LinkedIn shows you who viewed your profile, and by default, it shows others when you view theirs. This transparency can be awkward when researching competitors, checking on former colleagues, or exploring job opportunities at your current company's rivals.

LinkedIn offers an anonymous browsing mode that hides your identity when you view profiles. But it comes with significant trade-offs that many users do not realize until it is too late.

This guide explains exactly how to use LinkedIn anonymously, what you gain and lose by doing so, and alternative strategies for private research that might work better for your needs.

How LinkedIn's "Who Viewed Your Profile" Feature Works

LinkedIn tracks profile views and displays this information in two places: to the person whose profile was viewed, and to the person doing the viewing. This creates a two-way transparency system.

What LinkedIn Tracks

When you visit someone's profile, LinkedIn records your name, headline, location, and how many times you have viewed that profile. The person can see this information in their "Who Viewed Your Profile" section.

LinkedIn also shows you who viewed your profile, creating a reciprocal visibility system. This transparency is designed to encourage networking and connection requests.

Why This Matters

Profile views can be strategic intelligence. If a recruiter views your profile, they might be interested in hiring you. If a prospect views yours multiple times, they might be considering your offer. But it also means your research is not invisible.

This creates situations where you want to research people without tipping them off. That is where anonymous browsing comes in.

How to Enable Anonymous Browsing on LinkedIn

LinkedIn calls this feature "Private Mode" or "Private Profile Viewing." Here is how to turn it on.

On Desktop

Click your profile picture in the top right corner
Select "Settings & Privacy" from the dropdown menu
Click on the "Visibility" tab on the left sidebar
Under "Visibility of your LinkedIn activity," find "Profile viewing options"
Click "Change" next to your current setting
Select "Private mode" from the three options
Click "Save"

On Mobile

Tap your profile picture in the top left
Tap "Settings" (gear icon)
Tap "Visibility"
Tap "Profile viewing options"
Select "Private mode"
Tap "Save"

What Private Mode Shows

When you browse in Private Mode, people whose profiles you view will see "LinkedIn Member" instead of your name and details. They will know someone viewed their profile but not who.

LinkedIn still shows basic information like your industry and general title category, but not your specific identity.

The Three Privacy Modes on LinkedIn

LinkedIn offers three profile viewing options. Understanding the differences helps you choose the right one.

Your Name and Headline (Default)

This is the most transparent option. When you view someone's profile, they see your full name, headline, photo, and location. You also see full details about who viewed your profile.

Best for: Normal networking, sales prospecting, and building visibility.

Trade-off: Everyone knows when you view them, which can be awkward in sensitive situations.

Private Profile Characteristics

A middle ground. People see your industry and general role (like "Someone in the Technology sector") but not your specific identity.

Best for: Light anonymity while still seeing who viewed your profile.

Trade-off: You see partial information about your profile viewers, but they see partial information about you.

Private Mode (Fully Anonymous)

The most private option. People only see "LinkedIn Member" when you view them. No details about your industry, role, or location.

Best for: Competitive research, job hunting at competitors, or browsing sensitive profiles.

Trade-off: You completely lose access to who viewed your profile. This is permanent as long as Private Mode is enabled.

The Major Trade-Off: You Cannot See Who Viewed Your Profile

Here is the catch that surprises most users: when you enable Private Mode, you lose the ability to see who viewed your profile. This is not a temporary limitation. As long as Private Mode is on, that data is invisible to you.

What You Lose

You cannot see which recruiters viewed your profile
You cannot track prospect interest in sales scenarios
You miss networking opportunities from people checking you out
You lose valuable intelligence about who is interested in you

Why LinkedIn Does This

LinkedIn built this trade-off intentionally. The "Who Viewed Your Profile" feature is one of LinkedIn's core value propositions. By making visibility reciprocal, they encourage more profile views, more connections, and more engagement on the platform.

If you want anonymity, you have to give up access to that data. LinkedIn frames this as fairness: if you do not want others to see you, you should not see others either.

Can You Toggle Back and Forth?

Yes, you can switch between modes anytime. However, while Private Mode is enabled, you will not accumulate any data about who viewed your profile during that period.

Some users try to game this by turning Private Mode on only when they want to browse anonymously, then turning it off to see who viewed them. This works, but you will miss views that happened while Private Mode was active.

When to Use Anonymous Browsing

Anonymous browsing makes sense in specific situations. Here are the most common use cases.

Competitive Research

When researching competitors, you do not want them to know you are checking them out. Private Mode lets you explore their team, recent hires, and organizational structure without tipping your hand.

Example: You are launching a product and want to see who works at competing companies, what their backgrounds are, and how they position themselves.

Job Searching While Employed

If you are exploring opportunities at your company's competitors or clients, you do not want your current employer seeing you check out profiles at those companies.

Private Mode keeps your job search discreet until you are ready to make a move.

Researching Before Outreach

Sometimes you want to research someone thoroughly before reaching out. Anonymous browsing lets you review their profile, posts, and activity without creating a premature impression.

Strategy: Browse anonymously first, then disable Private Mode when you are ready to make contact. Your profile view will then show up normally.

Vetting Candidates

Hiring managers often want to check candidates on LinkedIn without signaling interest before making a decision. Private Mode keeps your research confidential.

Checking on Former Colleagues or Employees

If you are curious about where a former colleague or employee ended up but do not want to reopen that relationship, anonymous browsing lets you check in without them knowing.

Due Diligence

Investors, partners, and acquirers often research people before deals. Anonymous browsing keeps that due diligence confidential until the deal is public.

