LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, with over 722 million members globally as of January 2022. As a social media site built around professional profiles and connections, networking is a core part of the LinkedIn experience.
This raises an important question for many LinkedIn users: can everyone see who you are connected to on LinkedIn? The short answer is no, your connections are not public by default. However, there are some nuances to understand about how LinkedIn connections work.
LinkedIn’s Default Privacy Settings
LinkedIn has default privacy settings in place to control what parts of your profile are visible to others. Your list of connections is considered private information that is not visible to the public.
By default, your connections can only be seen by you and your direct connections. For example, if you are connected to John and Mary, John can see that you are also connected to Mary but no one else can. This two-way visibility enables you to leverage your shared connections for introductions or networking opportunities through LinkedIn.
The only people who can see all of your connections are yourself and LinkedIn admins. Regular LinkedIn members have no way to access a full list of your connections unless you specifically grant permission. Some details covered below provide more context on when your connections may be partially exposed.
Who Can See Your LinkedIn Connections?
Here is a breakdown of who can see your LinkedIn connections and to what extent:
- You: Full list visible
- Your Direct Connections: Can see other connections you share
- Other LinkedIn Members: No access to your connections list
- LinkedIn Admins: Full list visible
The only exception is if you choose to explicitly make your connections public, which is not the default. Details on how to do so are covered further below.
Your Profile Views
LinkedIn does share some information about who has viewed your profile, even if they are not directly connected to you. Under the “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” section, you can see the names and titles of LinkedIn members who have viewed your profile recently.
This does not mean they necessarily have access to your connections list. They are simply able to see some basic profile information including your name, headline, current position, education, skills, and any other public information you choose to share. Importantly, your connections remain private.
3rd Party Apps & Connections Visibility
LinkedIn allows members to grant access to third-party applications through their API. For example, sales intelligence tools like Sales Navigator orrecruiting platforms like Talent Hub. When granting permission to the app, you can toggle options for sharing profile data.
By default, most apps will NOT have access to your connections. However, certain apps may request the ability to view your connections for enhanced functionality or insight. Be sure to pay close attention to the permission screens when authorizing a third party app and limit access to your connections if it is not necessary.
Changing Your Privacy Settings
While your connections are private by default, LinkedIn does give you the option to make your connections public if desired. Here is how:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile
- Click on the “View profile” button to switch into public view mode
- Click the “Edit public profile & URL” button located near the top right
- Scroll down and click “Show network information”
- Toggle the button to say “Your connections are visible to everyone”
Once enabled, anyone who views your profile can see your full connections list. Many people choose to keep this information private, but you have the flexibility to make it public including showing the numbers of 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree connections.
Premium Subscriptions & Connections
LinkedIn offers several paid subscriptions under LinkedIn Premium. Two popular options are Premium Career and Premium Business.
Upgrading to a premium account does not automatically expose your connections publicly. Even with a Premium account, your connections remain private unless you manually configure your settings to share them publicly as outlined above.
However, premium accounts do enable you to search across your 2nd and 3rd degree networks, seeing extended connections beyond your direct network. Certain premium features like InMail messaging, profile highlights and knowledge/skills assessments may provide more visibility into your extended network without making your direct connections public.
Recruiters & LinkedIn Connections
Many recruiters and talent acquisition professionals use LinkedIn to source candidates. What visibility do they have into your connections?
Unless you have configured your profile to share your network publicly, recruiters will not be able to see your connections by default. They have the same visibility as any other LinkedIn member into your profile and network.
Some recruiters may choose to upgrade to talent solutions like Recruiter Lite or Premium subscriptions. This provides more insight like being able to filter 2nd and 3rd degree connections. Your own direct connections would still remain private unless explicitly shared.
In some cases, recruiters may ask candidates to provide access to their LinkedIn connections for further vetting like verifying past employers and colleagues. The candidate would need to deliberately grant access to the recruiter through LinkedIn or directly provide their connections list. It is not automatically visible.
Can You See Who Views Your Connections?
LinkedIn does not notify you or provide any type of report showing who has viewed your connections. Since your connections are private, this type of tracking does not exist.
The only visibility offered is under your own profile analytics, which shows you who has viewed your own profile. It does not extend to who has looked at your connections list specifically.
Are Old Connections Still Visible?
When you disconnect from another LinkedIn member, they are removed from your connections list immediately. Any previous mutual connections are no longer visible once disconnected.
However, it is important to note that removing a connection does not delete historical interactions like InMail conversations or past profile views when you were connected. Disconnecting simply removes the current visibility into your profile and network.
Can You Tell if Someone Downloaded Your Connections?
There is no way to definitively tell if someone has downloaded or exported your LinkedIn connections list. Since your connections are private, downloading them would require you to explicitly granting permission to an app or integrating service.
Some signs that your connections may have been shared include:
- Getting connection invites from people you don’t know
- Notice an app you authorized now requests broader data access
- Your connections ending up in someone else’s hands
But there are no direct indicators or reports within LinkedIn showing your connections have been exported. The best approach is being cautious when authorizing third-party apps and not making your connections public.
Can Your Connections See Your Other Connections?
Yes, your direct LinkedIn connections are able to see your other first-degree connections per the default privacy settings.
For example, if Sally is connected to both John and Bill, John will be able to see that Sally is also connected to Bill when viewing her profile. This mutual visibility enables helpful networking opportunities.
However, neither John nor Bill would be able to see all of Sally’s other connections. Only the connections in common between them are visible. Sally maintains control over the visibility of her extended network.
Next Steps to Review LinkedIn Privacy
Here are some recommended steps to take regarding your LinkedIn connections and overall privacy:
- Review your current LinkedIn privacy settings under “Account Preferences”
- Disable the “Viewers of this profile also viewed” visibility under privacy settings if you do not want your name appearing for others
- Consider limiting visibility of your connections to “Only you” instead of “Your connections” in the profile visibility section
- Be selective in authorizing any third-party apps to access your profile data and connections
- Use anonymous or private browsing modes on LinkedIn if you want to limit being tracked in “Who’s viewed your profile”
- Turn off data sharing with third-parties under account preferences
With over 722 million users, LinkedIn contains a wealth of professional information and contacts. But it also enables members to be selective in what they share publicly versus keep private. Your connections are considered private profile information. Be thoughtful about what aspects of your profile and connections you are comfortable exposing to the broader LinkedIn community based on your specific networking goals and preferences.
Conclusion
LinkedIn strikes a balance between enabling professional networking opportunities while still empowering members to control their privacy. Your connections are not automatically public knowledge or visible to anyone on LinkedIn unless you affirmatively make them so. The default settings and limited app integrations keep your connections secure while still presenting useful visibility within your direct network.
Maintaining your connections as private is recommended for most LinkedIn members, unless you have a specific networking or collaboration need to share more widely. Adjust your visibility preferences accordingly based on your comfort level and intent for cultivating your network responsibly and productively.
Who Can See Your Connections | Level of Visibility |
---|---|
You | Full list visible |
Your Direct Connections | Mutual connections visible |
Other LinkedIn Members | No access to connections list |
LinkedIn Admins | Full list visible |
Key Takeaways
- Your LinkedIn connections are private by default
- Direct connections see mutual connections, but not your full list
- Strangers/public viewers cannot see your connections without permissions
- Be selective in authorizing third-party apps access to your data
- You control your connections visibility under account settings