status is difficult and not guaranteed. So for most people, upgrading to a premium account is the better option if you want a higher limit.

How to Check How Many Requests You Have Left

There are a couple ways to check how many connection requests you have remaining for the day:

1. Try to Send a Request

When you attempt to send a connection request, the error message if you’ve hit the limit will show how many you’ve sent so far out of your daily maximum.

For example, if you have a free account and the message says “30 of 30 connections,” you know you’ve reached 30 and have 0 left for the day.

2. Visit Your “My Network” Page

Your “My Network” page shows a counter of how many requests you’ve sent in the past 90 days. You can use this to roughly estimate how many you might have left for the day.

For instance, if it shows you’ve sent 28 requests this period, you’re probably close to or at your 30 limit.

The My Network method doesn’t show your exact daily number remaining, but can give you a sense of where you stand.

What Happens if You Go Over the Limit?

If you somehow find a way to circumvent LinkedIn’s limits and send more requests than allowed, here are some potential consequences:

• Any requests over the limit will fail and be rejected
• You may trigger the “Temporarily Restricted” anti-spam restriction
• If done intentionally and excessively, LinkedIn may ban your account
• Recipient users may get annoyed by what they perceive as spam
• You may get a reputation for spammy behavior

In short, nothing good comes from trying to get around LinkedIn’s limits. It’s best to stick within the rules and focus on building authentic, trust-based connections. Mass spamming does not lead to real networking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does LinkedIn limit connection requests?

LinkedIn limits connection requests to prevent spam, maintain trust in the platform, and ensure users have a positive experience. The limits protect the quality of connections and conversations.

How do I know if I’m reaching the limit?

You’ll get the “Daily Limit Exceeded” error message when trying to send a request over the limit. You can also check your “My Network” page to see your 90-day request total.

What happens if I go over the limit?

Any requests over the limit will fail. You may also get temporarily restricted or banned for intentionally exceeding limits.

How long does it take for my limit to reset?

The daily connection request limit resets precisely at 12am Pacific Time each day.

Can I increase my limit without upgrading to premium?

You can apply for “Administrator Approved Requester” status, but approval is difficult and not guaranteed. For most people upgrading is the only way.

Conclusion

LinkedIn limits free accounts to 30 connection requests per day and premium accounts up to 250 per day as an anti-spam measure. Exceeding your limits leads to failed requests and potential account restrictions. Upgrade to premium, space out requests, and focus on quality over quantity when networking to avoid hitting the caps. Use LinkedIn’s limits as an opportunity to build meaningful relationships, not just amass connections.