As a professional networking platform used by over 722 million members worldwide, LinkedIn allows users to connect with other professionals in their industry or location. However, to prevent spam and ensure quality connections, LinkedIn does limit the number of connections members can send or accept per day. Understanding these daily connection limits can help you effectively grow your LinkedIn network without running into restrictions.
LinkedIn’s Default Connection Limits
By default, LinkedIn allows free members to send up to 30 connection requests per day. If you have a premium Business or Sales Navigator account, you can send up to 90 per day. On the receiving end, all members can accept up to 200 incoming connection requests daily. These limits reset at midnight Pacific Time each day.
LinkedIn established these daily caps to maintain the integrity of connections. They want to make sure members are sending requests thoughtfully rather than spamming thousands of people per day. The limits also prevent you from getting bombarded with an overwhelming number of requests.
Strategies for Staying Within the Limits
Here are some tips for working within LinkedIn’s daily connection caps:
- Only connect with people you know or would like to get to know. Avoid sending random invites.
- Personalize your connection requests with a note reminding them who you are.
- Focus on quality over quantity – 30 meaningful connections per day is better than the max of 200 random ones.
- Tap into your existing network first before expanding further.
- Use advanced search filters to find the right people to connect with.
- Upgrade to a premium account if you need to send more than 30 requests per day.
Taking the time to selectively choose who you connect with will ensure you stay under the limits. Sending thoughtful, targeted requests also increases the chance they will be accepted.
What Happens If You Exceed the Limits
If you do happen to go over the daily caps, here is what will occur:
- Any requests over the limit will be blocked from sending.
- You may not be able to send additional requests for the next 1-3 days.
- LinkedIn may ask you to verify your account via email or phone.
- In severe cases, your account could get restricted or banned for spam-like behavior.
The restrictions are essentially a “time out” period to prevent misuse. As long as you don’t make a habit of exceeding the thresholds, you should be able to regain full functionality after a short waiting period.
How to Check Your Daily Limits
LinkedIn makes it easy to track how many requests you have remaining for the day. Here’s how to find your connection limit status:
- Go to your LinkedIn homepage and click “My Network” at the top.
- On the left sidebar menu, click “Manage my network.”
- Under the “Relationship management” section, you will see:
- “Invitations you can send” showing your remaining count out of 30.
- “Invitations you can receive” showing remaining count out of 200.
The counters will reset to the full amounts at midnight Pacific Time. You can check here anytime to see how many requests you have left to send or accept that day.
How to Increase Your Daily Limits
If you need to exceed the default connection limits, LinkedIn does provide a few options:
Upgrade to Premium
Upgrading to a Premium Business or Sales Navigator account allows up to 90 connection requests per day, triple the free limit. Premium accounts start at $29.99 per month. This is best for active recruiters or sales professionals who need high volume outreach.
Use Connected Mobile App
LinkedIn’s free Connected mobile app has daily limits of up to 100 connection requests and accepts. So using the mobile app allows higher volumes than the website.
Request Limit Increase
You can submit a request to LinkedIn to have your daily connection limits increased. They will review your account status and may approve a higher limit if you have a legitimate need and have not abused connections in the past.
Other LinkedIn Connection Limits
Beyond the daily request caps, LinkedIn does enforce some other limits on overall connections:
Total Connections
| Account Type | Max Connections |
|---|---|
| Free Account | 30,000 |
| Premium Business | 25,000 |
| Premium Sales Navigator | 30,000 |
Pending Invites
You can only have a maximum of 500 pending connection invitations at one time. This prevents excessive outstanding requests.
Accept Rate
LinkedIn expects members to maintain an acceptance rate of at least 50% for incoming requests. Too many ignored requests could trigger account limitations.
Conclusion
Understanding and following LinkedIn’s connection limits enables you to strategically grow your network on the platform. The daily caps of 30 sent and 200 received aim to facilitate quality connections between engaged professionals. Sending thoughtful requests, closely monitoring your limits, and selectively connecting with the right people will ensure you stay within the guidelines.
If you need higher volumes, premium account upgrades or mobile app usage can provide some additional headroom. But focus on nurturing value-driven connections, and you can effectively grow your LinkedIn network while avoiding unnecessary limitations.
