LinkedIn is a popular professional networking platform used by millions of people worldwide. One of the features on LinkedIn is the “last seen” status that shows when you were last active on the platform. While this can be useful for some users, others may want more privacy and wish to hide their last seen status from their connections.
Unfortunately, unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn does not have a direct setting to hide your last seen status. LinkedIn designed this feature to facilitate engagement and open communication between professionals. However, with a few tweaks to your settings and activity, you can obfuscate your last seen status to provide more privacy.
Turn Off Relationship Notifications
One of the easiest ways LinkedIn determines your last seen activity is through notifications when you form new connections. LinkedIn generates these relationship notifications automatically whenever you send or accept an invite.
To prevent your last seen from updating when you connect with new people, go to your LinkedIn settings and turn off relationship notifications. This will stop notifications being sent every time you add a new connection. Without this trigger, your last seen status will not update to show your latest activity.
Change Visibility of Your Connections
In addition to relationship notifications, LinkedIn can pick up your last active time through your connections tab. Whenever someone views your profile or endorses you, it registers as recent activity.
You can prevent this passive activity from updating your last seen by going to your account settings and changing your connections visibility. Set your connections so only you can see them. This will stop profile views by your connections from inadvertently updating your last active status.
Disable Profile View Notifications
Along similar lines as the previous tip, you can disable profile view notifications in your settings. LinkedIn lets you know whenever someone views your profile. Turning off this feature prevents these views from changing your last seen time.
Combined with making your connections private, this ensures mere views or endorsement from your network does not alter your last active time displayed to others.
Turn Off Active Status Sharing
LinkedIn gives you the option to share when you are active on the mobile app. This setting is enabled by default, signaling to your connections when you are actively using LinkedIn on your phone.
To prevent your mobile activity from updating your last seen, go to your profile and turn off active status sharing. This will stop your mobile LinkedIn app usage from being shared with your network.
Change Who Can See Your Activity
LinkedIn allows you to customize your activity visibility settings. By default, your activity is shared with your entire network. However, you can restrict this to only you, or only your connections, or only select groups.
To hide your last seen from the majority of people, edit the visibility for who can see your last activity. Set it so your last seen is only visible to you, or a very limited group of direct connections.
Unlink LinkedIn From Other Services
LinkedIn gives you the ability to link your account to other services like Outlook or Gmail. This linkage enables seamless sharing and visibility across platforms. However, it also means activity on these linked platforms updates your last seen on LinkedIn.
To prevent this indirect activity from altering your last active status, unlink LinkedIn from any connected services. Breaking these integrations ensures only direct actions on LinkedIn change your last seen time stamp.
Change Your Default Social Sharing Settings
Posting articles or updates on LinkedIn through your default social sharing settings can update your last seen time. To stop this, change your default social media linkage permissions.
Go to your sharing preferences and disable automatic posting to LinkedIn. You can still manually share content on a post-by-post basis. But this prevents blanket visibility of your activity across all platforms by default.
Limit Mobile Notifications
The LinkedIn mobile app provides real-time notifications for activity on your account. While useful, this constant stream of updates can frequently change your last seen status by registering app activity.
To restrict this, customize your mobile notifications. Turn off non-essential notifications so only high priority updates generate a time stamp. This limits passive activity from continually updating your last active profile time.
Set Your Profile to Anonymous Mode
LinkedIn offers an anonymous browsing option that hides your profile details when you view other peoples’ accounts. Enabling this essentially cloaks your activity so it does not actively update your last seen.
Note anonymous browsing only works on the mobile app. But since mobile activity frequently updates your last active status, this can be an effective option for hiding your last seen while still browsing LinkedIn.
Restrict API Access
LinkedIn provides an Application Programming Interface (API) that enables approved third-party services to integrate with LinkedIn data and functionality. However, any API-enabled services you authorize can passively update your last active time.
Review all API-linked services under your account settings. Revoke access for any unnecessary services to ensure API-based activity does not alter your last seen status without your direct engagement.
Periodically Change Your Profile Photo
One of the main triggers that updates your last active status is changing your profile photo. Since this is an obvious visual change, LinkedIn registers it as active usage of the platform.
You can use this behavior to your advantage by periodically changing your profile picture every few weeks. The constant adjustments will continually refresh your last seen time stamp, obscuring your actual last login.
Timing is Everything
Pay attention to timing when you login to LinkedIn. If you want to disguise your activity, briefly login during a weekend or holiday period when people expect you to be less active. This time stamp will persist as your last seen until you login again.
You can also login late at night or very early in the morning during off hours. Again, this shields your true login behavior since people assume you are asleep during these times.
Leverage the Mobile App
As mentioned earlier, the LinkedIn mobile app offers more options for anonymizing your activity than the desktop platform. Install the mobile app and exclusively use it when you want to peruse LinkedIn without updating your last seen.
Enable anonymous browsing, turn off active status sharing, and disable notifications. This gives you the flexibility to read content while minimizing indicators that betray your actual login status.
