Where are my draft messages on LinkedIn?

If you have started writing messages on LinkedIn but have not sent them yet, those unfinished messages are saved as drafts. Draft messages allow you to compose content at your own pace without sending it prematurely. Here’s what you need to know about accessing and managing your LinkedIn draft messages:

Viewing Draft Messages

To view your draft messages on LinkedIn:

1. Go to the LinkedIn website and log into your account if you aren’t already logged in.
2. Click on the “Messaging” icon in the top navigation bar. This looks like a speech bubble and is located next to the Notifications icon.
3. In the left sidebar, click on “Drafts”. This section will display a list of all your unfinished message drafts.

From the drafts page, you can click any draft message to open and continue editing it. You can also delete drafts or send them from this page.

Creating Draft Messages

There are a couple ways to create a new draft message on LinkedIn:

• Start writing a new message: Click the “Messaging” icon, then click the “Compose message” button. As you write your message, LinkedIn will automatically save your draft periodically. You can close the message at any time without sending – it will be saved in your drafts folder.
• Save an in-progress message as a draft: While composing a new message, click the drop-down arrow next to the “Send” button. Select “Save as draft” to move the message to your drafts.

Saving messages as drafts allows you to craft your wording without bombarding the recipient with multiple variations. You can take your time to review and edit drafts before sending your best version.

Editing Draft Messages

To make changes to a draft message:

1. Go to your drafts folder.
2. Open the draft you want to edit.
3. Make any desired changes to the content.
4. When you’re done editing, you can click “Send” to deliver the message or “Save as draft” to continue editing later.

Drafts are a convenient way to perfect your phrasing and build rapport by avoiding rapid-fire messaging. Take advantage of drafts to compose intentional, polished messages.

Deleting Draft Messages

If you have draft messages you no longer need, you can delete them to clear out your drafts folder. To delete a draft:

1. Go to your drafts folder.
2. Hover over the draft you want to delete.
3. Click the “Delete” icon that appears.
4. Confirm that you want to delete the draft.

Deleting outdated drafts keeps your drafts folder organized so you can easily find current drafts.

Converting Drafts to Sent Messages

When you’re ready to send a draft message, do the following:

1. Open the draft.
2. Review the content to make sure you’re happy with it.
3. Click the “Send” button to deliver your message.

The message will now show up in your “Sent” folder and will no longer be listed with your drafts. Keep in mind that you cannot save a sent message back as a draft.

Draft Limitations

LinkedIn does impose some limitations on drafts:

• You can only have up to 100 draft messages saved at a time. Your oldest drafts will be deleted as you create new ones beyond that limit.
• Drafts are only saved for 30 days. Any that are more than 30 days old will be deleted automatically.
• You cannot save InMail messages as drafts – only standard messages can be saved this way.

Because of these restrictions, be sure to review old drafts periodically and convert those you still need to sent messages. For long-term message storage, you’ll need to maintain copies outside of LinkedIn.

Drafts vs. Unsending Messages

Draft messages are different than unsending a message on LinkedIn:

• Drafts are messages you are still composing and haven’t sent at all yet.
• Unsending is recalling a message that you already sent to a recipient.

With drafts, the recipient hasn’t seen the message yet. Unsending removes a message the recipient already received. Both can be useful tools for perfecting your communication.

Managing Drafts via Mobile App

In addition to LinkedIn’s website, you can also view and manage drafts via the LinkedIn mobile app:

1. Launch the LinkedIn app on your device.
2. Tap the “My Network” tab at the bottom.
3. Tap the “Messaging” icon in the top right.
4. Swipe right or select “Drafts” to view your draft messages.

The mobile app makes it easy to tweak drafts on the go before sending your bestwork.

So in summary, draft messages on LinkedIn provide a useful space to compose professional communication at your own pace. Drafts auto-save so you can craft, review, edit, and perfect your messages prior to sending. Take advantage of drafts to put thought and care into your important conversations on LinkedIn.