LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, with over 722 million users as of April 2022. With so many professionals interacting on LinkedIn every day, profile views are a key part of the platform. LinkedIn allows you to see who has viewed your profile recently. However, if someone views your profile in “private mode”, this limits the data shown to you. So you may be wondering – is it possible to see who viewed my LinkedIn profile in private mode?
What is LinkedIn Private Mode?
LinkedIn’s private mode allows users to browse LinkedIn profiles anonymously, without the profile owner being notified or shown that you viewed their profile. When private mode is enabled, your name and profile details will not show up in the list of “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” on other profiles. You can access private mode in LinkedIn’s desktop site by clicking the “Me” icon, selecting “View profile anonymously”, then toggling “Private mode” on. On mobile, tap your profile icon, choose “View as guest”, then toggle on “Private mode”.
Enabling private mode essentially allows you to “lurk” without leaving a digital footprint on LinkedIn. Your private profile views will not be visible to anyone else while private mode is turned on.
Can You See Who Viewed Your Profile in Private Mode?
The short answer is no, you cannot see the identities of those who view your profile in private mode on LinkedIn. LinkedIn specifically designed private mode to be anonymous for the viewer, so their identity would not be revealed to anyone, including the person whose profile they are looking at.
LinkedIn’s help pages clearly state: “You can browse member profiles anonymously in private mode. The members whose profiles you view will not be notified and you will not show up on their list of profile viewers.”
So regardless of your account settings or LinkedIn plan type, there is no way to detect or identify who viewed your profile incognito while they had private mode enabled. Those views simply will not register in your “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” statistics.
Why People Use Private Mode on LinkedIn
There are a few main reasons why people use LinkedIn’s private browsing option:
– Anonymity – To look at profiles and wander LinkedIn anonymously, without notifying connections.
– Privacy – To keep their LinkedIn browsing habits and history private.
– Reconnaissance – Looking up people at a company they might be interviewing with or be interested in working for.
– Reducing Awkwardness – Viewing the profiles of connections, colleagues, managers, or recruiters without them knowing.
– Competition Research – Checking out profiles of competitors, partners, or collaborators without leaving a trace.
– Seeing Full Profiles – Being able to see full profiles, including limited settings like “see who’s viewed this profile” for Standard account holders who don’t have full premium access.
So in summary, people use private mode on LinkedIn for anonymity, privacy, research, and viewing profiles more discretely without awkwardness or leaving a digital trail.
How to See Anonymous Visitors to Your LinkedIn Profile
While you can’t see private profile viewers specifically, you can get some visibility into anonymous visitors to your LinkedIn profile:
– **Location Data** – While anonymous visitors in private mode won’t show their name or profile, you can still see some location details like country or city (if turned on in their settings). This can give you clues if you notice multiple private views from the same area.
– **Company Information** – Your profile analytics may display company information for anonymous visitors, if they have this turned on in their LinkedIn account settings. Again this can provide hints if you notice multiple private views from people at the same company.
– **Contact Them** – If you want to uncover an anonymous visitor’s identity, you can try messaging them through InMail if their profile allows it. Simply address them by location (“Hi visitor from San Francisco…”) or company (“Hello there Acme Corp visitor…”) and ask them to reveal themselves. If they respond, the mystery is solved!
– **Share Profile Link Strategically** – Post your LinkedIn profile URL in places it will be seen by people you want to check if they’ve viewed you. If you then notice anonymous views spike, it’s likely someone from that resource.
– **Upgrade to Premium** – Paying for Premium access on LinkedIn will let you see more intelligence on anonymous visitors, like seniority level, industry, job function, etc.
So while you can’t directly see private profile viewers, there are ways to gather some hints from location, company, messaging, sharing strategically, and upgrading to premium.
How to Enable Private Mode on LinkedIn
If you want to browse LinkedIn privately yourself, here is how to enable private mode:
**On LinkedIn Desktop:**
1. Click your profile photo in the top right and select “View profile anonymously.”
2. Toggle the switch for “Private mode” to enable it. The toggle will turn blue when private mode is active.
3. A moon icon will now display next to the search bar indicating you are browsing in private mode.
4. When done, toggle private mode off to return to normal public browsing.
**On LinkedIn Mobile App:**
1. Tap your profile picture at the top of your app screen.
2. Choose “View as guest” from the dropdown menu.
3. Toggle the switch for “Private mode” on to activate anonymous browsing.
4. Tap the back arrow to continue browsing LinkedIn privately.
5. To disable, return to your profile menu and toggle private mode off again.
That’s all there is to it! Now you can use private mode to browse LinkedIn anonymously on desktop or mobile.
