How to View LinkedIn Profiles Anonymously Using Private Mode

LinkedIn lets you view profiles anonymously by changing your Profile viewing options to Private mode. Once enabled, people whose profiles you visit generally see an anonymous LinkedIn member instead of your name, photo and headline.

This guide explains how to turn on private mode on desktop, Android and iPhone, what the profile owner can still see, and which LinkedIn actions remain public.

How to view LinkedIn profiles anonymously on desktop

1. Sign in to LinkedIn.
2. Click Me or your profile photo in the top navigation.
3. Select Settings & Privacy.
4. Open the Visibility section.
5. Select Profile viewing options.
6. Choose Private mode.
7. Return to LinkedIn search and open the profile you want to view.

The change generally applies immediately. To protect your identity, switch to private mode before visiting the profile rather than afterwards.

How to use LinkedIn private mode on iPhone or Android

1. Open the LinkedIn mobile app.
2. Tap your profile picture.
3. Tap Settings.
4. Select Visibility.
5. Open Profile viewing options.
6. Choose Private mode.

LinkedIn sometimes changes app navigation. If the wording looks different, search the settings area for profile viewing or open the Visibility menu.

LinkedIn profile viewing options explained

LinkedIn normally provides three privacy levels.

Your name and headline

This is the most open setting. People you visit may see your:

• Name
• Profile photo
• Professional headline
• Current role or other profile details
• Link to your profile

Choose this option when you want profile visits to support networking or encourage the other person to visit your profile.

Private profile characteristics

This setting shows limited information without your name. Depending on the account and context, the person may see a general description such as someone in a particular industry, job function or region.

It is more private than displaying your identity but less anonymous than full private mode.

Private mode

The profile owner generally sees an anonymous LinkedIn member. Your name and direct profile link are not shown as part of that visit.

Can LinkedIn Premium users see you in private mode?

A LinkedIn Premium subscription can provide additional profile-view insights, but it does not normally reveal the identity of someone who viewed a profile in full private mode.

Premium users may see more information about visitors who used public or partially private settings. They may also see trends and historical information offered by their subscription. That does not convert a fully anonymous visit into an identified one.

What happens to “Who viewed your profile” when private mode is on?

Privacy often works both ways. Depending on your account type and LinkedIn's current rules, choosing a private viewing option may limit the details you can see about people who viewed your own profile.

Before changing the setting, decide which matters more:

• Seeing detailed information about your visitors
• Browsing other profiles without revealing your identity

You can change the setting again whenever your needs change.

Does private mode hide LinkedIn searches?

Search terms are not normally shown to other members in the first place. Private mode mainly controls what happens when you open a member's profile.

For example:

• Typing a person's name into search does not normally alert them.
• Opening their profile publicly may identify you.
• Opening it in private mode keeps the visit anonymous.

Read can people see what you search on LinkedIn? for a full explanation.

What LinkedIn private mode does not hide

Private mode is not a universal invisibility setting. The following actions can still identify you:

• Sending a connection request
• Following a person or company
• Sending a message or InMail
• Liking or commenting on a post
• Reacting to a newsletter
• Registering for an event
• Endorsing a skill
• Writing a recommendation
• Tagging or mentioning another member

Your public posts, comments and profile information also remain subject to their own visibility settings.

Can you make a previous profile view anonymous?

Do not rely on changing to private mode after a profile visit to erase the earlier view. If your identity was visible when you opened the profile, the other member may already have received or seen that information.

For sensitive research, use this order:

1. Open LinkedIn settings.
2. Enable private mode.
3. Confirm the selection.
4. Search for the person.
5. Open the profile.

Clearing search history later will not remove an earlier profile-view record. These are separate systems.

Can you browse LinkedIn anonymously without an account?

Some LinkedIn profiles may have public versions that appear in search engines. Whether you can see them while logged out depends on the member's public-profile settings, LinkedIn's access controls and the amount of information made public.

Logged-out browsing can be limited and is not a reliable replacement for LinkedIn private mode.

How to stop your own LinkedIn profile appearing in Google

Anonymous browsing protects the profiles you visit. It does not control whether your profile appears in external search engines.

To manage that separately:

1. Open Settings & Privacy.
2. Select Visibility.
3. Find the public profile or off-LinkedIn visibility settings.
4. Review whether your public profile is enabled.
5. Choose which profile sections can appear publicly.

See our complete guide on how to hide your LinkedIn profile from Google search.

When should you use private mode?

Private mode can be useful when you are:

• Researching potential employers
• Looking at colleagues or competitors
• Reviewing candidates before formal outreach
• Checking a former employer's team
• Exploring a confidential career change
• Investigating an unfamiliar connection request
• Protecting yourself from unwanted attention

For networking, public profile viewing may sometimes be more useful because it gives the other person an opportunity to recognise and contact you.

LinkedIn anonymous browsing checklist

Before opening profiles:

• Confirm private mode is selected
• Avoid accidental reactions or follows
• Check whether you are using the correct LinkedIn account
• Use a personal device for confidential job research
• Review browser extensions that interact with LinkedIn
• Clear recent LinkedIn searches on shared devices
• Sign out when using a borrowed computer

Troubleshooting LinkedIn private mode

The Profile viewing options menu is missing

Update the LinkedIn app, close and reopen it, or use the desktop website. The feature is normally located under Visibility.

I selected private mode but my name was still shown

Confirm that the setting was saved before visiting the profile. Also check whether your identity was revealed by another action, such as following, messaging or reacting.

I cannot see who viewed my profile anymore

This can be a consequence of using private viewing settings. Review LinkedIn's explanation shown beside the option and switch back if visitor details are more important to you.

Private mode keeps changing

Make sure you are signed into the correct account and review the setting on the device you use most. If the issue continues, sign out, update the app and sign back in.

Frequently asked questions

Does LinkedIn private mode work for company pages?

Private mode is mainly designed for member profile viewing. Company pages use different analytics and visibility systems.

Will someone know that an anonymous person viewed them?

They may see that an anonymous LinkedIn member viewed their profile, but they should not see your identity from that private-mode visit.

Can I connect with someone after viewing anonymously?

Yes. Sending the invitation will identify you even though the earlier profile visit was anonymous.

Does private mode hide my Open to Work status?

No. Open to Work has separate visibility controls. Review those settings independently.

Is private mode available on free LinkedIn accounts?

LinkedIn has generally offered profile viewing controls to standard members, although associated profile-view history features can differ by account type.

Final answer

To view LinkedIn profiles anonymously, go to Settings & Privacy > Visibility > Profile viewing options > Private mode before opening the profile. Remember that private mode hides the profile visit, not messages, follows, reactions or other activity tied to your account.