LinkedIn has become an invaluable tool for networking, job searching, and exploring professional opportunities. With over 740 million members worldwide, LinkedIn offers access to a massive pool of professionals across all industries and career levels. However, one common question that arises is how to view someone’s LinkedIn profile discreetly without them receiving a notification that you looked at their profile. There are a few different methods you can use to accomplish this goal.
Understanding LinkedIn Profile Views
First, it’s important to understand how LinkedIn handles profile views. By default, LinkedIn shows users who has viewed their profile within the last 90 days. This allows members to see who is looking at their profile which can be helpful for networking and making new connections. However, it also means your profile views are not completely private by default.
There are three main ways LinkedIn allows you to see who viewed your profile:
- Through notifications – LinkedIn will send an email and in-app notification when someone views your profile.
- On your homepage – LinkedIn shows recent profile viewers front and center on your homepage.
- Under My Network – The “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” section shows the LinkedIn members who have viewed your profile within the last 90 days.
Knowing this, the goal is to find ways to open someone’s profile without triggering any of these notifications that allow them to see you viewed their profile. Below are some tips to accomplish this discreetly.
Use Incognito or Private Browsing Mode
The simplest method is to use your web browser’s incognito or private browsing mode. This prevents LinkedIn from storing your browsing information and profile views. Here are instructions for popular browsers:
Google Chrome
- Open Google Chrome
- Click on the 3 dots in the top right corner to open the menu
- Select New Incognito Window
- Go to LinkedIn and view any profiles you want without the person being notified
- Close the incognito window when finished to erase your viewing history
Mozilla Firefox
- Open Mozilla Firefox
- Click on the 3 horizontal lines in the top right corner
- Select New Private Window
- Go to LinkedIn and view any profiles you want without the person being notified
- Close the private window when finished to erase your viewing history
Microsoft Edge
- Open Microsoft Edge
- Click on the 3 dots in the top right corner to open the menu
- Select New InPrivate window
- Go to LinkedIn and view any profiles you want without the person being notified
- Close the InPrivate window when finished to erase your viewing history
Using private or incognito browsing is an easy way to view LinkedIn profiles discreetly in any major browser. Just remember to close the window afterwards so your activity isn’t saved locally on that device.
Adjust Your LinkedIn Account Settings
Another option is to adjust your LinkedIn account settings to control which types of notifications you receive and what information is shared with your network. Here are two specific settings to adjust:
- Profile viewing options – Go to Settings & Privacy > How others see your LinkedIn activity. From here you can control whether your network is notified when you view their profile.
- Email notifications – Go to Settings & Privacy > Communications > Email preferences. Disable notifications for “Someone views your profile”.
By toggling these settings, you can visit LinkedIn profiles without triggering email or in-app notifications to that person that you viewed their profile. However, they may still be able to see you looked at their profile under the “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” section. So this method is not completely discreet, but does limit notifications.
Use an Anonymous LinkedIn Viewer
There are a number of anonymous LinkedIn profile viewing tools and Chrome extensions available online. These services essentially proxy your profile views through their systems so the visits aren’t linked back to your account and IP address. Here are some popular anonymous viewers to consider:
- Anonymous Viewer by Lucas25
- Invisible Browse
- LinkedIn Visitor
- Speeky
- Private Eye
To use these tools, you simply enter the LinkedIn profile URL you want to view while running the anonymous viewer. It will load the profile for you without any indication to them that you viewed the profile. Do be aware anonymous viewers often contain ads or paid premium features, so the free versions may be limited.
Create a LinkedIn Company Page
An often overlooked option – create a Company Page on LinkedIn. Company Pages have access to paid tools like LinkedIn Recruiter which allows completely anonymous profile viewing. With Recruiter, you can browse LinkedIn profiles discreetly without other members receiving any notifications. Of course, this is primarily beneficial if you plan to use Recruiter as part of the Company Page for recruiting, lead generation, or sales purposes.
