LinkedIn is an excellent platform for professional networking and career advancement. But did you know that you could go incognito and activate the LinkedIn private mode so that your connections or leads don’t get a notification when you’ve viewed their profile?
The Benefits of Private Mode on LinkedIn
Although sometimes it can be useful letting the other person know when you’ve checked them out (such as during a recruitment process), most times people prefer to keep their activities private. This useful guide will show you how to search in private mode on LinkedIn.

How to Activate Private Mode on LinkedIn
To turn on LinkedIn private mode on your desktop, go to your LinkedIn profile, select Account > Settings & Privacy, click on Privacy at the top, and select how others see your LinkedIn activity. If you use LinkedIn on your smartphone more than on your computer, simply open the LinkedIn app on your smartphone and tap on the profile icon in the upper-left corner of your screen.
Making the Most of Private Mode on LinkedIn
There are various ways you can make the most out of searching LinkedIn in private mode, depending on your objectives and campaign goals. From growing your network to lead generation, competitor research, and recruitment, we’ve got you covered.
How Others See Your LinkedIn Activity
Depending on your career, lead generation, or networking goals, there are varying levels of privacy that you can achieve on LinkedIn. You can show your name, title, headline, and connections or opt for private mode where your profile will be entirely anonymous.

Should You Activate Private Mode on LinkedIn?
While it may be helpful sometimes to view in private mode on LinkedIn, the truth is that LinkedIn is meant for networking. After all, if someone receives a notification that you viewed their profile, they will be naturally curious to have a look at your profile in turn. However, if you’re doing valuable research and don’t want to reveal your identity, the private mode is a good option for you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Private Mode:
- If you view a profile in anonymous mode, Premium members will not be able to see your identity, even if they have access to that information
- Switching to anonymous mode only affects the viewing session in which it is enabled, and previous non-anonymous searches will not become anonymous
- You can change your privacy preferences at any time without limitations. Premium LinkedIn members can remain in anonymous mode and still have access to profile viewership data
- If you switch back to the original profile viewing option, your previous anonymous searches will not reveal your identity to the individuals whose profiles you viewed
Conclusion
If you are looking to maintain your privacy while networking on LinkedIn, the incognito option is no longer just limited to the Google Chrome browser. Individuals whose top priority is privacy can flick on the private mode of LinkedIn. So, the next time you want to view a profile on LinkedIn while staying anonymous, follow the simple steps mentioned above.