Frequently Remove Connections
Culling your LinkedIn connections triggers your last seen time stamp to refresh. Take advantage of this by regularly removing connections from your network. You can pare down contacts that are no longer relevant or inactive.
Prune your connections list every couple weeks. Each time you remove a connection, it will register as active usage and obscure the timing of your real profile visits.
Only Check LinkedIn Through a Browser in Private / Incognito Mode
Modern internet browsers offer a private or incognito mode that does not save your browsing history. Open a private browser window and login to LinkedIn using that. Close the window after you finish.
This prevents any record of the session from being stored on your computer. Your last seen activity will update during the private session. But when closed, there is no persistent history trail betraying your login status.
Periodically Change Your Public Profile Visibility
Another small but effective tactic is to periodically change your public profile visibility setting. Switch it to private so only your connections can see your profile, then back to public view after a day or two.
LinkedIn registers this switch as account activity each time. So it serves to mask your true last login status by creating random activity triggers that refresh your time stamp.
Regularly Post Anonymous Articles
Posting content with your name attached obviously updates your last seen status. But you can utilize LinkedIn’s anonymous posting feature to share articles without linking it back to your account.
Look for the “post anonymously” option when publishing a new article. This content will still show up on your profile. But it enables you to actively add content without overtly betraying your last login time.
Strategically Like and Comment on Other Posts
Commenting and liking posts from your feed will publicly update your last active status. But you can do this strategically by engaging with older content.
Find posts that are a few weeks or months old and like or reply to them. This registers your last seen time stamp in the past when that content was originally published. It creates the illusion you have not logged in recently.
Frequently Update Your Headline
Your headline is a public-facing activity indicator. Change it up often to constantly reset your last seen time. Adjust it weekly or whenever you want to disguise your login activity.
This works because updating any visible profile element tricks LinkedIn into believing you are actively using the platform. Take advantage of this behavior by constantly tweaking your headline.
Install a LinkedIn Usage Monitor Extension
There are browser extensions like HideLinkedInActivity that alert you any time your activity unintentionally updates your last seen status. Use these to identify triggers you need to disable.
The extension runs silently as you browse and notifies you if an action risked betraying your last login. This allows you to selectively engage to avoid passive visibility.
Frequently Update Your Experience or Education
Adjusting the experience and education sections of your profile also registers as account activity. Add or modify positions and schooling periodically to obscure your actual last login.
You don’t have to make major changes. Subtle tweaks like dates or descriptions are enough to show recent profile edits that mask your true active status.
Turn Off Email Notifications
Disabling email notifications prevents you from inadvertently clicking profile or article links that take you to LinkedIn. This adds a layer between external triggers and your account.
With notifications off, you must proactively visit LinkedIn to login. No emails can bait you into clicking through and accidentally updating your status.
Use a Separate Private Browser for LinkedIn Activity
Designate a private browser solely for your LinkedIn activity. For example, use Incognito Chrome or InPrivate Edge exclusively when you want to access LinkedIn without publicly logging the fact.
Keep your main browser logged out of LinkedIn. Only use the private window to periodically check-in without broadcasting the visit to your network.
Frequently Update Your Profile Summary
Modifying your profile summary section is an easy way to show account activity. Include an edited summary when you want to mask your last login time.
Don’t make major changes. Subtle tweaks like adding a skill keyword or changing the wording slightly is enough to register a false last active status.
Cautiously Cultivate Your Network
It only takes accepting one new connection request to betray your last login time. Be extremely selective about growing your network. Only accept invites from those you truly want to engage.
Likewise, be judicious about sending connection requests yourself. Broad outreach will notify recipients of your recent LinkedIn activity.
Temporarily Disable Your Account
If you want to take a hiatus from LinkedIn without signaling your absence, temporarily disable your account. Deactivated accounts show the member as inactive without a last seen status.
When ready to return, reactivate your profile. You can explain any gap as due to traveling, taking a new job, or other real-life demands.
Frequently Update Background Photo
Your profile and background photos are public vanity elements that polish your brand. But they also provide an opportunity to obscure your activity.
Change these visual elements regularly to continually refresh your last active time stamp. New photos register as user engagement, helping mask your actual login behavior.
Hide Your Profile Views
By default, LinkedIn shows who has viewed your profile recently. Disable this feature to ensure your own profile views remain private.
Your views of other profiles can update your last seen. Hiding your views prevents two-way visibility where others’ viewing activity could betray your presence.
Limit Profile Edit Notifications
Each time you update your profile, LinkedIn may notify your connections. Restrict edit notifications to stop these changes passively informing your network.
You can still make updates but eliminate the signals that announce modifications. This allows you to tweak your profile withoutdeclare explicit activity.
In summary, while LinkedIn doesn’t have a direct last seen privacy setting, the platform provides many options you can use to obscure your activity. Adjust your preferences, tighten visibility, disable passive notifications, and strategically trigger updates. With a combination of these tactics, you can effectively hide your last active status from your connections.