Use a LinkedIn Sales Navigator Account
Similar to Company Pages, LinkedIn Sales Navigator accounts also have access to anonymous profile viewing. As part of a Sales Navigator subscription, the Lead Builder tool lets you research LinkedIn profiles without any trackers or notifications. Sales Navigator is LinkedIn’s premium tool designed for sales professionals to identify prospects, so if you were already using it for lead generation the anonymous viewing feature is an added plus.
Create a New LinkedIn Account
If all else fails, you can create a completely new LinkedIn account to view profiles. Use a fresh email address and identity not tied to your main account when signing up. Keep in mind this violates LinkedIn’s terms of service regarding maintaining multiple accounts. There are also limitations viewing paid LinkedIn tools and network connections through a secondary account. But from a pure profile viewing perspective, this separation ensures no notifications or viewing history leaks back to your primary account.
Conclusion
Viewing LinkedIn profiles discreetly takes a bit more work than simple browsing. But with the right approach you can successfully open someone’s profile without them receiving a notification that you looked at their account. Some smart techniques include using private browsing mode, adjusting account settings, leveraging anonymous viewers, creating company pages or sales navigator accounts, or even making a new LinkedIn account just for anonymous viewing.
Keep privacy and professional courtesy in mind as you browse LinkedIn. While you may have valid reasons to maintain discretion, avoid viewing profiles in a way that could be perceived as stalking. Follow LinkedIn’s terms of service and respect other members to build your professional network and personal brand on the platform.
Method | Privacy Level | Ease of Use |
---|---|---|
Private Browsing Mode | High | Easy |
Adjust LinkedIn Settings | Medium | Easy |
Anonymous Viewers | High | Medium |
Company/Sales Navigator | High | Difficult |
New LinkedIn Account | High | Medium |
This table summarizes the key options for discreet LinkedIn profile viewing in terms of privacy level and ease of use. Private browsing provides the best combination of being anonymous while still easy to implement. Tools like anonymous viewers also offer high privacy but require extra setup. Having a Company Page or Sales Navigator account enables anonymous viewing but may not be practical just for viewing profiles. Overall, the method you choose will depend on your specific browsing needs and level of privacy desired.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is viewing someone’s LinkedIn profile without them knowing ethical?
It depends on the situation. Casually viewing someone’s public LinkedIn profile out of curiosity is generally not unethical by itself. However, systematically viewing profiles to gain competitive intelligence, poach employees, etc could be considered unethical without consent. Always use good judgement and respect other’s privacy.
Can I get banned from LinkedIn for viewing too many profiles anonymously?
Possibly, if you violate LinkedIn’s terms of service. Mass profile scraping and spam bot activity could trigger bans. But occasional, discrete profile viewing likely poses little risk. Just don’t abuse tools like anonymous viewers for large scale data collection from LinkedIn.
Does fully anonymous LinkedIn profile viewing exist for free?
No, the most robust anonymous viewing tools require a paid account, like Sales Navigator. But you can get pretty good privacy using incognito browsing mode for discreet viewing on a small scale. Free anonymous viewer browser extensions also provide decent privacy, just with limitations.
Can I unlink my profile view notifications on LinkedIn?
Not completely. Under account settings, you can disable email notifications for profile views. However, your 1st degree connections can still see if you visited their profile under “Who’s Viewed Your Profile”. Fully unlinking views requires using an anonymous tool or service.
What are the risks of creating a second LinkedIn account for anonymous viewing?
The main risks are having the account banned for violating LinkedIn’s terms, as well as limitations interacting with your main account’s network and content. Maintaining multiple accounts also means extra work juggling logins. Use secondary accounts cautiously.
Conclusion
Viewing LinkedIn profiles discreetly requires understanding how LinkedIn handles notifications and leveraging tools to anonymize your browsing. Private browsing, anonymous viewers, and adjusting account settings are good starting points. For heavy LinkedIn users, company pages and sales navigator accounts enable robust anonymous viewing. However, always keep ethics in mind and avoid abusing these tools simply to lurk. With the right approach, you can explore LinkedIn profiles low key without leaving a paper trail.