LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, with over 810 million members worldwide as of 2021. On LinkedIn, each member has a personal profile page that displays information about their work history, education, skills, accomplishments, and more. A key part of every LinkedIn profile is the profile photo, which allows members to put a face to a name. With so many people using LinkedIn to network and recruit for jobs, profile views are common. This leads to an important question – can someone see who has viewed their LinkedIn profile and profile photo? The short answer is no, LinkedIn members are not able to see who specifically has viewed their profile or profile photo. However, there are some insights and workarounds that provide information about profile views.
LinkedIn Profile Views
On LinkedIn, profile views are anonymous by default. This means that when Person A views Person B’s profile, Person B will not receive any notification that their profile was viewed by Person A. The only information Person B receives about their profile views is the total number of times their profile has been viewed in the last 90 days. This number can be found on a member’s profile under the “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” section. The total profile view count is visible to any LinkedIn member looking at the profile. Members can also see more detailed analytics on their profile views, including geographic location, industry, and seniority level of viewers. However, the identities of individual profile viewers remain anonymous.
Seeing Your Own Profile Views
While LinkedIn members cannot see exactly who has viewed their profiles, they do have access to some information about their own profile viewing activity. Within the LinkedIn website interface, members can see a list of all the profiles they have viewed in the past 90 days. This can be accessed by going to the “My Network” section and selecting “Manage my network.” In the left sidebar there is an option to view “Who’s viewed your profile.” This shows a list of all the profiles that the member themselves has viewed. It does not show who else has viewed the member’s own profile. Members who have a premium LinkedIn account can also see more detailed analytics on their own profile viewing behavior, including how many of their own profile views have come from search versus direct visits. But there is no way for regular members to see who specifically is viewing their profile.
LinkedIn Mobile App
The LinkedIn mobile app also provides a way for members to see their own profile viewing activity, without showing who has viewed that member’s profile. On the app, members can go to their own profile and tap on the “Viewers” icon, which will show a list of profiles the member themselves has recently viewed. Again, this does not reveal anything about who else is looking at that member’s profile – it only shows their own viewing history. Members with premium accounts also have access to more detailed analytical data about their profile views and engagement on the mobile app. But there is no feature that lets members see exactly who is looking at their profile or photo at any given time.
Profile View Notifications
The only way LinkedIn members receive notifications about who has viewed their profile is if they choose to pay for a premium account. LinkedIn’s premium features include one called “Profile View Notifications,” which does exactly what it sounds like. When this feature is turned on, members will get real-time notifications telling them exactly who has viewed their profile. They will see the name and photo of the viewer pop up instantly after their profile has been viewed. This feature has prompted some debate around privacy and ethics, but it remains an option for premium paying members. However, most regular LinkedIn members do not have access to these instant view notifications.
Seeing Photo Views
LinkedIn members have even less visibility into who is looking at their profile photos. While the total profile view count includes both profile and photo views combined, there is no way to separate out the photo views specifically. There is no tracking of how many times a member’s profile photo has been clicked on or viewed up close. The identity of those viewing the profile photo is completely anonymous. Premium account holders with notifications turned on will get alerts when someone views their full profile, but they don’t get specific notifications only about photo views. There are no settings within LinkedIn that allow regular members to see any data on their photo views or who has looked at their photos.
Hacking Workarounds
Some tech-savvy LinkedIn users have found workarounds to try seeing who views their profiles using hacking techniques, though LinkedIn officially frowns upon this activity. One approach involves installing malware onto a viewer’s device to track their LinkedIn activity. This is unethical and against LinkedIn’s policies. Another technique uses phishing links – the LinkedIn member sends out a post or message containing a link, and then tracks who clicks on it. However, these underhanded tactics violate people’s privacy and could get a member banned from LinkedIn, so most experts advise against attempting them.
Why Views Are Anonymous
LinkedIn intentionally keeps profile views anonymous as a default to respect privacy. They want members to browse and network freely without feeling like they are being watched. Anonymity encourages more open communication. Some members might refrain from viewing useful profiles if they knew the other party could see them doing it. This philosophy differs from social networks like Facebook, where friends can always see each other’s activities. LinkedIn strikes a balance – analytics provide some visibility to boost engagement, but individual identities remain hidden. However, members willing to pay for premium services can access name-level viewing insights.
External Tracking Tools
While LinkedIn itself does not reveal who views your profile, some external tools claim to offer this capability. Companies have created third-party browser extensions and software that purportedly can track LinkedIn viewers. These tools work by installing onto the member’s device and capturing data on visitors to their LinkedIn profile page. However, experts recommend caution when using these tools, as some have been known to collect excess data, sell data to third parties, or even contain malware. LinkedIn’s terms of service prohibit the use of these kinds of unauthorized tracking tools to access member data or reverse engineer their products.
Conclusion
In summary, regular LinkedIn members are not able to see exactly who views their profiles or profile photos. The platform keeps this information anonymous and private as a default. Members can only see high-level statistics and totals about their profile views and their own viewing history. Premium subscribers who pay for extra features can switch on name-level notifications to see who is looking at their profile in real-time. But most members on the free version of LinkedIn do not have access to granular data on exactly who has viewed their profile or profile picture at any given time. While some external tools claim to provide this ability, they use questionable practices and are not officially sanctioned by LinkedIn. For most members, profile views will remain anonymous by design to encourage open networking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can premium LinkedIn members see who viewed their profile?
Yes, LinkedIn premium members can opt to switch on profile view notifications, which will show them the name and photo of members who have viewed their profile in real-time. This is the only way to see exactly who is viewing your profile.
Can I see who viewed my LinkedIn profile photo?
No, there is no setting within LinkedIn that shows you data on who specifically has viewed your profile photo. Even premium members cannot see stats on photo views – only full profile views.
Can I tell if someone screenshots my LinkedIn profile or photo?
No, there is currently no way to detect if someone takes a screenshot of your LinkedIn profile or photo when viewing it. LinkedIn profile images can be right-clicked and downloaded or screenshotted.
Are all LinkedIn profiles visible to anyone?
No, members can choose to set their profile visibility to “Connections only” so it can only be viewed by people in their network. But profiles set to “Public” visibility can be viewed by anyone on LinkedIn without needing to connect.
Can I change my profile to only show my name and title without a photo?
Yes, members can control how much personal information shows up on their profile. You can remove your profile photo and limit visibility of sections like your name, employer, education, etc.
Is there a way to make my LinkedIn completely private and anonymous?
Not completely. But members can set their profiles to be very private by: removing their photo, showing only their name and headline, setting visibility to “Connections only”, turning off notifications, and limiting what groups they join or engage with. This will limit the personal information that is publicly visible.
Table Comparing LinkedIn Account Types
Feature | Free Account | Premium Account |
---|---|---|
See total profile views in last 90 days | Yes | Yes |
See who viewed your profile | No | Yes (with profile view notifications on) |
See detailed analytics on profile views | Limited data | Yes, expanded insights |
List of profiles you have viewed | Last 90 days | Full history |
Profile visibility control | Public/Connections | Public/Connections |
Ad-free browsing | No | Yes |
Search filters and alerts | Basic | Advanced with customization |