Receiving messages on LinkedIn can be useful for making connections and growing your professional network. However, at times your LinkedIn inbox may get cluttered with messages that you want to come back to later. A common question LinkedIn users have is whether there is a way to mark LinkedIn messages as unread after opening them.
Unfortunately, LinkedIn does not currently have a built-in feature that allows you to mark messages as unread once you have opened them. The platform only allows you to archive, reply to, or delete messages. There is no official way to revert a read message back to an unread state.
Why marking LinkedIn messages as unread is useful
Being able to mark LinkedIn messages as unread again would be beneficial for several reasons:
- Allows you to easily flag messages you want to follow up on later
- Lets you save messages for future reference or action without cluttering up your inbox
- Helps prioritize your replies by separating out messages needing response
- Gives you a visual indication of new/unread messages at a glance
Overall, having an unread option enables better inbox management and productivity when handling your LinkedIn messages and connections.
Workarounds to simulate the unread function
While LinkedIn does not have a built-in unread feature, there are some workarounds users have found to simulate this functionality:
Using message labels
LinkedIn allows you to apply custom labels to your messages like “Follow up,” “Pending,” etc. You can use labels to mark messages you want to revisit later but keep them out of the main inbox.
To use labels:
- Open the message you want to mark as unread
- Look for the label icon (shaped like a tag) near the top
- Click on the icon and apply your preferred label like “Unread,” “Follow up,” etc
The labeled messages will now be separated from your general inbox but still accessible under the specific label tab for future follow up.
Archiving messages
Archiving messages on LinkedIn removes them from your inbox but keeps them accessible under the “Archived” tab. You can archive a message instead of fully deleting it to serve as an unread marker.
To archive a LinkedIn message:
- Open the message you want to effectively mark as unread
- Look for the archive icon (open box with down arrow) near top of message
- Click the archive icon to move the message out of your inbox
When you need to revisit the message, you can go to your archived messages tab and unarchive it to return to your main inbox.
Using email reminders
If you have important messages requiring follow up that you want to revisit later, enable LinkedIn email notifications. This will send you periodic email reminders of unanswered messages.
To enable LinkedIn email notifications:
- Go to your LinkedIn account Settings
- Click on Communications on the left sidebar
- Under Messages, check the box for “Send me email reminders for unanswered messages”
- Customize the frequency of reminder emails as needed
Having regular email reminders can serve as a prompt to revisit flagged LinkedIn messages needing response or follow up.
Using browser bookmarks
For desktop, you can bookmark important LinkedIn messages in your web browser that you want to come back to later.
To bookmark a LinkedIn message:
- Open the LinkedIn message in your browser
- Click on the star or bookmark icon in your browser’s toolbar to save the page
- The message will now be bookmarked for easy access when you need it again
Browser bookmarks create quick shortcuts to messages you want to follow up on without cluttering your main LinkedIn inbox.
Third-party tools
Some third-party software tools exist like Mixmax, Boomerang, etc. that integrate with LinkedIn and provide an unread message feature. However, these paid tools require installing an external add-on.
A simpler option is using the LinkedIn Post Inspector free tool. It lets you see a list of messages you’ve already read and revert them back to unread status.
To use Post Inspector to mark LinkedIn messages as unread:
- Install the Post Inspector browser extension
- Login to your LinkedIn account
- Click on the Post Inspector extension icon in your browser
- It will show a list of your LinkedIn messages and posts
- Find the message you want to mark as unread and click “Mark as Unread”
This will make the message appear as new/unread again in your LinkedIn inbox. One limitation is it only works for messages in your current inbox session.
Why unread message options are limited
LinkedIn likely does not offer an unread feature due to how messaging functions on the platform.
Some possible reasons LinkedIn does not allow marking messages as unread:
- Prevent inbox manipulation that could impact metrics or analytics
- Technical difficulties implementing on diverse platform versions
- Concerns around potential message tracking or privacy issues
- Promote workflow focus of replying to messages when received
- Encourage users to leverage archiving or labels for saving messages
Given LinkedIn’s continued evolution, user demand for an unread option may lead to official feature development down the road.
Alternate inbox management options
Despite the lack of a true unread message feature, LinkedIn does offer some other inbox management options users can leverage:
- Filters – Automatically sort incoming messages by sender, content, etc.
- Search – Quickly find messages based on keywords, names, companies, etc.
- Message organization – Group messages into custom folders or labels
- Notifications – Enable email or pop-up alerts for new messages
- Muting – Configure muting by conversation or sender to control notifications
Getting familiar with these alternative message management tools can help streamline your LinkedIn inbox and productivity.
Summary
In summary, LinkedIn currently does not offer a native option to mark messages as unread once opened. The platform only allows basic actions like archive, reply, or delete for messages.
However, users can simulate an unread function through using message labels, archiving, email reminders, browser bookmarks, or third-party tools like LinkedIn Post Inspector.
While not ideal, leveraging these workarounds allows you to flag messages for follow up or revisit them later as needed for your inbox management.
As LinkedIn continues enhancing platform capabilities, an unread message feature may be added eventually. But for now, the available message tools and innovations from users provide some options to accomplish similar productivity goals.