The 11 LinkedIn Privacy Settings You NEED to Know and Manage

For example, you can use LinkedIn privacy settings to reduce the number of sales pitches you receive. Despite LinkedIn's privacy policies and limitations on data use for marketing, this is still very useful. With that in mind, let's look at the available options and how to use them.

Your LinkedIn Privacy Settings

Your account options are centralized, as with other social media networks. There are numerous options available and two ways to access your settings. If you aren't already on LinkedIn, enter the URL: https://www.dhirubhai.net/psettings/. If you haven't already, you'll need to sign in before you can change the settings.

To access your profile directly, click on your image in the upper right corner of the homepage. Then click on "settings and privacy."

It will redirect you to the same page I mentioned before. No matter how you reach the page, you'll see that some of LinkedIn's privacy options differ from what you're used to.

The Most Relevant LinkedIn Privacy Preferences

You can currently manage more than 70 options in your LinkedIn privacy settings. Some are more crucial than others. It would help if you proactively managed these because they significantly impact account security and overall visibility on the platform. These will be discussed in the order they appear on the menu within LinkedIn privacy settings, with the exact location indicated in parentheses after the item for your convenience.

1. Contact Syncing Options

If you sync your contacts with LinkedIn, the website will notify you when people in your network either join or are already on the social networking site. Besides, this option helps expand your LinkedIn network, which is especially helpful given the messaging restrictions on LinkedIn. The URL is https://www.dhirubhai.net/mynetwork/settings/manage-syncing/?trk=psettings manage contacts preferences.

You can sync data from your Google account, smartphone, and Outlook (work or personal). The sync option is a helpful way to stay in touch with clients, sales prospects, or remote workers, primarily if you work from home. Furthermore, increased connectivity can help you avoid the dreaded "phone tag" with hiring managers if you're looking for work.

2. Signing in and Security

If you want as many people as possible to find you, add as many email addresses as possible. The sooner you start, the better it will be for you. To be clear, the email addresses being added are YOURS (or addresses you manage, with permission). Email settings can be found at https://www.dhirubhai.net/psettings/email.

That's simple enough, but how do LinkedIn's account privacy settings work? In several different ways. First, people can find your account by using your email address. This is especially useful if you have a common name, live in a large city, or frequently get confused with other people with similar names. Potential connections can quickly get "just you" by using your email.

Adding email addresses also allows you to ask a potential new connection to know your email address more quickly. People who only know one of your email addresses will be unable to pass the challenge if you leave one or more of them out of the LinkedIn privacy settings list. In practice, this means you're passing up potentially valuable connections.

3. Two-Step Verification

This is critical to protecting your account if someone obtains your password on the dark web and attempts to log in to your account. It is undeniable that many people dislike two-step verification. If you don't want to use that, I always recommend using a strong password and changing it regularly. We all used to do things like that before two-step verification was an option. The setting can be found at https://www.dhirubhai.net/psettings/two-step-verification.

You can choose the two-step verification method when you get to this page. You must enter a security code when you sign on with a new device or mobile app. LinkedIn allows you to receive the code via an authentication app or text message (SMS). Of course, both of these options require using a cell phone. Also, remember that certain account features, such as recruiters and talent hub users, rely on this safeguard.

4. Profile & Network Visibility

Did you know you can control whether or not people see when you visit their LinkedIn profile? Please turn it on when you want to be visible and off when you want to be anonymous while researching competitors!

It's worth noting that this is frequently referred to as "how to activate private mode on LinkedIn," but it's the same. Here's the URL: https://www.dhirubhai.net/psettings/profile-visibility

There are three options under this heading:

●       Your profile, industry/job, and location are all prominent.

●       You can be identified as "someone from (affiliation).

●       You have the option of remaining completely anonymous.

●       Each option serves an essential purpose, and you can switch between them often. Also, LinkedIn premium users have access to additional features.

●       Change the visibility of your profile and network.

If you want to use your LinkedIn profile as your primary professional website, ensure all your information is accessible to search engines. To keep your LinkedIn profile private, consider why you are on LinkedIn - or social media. Of course, there is a happy medium between these two options, but visibility is usually desirable. Here's the URL: https://www.dhirubhai.net/public-profile/settings

u have several options here. They range from only allowing your contacts and close connections to see you to full access. However, with open access, you can limit how much is visible without a login. In some cases, this can help to alleviate privacy concerns. Alternatively, if you don't want people to know where you are in the short term, hiding your profile behind a privacy wall can be helpful. This is because the location is automatically accessible at any level of public access.

