Viewing someone’s LinkedIn profile picture without them being notified or knowing can be useful in certain situations. For example, you may want to see what someone looks like before meeting them in person, or check that they are who they say they are. However, LinkedIn’s default settings notify members when their profile has been viewed. So how can you view a LinkedIn profile picture without the person knowing? There are a few clever tricks and workarounds that allow you to view LinkedIn pictures anonymously.
Why Would You Want to View a LinkedIn Photo Without Them Knowing?
Here are some common reasons why someone may want to view a LinkedIn profile photo without the account holder being notified:
– To see what someone looks like before meeting them in person – For example, if you are connecting for a job interview or business meeting, you may want to recognize the person when you meet them face-to-face. Viewing their profile picture can help with this.
– To verify someone’s identity – If you are connecting with someone you met online, you may want to compare their LinkedIn photo to other pictures they have sent you to confirm it is the same person.
– Professional curiosity – If you come across an interesting connection or are researching a certain industry, you may want to browse LinkedIn profiles and photos without constantly notifying people.
– Privacy concerns – Some people prefer to browse anonymously and don’t want to notify every person whose profile they have viewed.
– To avoid awkwardness – If you are viewing the profile of someone you know socially, you may not want them to know you checked out their LinkedIn profile.
– Recruitment research – Recruiters and HR professionals may want to evaluate candidates without tipping them off during the screening process.
So in summary, there are many valid reasons for viewing a LinkedIn profile discreetly without the account holder knowing. The ability to maintain some anonymity on social platforms is important for privacy and practicality.
How LinkedIn Notifies Users of Profile Views
First, it helps to understand how LinkedIn currently handles profile viewing and notifications. This forms the basis for the solutions.
When you view another user’s profile on LinkedIn, by default they will receive an email notification informing them that you viewed their profile. The email details the date and time you looked at the profile, and includes your name and profile photo.
LinkedIn also has a section called “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” under the My Network tab. This shows users the last 90 days of view activity on their profile, including the viewer’s name, location, company, profile photo, and more.
Some other key points about LinkedIn’s notifications:
– They are on by default for all members – users must opt out manually.
– You can only view the last 90 days of activity. Older profile views disappear from the record.
– LinkedIn doesn’t notify users every single time their profile is viewed – it batches notifications into a single email.
– There are no limits on how many times you can view a profile and trigger notifications.
– Some LinkedIn accounts have viewing restrictions that block profile views unless you are directly connected.
So in summary, LinkedIn provides the account holder with fairly comprehensive visibility into who is looking at their profile. The default experience emphasizes transparency and openness.
How to View a LinkedIn Profile Picture Without Notifying the User
Here are 7 clever tricks for viewing LinkedIn profile photos anonymously without the account holder knowing:
1. Adjust Your LinkedIn Account Settings
The easiest option is to change your own LinkedIn settings to browse in “anonymous mode”. You can toggle off profile viewing notifications:
– Go to your Account settings -> Privacy -> Select “Anonymous profile viewing”
This will ensure when you look at LinkedIn profiles, the account holder won’t be notified via email or see you listed as a profile viewer. Keep in mind that this is your default setting on LinkedIn, so you will browse all profiles anonymously.
2. Use LinkedIn’s Mobile App
LinkedIn’s mobile app allows more discreet browsing than the desktop version. When using the mobile app:
– Profile views are not shown to account holders in real-time. They appear on a delayed basis.
– You can view profiles outside your network without triggering a notification.
– Your profile views may display as an anonymous “Member” rather than your name.
So essentially the mobile app allows more anonymous browsing, especially if you are looking at profiles beyond your 1st degree network. Just don’t get connected with the person, as that defeats the purpose.
3. View Profiles Incorrectly
An unexpected trick – view profiles intentionally the wrong way:
– Misspell their name when searching, so you view the wrong profile.
– Alter letters in the URL of their LinkedIn profile URL in the address bar.
Since you are not actually viewing the correct profile, it will not trigger a notification to the intended person. You can then navigate to the correct profile without them knowing. This takes more work but can be effective.
4. Use an Anonymous LinkedIn Viewer Service
Some websites offer anonymous LinkedIn profile viewing services. Examples include:
– www.anonymouslink.io
– www.peekyou.com
These sites connect to the LinkedIn API and allow you to enter a LinkedIn URL to anonymously view public profiles. The profile owner will not know their profile was viewed.
Keep in mind these services can access any public profiles – use ethically. Also be aware LinkedIn may limit or block the sites if abused.
5. View Profiles in Private/Incognito Mode
Most web browsers have a private or incognito browsing mode:
– Chrome: Click the 3 vertical dots -> New incognito window
– Firefox: Click the 3 horizontal lines -> New Private Window
– Safari: File -> New Private Window
When using this mode, the sites you visit don’t record your browsing activity and cookies are not stored. LinkedIn cannot associate the profile viewing with your account. Open a private window, view the desired profile, close the window.
6. Use a Second LinkedIn Account
Create a second disposable LinkedIn account to anonymously view profiles. Make sure to:
– Don’t connect to the person with the second account.
– Avoid listing an identifiable job or adding connections.
– Sign out completely after using – don’t remain logged in.
Any profile views or notifications will be associated with the secondary account, not yourself. This also lets you toggle viewing notifications on/off for specific snooping vs general use.
7. Temporarily Disconnect on LinkedIn
If you are currently connected on LinkedIn, temporarily disconnect from the person:
– Go to your connections list -> Remove connection (do not block completely).
– View the desired profile anonymously.
– Reconnect with the person to add them back to your network.
Since you unlinked the connection, LinkedIn will not associate you with viewing their profile during that time.
Other Considerations
A few other things to keep in mind when wanting to view LinkedIn profiles anonymously:
– The 90 day profile viewing window means your views will eventually disappear from their history. You can also check back to see when yours drops off.
– Consider the ethics – transparent browsing is LinkedIn’s default for a reason. Snooping could violate someone’s reasonable privacy expectations.
– Prevent reciprocal snooping by adjusting your settings to opt out of seeing who views your profile.
– Is anonymous browsing needed at all? Most LinkedIn users won’t think twice about a view notification. They happen all the time organically.
– For true anonymity, block all cookies from LinkedIn in your browser settings while browsing.
– Use common sense – excessive profile views will attract attention and negate the point of being anonymous.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn is designed for open and transparent networking, there are still several options for viewing member profiles more discreetly and anonymously. Adjusting your account settings is the simplest approach. Using LinkedIn’s mobile app also allows more low key browsing. Clever workarounds like private browsing modes and disposable accounts can also get the job done. Just be wise in your use of anonymous viewing – some privacy is reasonable but excessive snooping can cross ethical lines. Know the difference between discreet viewing and sneaky spying.