When setting up a LinkedIn profile, users have the option to control the visibility settings and decide how much of their profile they want to be public. LinkedIn offers three main privacy settings for profiles: public, private, and hidden. So are all LinkedIn profiles completely public by default? The short answer is no, not every LinkedIn profile is fully public and viewable to everyone on the internet. However, there are some parts of every profile that are always public. Let’s take a deeper look at LinkedIn’s privacy settings and what sections of your profile can be kept private or hidden.
Public Profiles
With a public setting, your name, headline, current position and company, profile photo, country, industry, schools, summary, skills, endorsements, posts, articles, activity, and recommendations are viewable to any LinkedIn member and also accessible through public search engines like Google. Essentially most of your profile is open and visible to the LinkedIn community. Public profiles allow you to cast a wide net and be discovered by recruiters, business contacts, and new connections. They are best suited for those using LinkedIn for networking, job searching, and promoting their professional brand.
Private Profiles
A private profile on LinkedIn means your full profile is only visible to 1st-degree connections. 2nd and 3rd-degree connections will only see your name, headline, profile photo, current position and company. Making your profile private limits its visibility primarily to people you already know and have connected with on LinkedIn. Your profile won’t appear in searches outside of your direct network. Private profiles are helpful if you want to focus on strengthening your existing professional network versus expanding your reach and connecting with new contacts.
Hidden Profiles
Selecting a hidden profile on LinkedIn will essentially remove your profile from public view on LinkedIn itself. Other members won’t find you in searches or see any part of your profile. Your name and photo also won’t appear if others view mutual connections. Hidden profiles completely remove your professional presence on LinkedIn. This option is intended for those who want to use LinkedIn for job searching but don’t necessarily want clients, colleagues, or competitors viewing their full profile and activity. One exception is that LinkedIn Recruiter seat holders can still find and contact you if you have a hidden profile.
Always Public Profile Sections
Regardless of which visibility setting you choose, there are some basic profile sections that will always remain public on LinkedIn:
- Your name
- Profile photo
- Current positions and companies
- Country and industry
- Profile viewing options (who has viewed your profile)
These core profile elements are viewable so others on LinkedIn can identify you and see some high-level professional details. Your name and photo allow connections to recognize you on the platform. Showing current roles and companies provides context on where you work now and your industry background.
Customizing Profile Visibility
Beyond setting an overall public, private, or hidden profile visibility, LinkedIn also allows you to customize the privacy of specific profile sections:
Profile photo visibility
You can hide your profile photo while keeping the rest of your profile public. Or you can limit who sees the photo to only 1st-degree connections.
Activity broadcasts
Control if all LinkedIn members or only connections see when you like/comment on posts, share articles, etc.
Featured and Recommended sections
Choose if these appear for everyone or just 1st-degree connections. Featured sections showcase skills, accomplishments, volunteering, etc. Recommended displays dynamically generated content LinkedIn thinks is relevant to your profile and network.
Education visibility
Decide if your education is public, visible to connections only, or private.
Additional options
Set individual visibility preferences for interests, groups, honors & awards, courses, projects, publications, patents, languages, certifications, and test scores.
How Visibility Settings Impact LinkedIn Usage
The visibility configuration you choose for your LinkedIn profile will impact your personal user experience and how you’re able to engage on the platform:
Profile Setting | Impact on Your LinkedIn Experience |
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Public |
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Private |
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Hidden |
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As shown above, a public profile facilitates the most LinkedIn capabilities and opportunities for growth. But not everyone wants or needs maximal exposure and connectivity. Job seekers sometimes utilize hidden profiles and students occasionally keep private profiles until entering the workforce. Ultimately, align your settings with your goals for cultivating your professional community on LinkedIn.
Changing Your Profile Visibility
LinkedIn allows you to easily change the visibility of your profile within the settings area. Here are the steps:
- Click on the ‘Me’ icon in the top nav bar and select ‘Settings & Privacy’
- Choose ‘Profile visibility’ under the Privacy tab
- Toggle the profile visibility setting Public, Private, or Hidden
- Click Review profile visibility to confirm changes
- Customize specific section visibility like education, skills, photo, etc.
- Click Save changes
Your profile visibility will then be updated based on the new setting. You can return and adjust these settings again at any time as your preferences or circumstances change.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn allows users to build out comprehensive professional profiles, not every profile is guaranteed to be public by default. LinkedIn offers profile visibility settings of public, private, and hidden – giving users control over how visible their profile is to others on the platform. Public profiles are fully viewable which aids networking and brand building. Private profiles limit visibility to direct connections only. Hidden profiles are essentially invisible and anonymous on LinkedIn.
Certain core profile elements like name, photo, current position and company will remain publicly visible regardless of privacy settings. But overall, LinkedIn users can customize profile visibility and determine how open or closed off their presence is. Understanding these options allows you to make informed decisions about your professional LinkedIn presence.