5. Connections

Did you know that if you aren't careful, your connections can see who you are by clicking on your total number of connections? If you work in sales and one of your contacts starts working for a competitor, they will be able to see who is in your network. For that reason alone, I advise against allowing others to view your connections. Do you want to be perceived as a walking Rolodex? Here's how to keep your network safe: https://www.dhirubhai.net/psettings/connections-visibility

6. Email Address and Profile Discovery

As I mentioned in Signing in and Security, you should associate as many email addresses as you have with your LinkedIn profile. With that, you should enable this option so that others with your email address can find and contact you. As you add emails, make sure to approve their use here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/psettings/visibility/email

7. Share Profile Updates with Your Network 

Assume you make a minor change to your profile. Do you want everyone in your network to know - or your boss? Most likely not. That is why I recommend you disable this. However, if you are promoted or change jobs, you should activate this and strategically use it to notify your network of the good news! https://www.dhirubhai.net/psettings/activity-broadcast

The big question at the end of the day is whether or not something is newsworthy. Or, for that matter, if you want everyone else to know about it. You may need to change your profile sometimes, but you don't need all your lurkers to notice. This is particularly true if you are looking for a new job. Even sprucing up your profile may make an employer believe you're disloyal. Keep an eye on your LinkedIn privacy settings.

8. Select Allow People to Follow You

You'll notice that the default "Connect" button on my LinkedIn profile (https://l) says "Follow." If you want to do the same for your platform, you can do so through this setting. What's the point? I believe it encourages people who genuinely want to connect with you to go the extra mile, resulting in a higher quality of connection requests.

Consider this: if you can only connect with someone, then people who are only passively interested in you will need to communicate with you. This is especially true if your other LinkedIn privacy settings are the highest. The problem is that not everyone needs to be able to contact you. For some, staying in touch can mean receiving your likes and comments (or blog posts). If they need to get people to know about a business opportunity, they can do so in various ways other than LinkedIn messaging. Ready to give it a shot? Visit https://www.dhirubhai.net/psettings/allow-follow for more information.

9. Keep Track of your LinkedIn Communications

Some complain that LinkedIn sends them too many emails, notifications, or app pushes. You have complete control over these, which are three separate privacy settings for each of the communication methods. Here's the URL: https://www.dhirubhai.net/psettings/communications#how-you-get-your-notifications

This set of LinkedIn privacy settings is quite comprehensive. This is because LinkedIn recognizes that not everything requires notification for everyone. Furthermore, the relevance of a specific notice type can be pretty limited. Detailed options are divided into three categories: push notices (popups on the device), app/web notifications, and emails. This allows you to get what you need without feeling overwhelmed.

10. Allow Others to Reach You

I believe that if you are on LinkedIn, you should make yourself as contactable as possible. Maybe you disagree. Regardless, you can choose who can send you message requests, InMails, or Sponsored Messages in this section of LinkedIn privacy settings: https://www.dhirubhai.net/psettings/message-preferences.

Of course, there are a few reasons why you might need to impose some constraints. Some professionals, for example, may find sponsored messages irritating. This is especially true if they attempt to change careers, as the sponsored notifications will most likely be tailored to their prior experience or education. Another significant situation may involve personal safety concerns. In this case, blocking an annoying person or stalker individually is still an option.

Finally, it's worth noting that you can require someone to have your email address to send a connection request in this section. If you use this option, make sure you have all active emails listed to reduce the number of people excluded because they provided the incorrect one. I don't recommend it for most people because it makes you difficult to contact.

It's Time to Take Control of Your LinkedIn Privacy Settings

Knowing how to edit your LinkedIn privacy settings is essential to using the network. In most cases, you want to maximize visibility while minimizing overwhelm. You should follow these steps to benefit from LinkedIn's networking potential fully.

FAQs about LinkedIn Privacy Settings

Is it possible to make my LinkedIn profile private?

Yes, you have the option of making your LinkedIn profile private. Go to your homepage and look for your screen's display photo on the top right. Then, from the drop-down menu, select Settings and Privacy. Select the Visibility settings on the left side. You will then be able to select which aspects of your profile you want to keep private.

What should the privacy settings on LinkedIn be?

Your LinkedIn privacy settings should depend on what you want to accomplish on LinkedIn. If you want to broaden your network by making new connections and meeting more people, you should make your profile as public as possible. Over time, you will reap more benefits from including as many email addresses as possible for maximum discoverability. Can I check who has access to my LinkedIn profile?

Yes, you can limit who has access to your LinkedIn profile. Click the Me icon in the upper right corner of your LinkedIn homepage, then select Settings and Privacy. From the left pane, navigate to the Visibility settings. You can change your URL, hide your profile from the public, and toggle the button to turn off your profile's public visibility under that setting.

How do I hide my LinkedIn profile entirely?

Here are the steps to completely private your LinkedIn profile:

1. Select Me from the drop-down menu.

2. Select Settings & Privacy.

3. Select Profile Viewing Options from the Visibility menu.

4. Select Private Mode.

What exactly is LinkedIn's private mode?

LinkedIn's private mode allows you to conceal the information on your LinkedIn profile completely. This means that if you view the profile of another LinkedIn user, no other information on your profile is shared with that person. As a result, they will never know you looked at their profile.