Pro Tips for Using Private Mode
Here are some pro tips for utilizing LinkedIn’s private mode effectively:
– **Don’t take advantage** – Use ethically, don’t abuse private mode to stalk or pry excessively into others’ profiles.
– **Temporarily turn off notifications** – Disable email or push notifications while in private mode to avoid alerts giving you away. Re-enable them after.
– **Be wary of profile views** – Don’t visit too many profiles in quick succession, as this can flag unusual activity if noticed.
– **Watch your likes** – Be cautious liking or commenting while incognito, as even anonymous engagement leaves traces.
– **Toggle on/off** – Turn private mode on only when needed, don’t stay invisible permanently or it becomes less useful.
– **Don’t share content** – Posting content while in private mode can reveal your identity.
– **Use different browser** – For added anonymity, utilize a different web browser just for private browsing.
– **Clear cookies after** – When fully done browsing privately, clear your cookies and cache for untraceability.
Following these tips will allow you to use LinkedIn private mode effectively, while avoiding detection and preserving your anonymity.
Limitations of LinkedIn Private Mode
While private mode provides more discreet browsing, there are some limitations to be aware of:
– **Doesn’t work on all pages** – Private mode only works on profile pages, not content pages like LinkedIn newsfeed, jobs, groups, etc.
– **Can’t invite or follow** – You can’t send connection invites or follow companies while incognito, these actions will reveal your identity.
– **No messaging** – Messaging requires disabling private mode first before sending.
– **Can’t save content** – Saving posts, articles, or media isn’t possible in private mode.
– **Premium features limited** – Some premium insights may not be visible like full visitor demographics.
– **Notifications revert** – Desktop notifications return when private mode is disabled again.
– **Mobile differences** – Private mode works slightly differently on mobile apps vs. desktop site.
– **Buggy at times** – There are occasionally reports of private mode being slow or glitchy.
So while private browsing is useful, it does have some constraints around functionality and visibility. Understand these when using it.
The Ethics of Private Browsing
Using private mode ethically comes down to these principles:
– **Informational purposes** – Use it to research industries, companies, positions, and people you have a valid interest in. Don’t abuse it to excessively snoop.
– **Minimal use** – Only enable it temporarily when needed, don’t lurk constantly in private mode.
– **Golden Rule** – Browse others privately the same unobtrusive way you would want to be viewed.
– **Transparency** – If a private profile view leads to further interactions, be transparent rather than evasive.
– **Legal and moral** – Never use private browsing for illegal or creepy purposes – this can get accounts banned.
– **Common sense** – Exercise good judgment on when private browsing is warranted, and when it crosses ethical lines.
If in doubt, disabling private mode and browsing openly is usually the best policy. Only use it judiciously when needed, while respecting other users’ privacy and data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about viewing LinkedIn profiles privately:
Q: Can premium LinkedIn account holders see who viewed their profile in private mode?
A: No, even premium account holders cannot detect private profile viewers – this data is never collected by LinkedIn.
Q: Do private views still count towards my total profile view statistics?
A: No, private profile views do not get included in your total view counts. They are completely anonymous.
Q: Can I tell if someone is using private mode to look at my profile?
A: There is no way to detect if an individual is browsing your profile privately. You only see that data in aggregate.
Q: Is private browsing on LinkedIn illegal?
A: No, LinkedIn private browsing itself is not illegal. However, what you do with that anonymity could potentially cross legal lines.
Q: Can someone’s activity be traced if they use private mode?
A: Not through LinkedIn itself, as private browsing specifically prevents tracking profile views. However, network or legal methods could potentially trace malicious users.
Q: Will LinkedIn notify me if someone is excessively viewing my profile privately?
A: No, there is no threshold or limit on private profile views. LinkedIn does not monitor private browsing activity.
Conclusion
To conclude, while you cannot see exactly who viewed your LinkedIn profile anonymously in private mode, you can still glean some clues from location, company, messaging, upgrades, and viewing patterns. Use ethical common sense when browsing privately yourself, and understand its limitations around functionality and visibility. Private browsing provides more discreet profile viewing, but complete anonymity on LinkedIn remains elusive. The best solution is to use private mode strategically when needed, while maintaining openness and transparency where possible.