LinkedIn’s private mode allows users to browse LinkedIn without alerting their network that they have viewed content. When private mode is enabled, your name and photo will not show up to other users in the “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” section. Many LinkedIn users wonder whether enabling private mode removes your prior profile views or if it only applies going forward. Here is a look at how LinkedIn’s private mode works.
Does turning on private mode remove past profile views?
No, enabling private mode on LinkedIn does not retroactively remove profile views you made before turning on private mode. The setting only applies to profile views made while private mode is enabled.
So if you browse a bunch of profiles over the past few days with private mode off, then decide to turn on private mode, those earlier views will still be visible to others. Your name will show up in the “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” section for those past profiles.
Once private mode is turned on, profile views going forward will not be shown. But there is no way to retroactively remove past views that were made with private mode disabled.
Why doesn’t private mode work retroactively?
LinkedIn designed private mode to only work prospectively and not retrospectively for a few likely reasons:
- Engineering complexity – It would require significant engineering work to retroactively scrub past profile views from LinkedIn’s logs and databases. This would be technically challenging at LinkedIn’s massive scale.
- User experience – Removing past profile views could create a confusing experience if someone previously saw your name in their viewers list and then it disappeared.
- Potential for abuse – Bad actors could take advantage of retroactive private mode to view profiles and then erase their tracks which reduces accountability.
By only applying private mode on a go-forward basis, LinkedIn avoids these issues while still providing users with more control over their privacy.
How to enable private mode
If you want to browse LinkedIn privately moving forward, here are simple steps to turn on private mode:
- Open the LinkedIn mobile app (iOS or Android) and tap your profile picture.
- Select “Settings & Privacy”.
- Choose “Privacy settings”.
- Toggle “Private mode” to the on position.
On the LinkedIn website:
- Click your profile picture at the top right.
- Click “Settings & Privacy”.
- Select “Privacy”.
- Check the box for “Turn on private mode”.
Once enabled, private mode will remain on for all your future LinkedIn browsing sessions across mobile and web until you manually turn it off.
What private mode does NOT do
While private mode limits visibility of your profile views, there are some things it does NOT do:
- Remove past profile views
- Prevent ads from being customized based on your browsing
- Stop LinkedIn from collecting data about your browsing behavior
- Enable completely anonymous browsing – your account identity is still logged
- Prevent people from seeing you viewed their shared content
So private mode provides some additional privacy, but does not make your browsing completely private or anonymous across LinkedIn.
Pro tips for using private mode
To get the most privacy benefit from LinkedIn’s private mode, keep these tips in mind:
- Turn it on before browsing profiles you want to view privately
- Leave it on at all times if you want maximum privacy
- Use an anonymous / secondary account if you want to browse completely anonymously
- Avoid viewing shared posts and content if you don’t want the creator to know
- Remember it only applies to future browsing, not past views
Is private mode enough?
For many LinkedIn users, private mode provides a “good enough” level of privacy while browsing. It prevents networking contacts from seeing your name pop up when you view their profile.
However, for users who desire complete anonymity or privacy while browsing, private mode does not go far enough. As mentioned above, it limits visibility of profile views but does not make your browsing untraceable.
Users who want to be completely anonymous are better off using a secondary LinkedIn account or anonymous browsing tools. Of course, this means sacrificing the personalization and functionality of your main LinkedIn profile.
Conclusion
LinkedIn’s private mode allows for more discreet browsing by preventing your name from showing up as a profile viewer to others. But the setting does not retroactively remove past profile views. It only hides your identity for views that occur after private mode is enabled.
While private mode provides some benefits, it does not make browsing completely anonymous or hidden from LinkedIn itself. Users who desire full privacy are better off utilizing secondary accounts or external tools.
Knowing how LinkedIn private mode works allows you to have proper expectations about the privacy protections it offers. Use the setting wisely as one component of managing your professional presence and visibility.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Does private mode remove past profile views? | No, it only applies to future views |
| Why doesn’t it work retroactively? | Engineering complexity, user experience, abuse potential |
| How do you turn on private mode? | In app settings or website settings |
| What are limitations of private mode? | Ads, data collection, not fully anonymous |
Key Takeaways
- Private mode only applies to future profile views, not past views
- It prevents your name from showing to others in “Who’s Viewed”
- Private mode does not enable completely anonymous browsing
- Secondary accounts or tools needed for full privacy
- Provides some benefits but not complete secrecy
In summary, LinkedIn private mode is a useful tool to limit visibility of your browsing behavior and give you more privacy. But it is not a retroactive tool, nor does it guarantee full anonymity. Understanding its capabilities allows you to manage privacy and professional connections on LinkedIn.
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