What is LinkedIn Private Mode and How To Activate It

Are you worried about viewing someone’s profile on LinkedIn because they will know about it? Most LinkedIn users find this most common issue, and you may be one of them. You probably want to know how to make your LinkedIn profile private to view others’ profiles easily and secure your information. In this post, you will learn everything about LinkedIn Private Mode, how to activate it, and the best way to utilize this feature.

What is LinkedIn Private Mode, and how do you activate it?

LinkedIn Private Mode lets you stay anonymous on LinkedIn. Here are four simple steps to activate your private mode:

Step 1 – Click on your profile icon on the top right corner of your LinkedIn homepage.

Step 2 – From the dropdown, click on ‘Setting & Privacy’.

Step 3 – Click on ‘Visibility’ from the left menu and tap on change under ‘Profile Viewing options’.

Step 4 – Select the ‘Private Mode,’ and the setting saves automatically.

Should you use LinkedIn Private Mode?

In many cases, LinkedIn Private Mode is beneficial. However, the private mode should be used for the short term. You may want to be seen by others, in the long run, to expand your network, grow your reach and build your authority on LinkedIn.

What is LinkedIn Private Mode?

Simply put, LinkedIn Private Mode is used to hide your activity on your network and browse anonymously. It keeps your profile hidden while browsing other people’s LinkedIn profiles. Recruiters, marketers, and B2B business owners often set their profiles to private mode to browse new leads, sales candidates, or business partners. Once you have turned on the private mode, you will appear as a ‘LinkedIn member’ instead of showing your name and photo.

How to Activate LinkedIn Private Mode on the computer?

Follow the below steps to activate LinkedIn Private Mode on the computer:

Step 1 – Log in to your LinkedIn profile page.

Step 2 – Click on your profile icon at the top right corner of your LinkedIn homepage.

Step 3 – From the dropdown menu, click on ‘Settings & Privacy’.

Step 4 – Click on ‘Visibility’ on the left side menu.

Step 5 – Select the change button next to ‘Profile viewing options’.

Step 6 – Click on ‘Private mode,’ and all changes save automatically.

How to Activate LinkedIn Private Mode on mobile?

If you want to use private mode on your smartphone, you need to follow the below steps from your mobile app:

Step 1 – Open the LinkedIn app on your mobile.

Step 2 – Tap on your profile icon on the top left of your mobile screen.

Step 3 – Click on ‘Settings’.

Step 4 – Scroll down to the ‘Visibility’ option.

Step 5 – Select ‘Profile Viewing Options’.

Step 6 – Choose ‘Private Mode,’ and the setting will save automatically.

How to make the most from LinkedIn Private Mode?

If you have decided to use LinkedIn Private Mode, you need to work smart and follow some rules while using private mode. 

Here are some tips to help you take the maximum benefit of private mode:

For Beginners

If you are new to LinkedIn, you can gain several benefits from the private mode. The feature enables you to be anonymous while you build your network. You can also use private mode if you are looking for new opportunities while working in a company. This way, your current employer will not be able to find that you are seeking new opportunities.

For Recruiters

LinkedIn Private Mode is more suitable if you are a recruiter and want to hire new employees. You can use the private mode when searching for candidates and go back to the public mode when reaching out to the shortlisted candidates.

For Experienced LinkedIn users

If you are an experienced LinkedIn user, you may want to stay anonymous when browsing other profiles. You can use it while seeing other people’s profiles and go back to the normal mode so that others can view your information.

LinkedIn Private Mode for a growing network

Growing your LinkedIn network can open new doors for your career. However, sending invites to every user isn’t a good strategy. Instead, you should focus on connecting with people relevant to your industry. You can find new connections from common contacts, LinkedIn groups, posts, etc. You can use private mode to visit the profiles of different users and decide who you want to add as a connection.

Lead Generation via LinkedIn Private Mode

LinkedIn Private Mode also works for lead generation. During the lead generation process on LinkedIn, you should initially turn off the private mode while creating a cold audience list. Later while doing outreach, you can turn on the private mode. This way, when you view their profile, they will get a notification that you viewed their profile or page, and you can start the conversation with them using the connect request feature.

Competitor’s research via LinkedIn Private Mode

If you want to keep an eye on your competitors and their activities without letting them know, the private mode allows you to do the same by hiding your details.

Can everyone use LinkedIn Private Mode?

Private mode is available on both free accounts and premium accounts. However, the account type you use has an impact on the settings.

Free account – If you turn on private mode, you won’t be able to find who has viewed your profile either.

Premium account – Here, you can browse in private mode and still see the list of people who have viewed your profile in the last 90 days. Even if you have private mode, you will not be able to see the names of private mode viewers.

Conclusion

LinkedIn is all about socializing and growing your network to find new opportunities. In such instances, you should not use private mode. While showing other users that you have viewed them, you open up the possibility of building new connections. However, if someone has privacy concerns and doesn’t want to be tracked, you can use LinkedIn private mode for the short term. You can switch to the private mode for some time and change back to public mode to keep your privacy and, at the same time, maintain your public visibility. The private mode is the best tool to boost your efforts when it comes to lead generation and outreach.