When NOT to Use Anonymous Browsing

Sales Prospecting

In sales, you often want prospects to see you viewed their profile. It creates awareness and can prompt them to check you out in return. Anonymous browsing eliminates this advantage.

Many sales professionals view prospect profiles intentionally to create a "social selling signal" before reaching out.

Networking and Visibility

If you are actively building your professional brand, you want people to see you engaged on the platform. Anonymous browsing undermines visibility.

Job Searching (In Most Cases)

Recruiters often check their own profile views to find potential candidates. If you view a recruiter's profile anonymously, they cannot find you to reach out about opportunities.

Unless you are job hunting at a competitor while employed, visible browsing actually helps your search.

Tracking Engagement

If you need to track who is interested in your services, content, or offers, you need the "Who Viewed Your Profile" feature. Anonymous mode eliminates this intelligence.

Alternative Methods for Private LinkedIn Research

If you want to research people on LinkedIn without losing access to who viewed your profile, here are alternative approaches.

Use LinkedIn Search Without Clicking Profiles

LinkedIn search results show preview information like name, headline, company, and location. You can gather basic intel without actually visiting profiles.

This works for surface-level research but limits what you can learn.

View Profiles from a Secondary Account

Some professionals maintain a basic secondary LinkedIn account for research purposes. This account has minimal information and exists solely for anonymous browsing.

Important: LinkedIn's terms of service technically prohibit operating multiple personal accounts. Use this approach with caution.

Use Google Search

Most LinkedIn profiles are indexed by Google. Search for "site:linkedin.com/in [person's name]" to find profiles. You will see cached versions and summary information without visiting LinkedIn directly.

This method is limited because you cannot see full profiles or recent activity.

Ask Someone Else to Check

If you need information from a specific profile but want to stay anonymous, ask a colleague or friend to check it for you. Their profile view shows up instead of yours.

Toggle Private Mode Strategically

Keep Private Mode off by default. Only enable it when you need to browse specific sensitive profiles, then turn it back off immediately.

This minimizes the time you cannot see who viewed your profile while still giving you anonymity when needed.

What Anonymous Mode Does NOT Hide

Private Mode has limitations. Here is what it does not protect.

Connection Requests

If you send a connection request, the person sees your full profile regardless of your privacy settings. Anonymous mode only affects profile viewing, not connection activity.

Messages

Messages and InMails always show your full identity. You cannot message someone anonymously on LinkedIn.

Engagement on Posts

If you like, comment on, or share someone's post, they see your name. Anonymous mode does not apply to content engagement.

Mutual Connections

People can still infer you viewed them by checking mutual connections or seeing who engaged with shared content. LinkedIn provides indirect signals even when direct profile views are hidden.

LinkedIn Premium Analytics

LinkedIn Premium users get more detailed analytics. While they still cannot see your name if you browse anonymously, they may get aggregate data about anonymous viewers that could provide clues.

LinkedIn Premium and Anonymous Browsing

LinkedIn Premium does not give you more anonymity. The same privacy modes apply to free and paid accounts.

What Premium Offers

Premium users see more details about who viewed their profiles, including how they found you and what they looked at. But this only works when viewers are not in Private Mode.

If someone browses your profile anonymously, even Premium cannot reveal their identity.

The Trade-Off Remains

Premium users still face the same choice: browse anonymously and lose visibility into who viewed your profile, or browse publicly and see full analytics.

LinkedIn does not offer a "one-way anonymity" feature where you browse privately but still see your viewers.

Best Practices for Anonymous LinkedIn Browsing

Use It Sparingly

Keep Private Mode off by default. Only enable it for specific sensitive research, then turn it back off. This maximizes your access to profile viewer data.

Document Your Research Elsewhere

Since you cannot revisit profiles easily when in Private Mode, take notes about key information. Export or save details you might need later.

Be Strategic About Timing

If you know certain times are high-traffic for your profile (like right after you post content), avoid enabling Private Mode during those windows so you capture viewer data.

Remember the Reciprocal Nature

Anonymity is a two-way street. When you hide yourself, you also hide valuable intelligence about who is interested in you. Weigh this trade-off carefully.

Consider Your Goals

If you are actively job searching, networking, or building your brand, staying visible usually outweighs the benefits of anonymity. Reserve Private Mode for genuine competitive or sensitive research.

Common Questions About Anonymous Browsing

Can People Tell You Are Browsing Anonymously?

Sort of. When you view someone's profile in Private Mode, they see "LinkedIn Member" in their profile views list. This indicates someone viewed them anonymously, but they cannot identify you specifically.

Some users find anonymous views suspicious, especially if they happen repeatedly.

Does LinkedIn Notify People When You Enable Private Mode?

No. Changing your privacy settings is private. Nobody gets notified when you switch to Private Mode.

Can You Undo Anonymous Profile Views?

No. Once you view a profile anonymously, you cannot retroactively reveal your identity for that view. If you want them to know you visited, you need to visit again with Private Mode disabled.

Does Logging Out Let You Browse Anonymously?

Partially. When logged out, you can see very limited profile information through Google searches or direct links, but LinkedIn restricts most content to logged-in users. This is not a practical alternative to Private Mode.

How Long Do Profile Views Stay Visible?

LinkedIn shows profile views for 90 days. After that, they expire. This applies to both visible and anonymous views.

Balancing Privacy and Networking

LinkedIn is built on transparency and reciprocity. The platform wants you visible and engaged because that drives connections, conversations, and ultimately, business value.

Anonymous browsing goes against this design philosophy. LinkedIn allows it, but only if you accept significant trade-offs. For most users, staying visible is the better long-term strategy.

Profile views create opportunities. Recruiters find candidates this way. Sales prospects check out vendors. Potential partners discover collaborators. By hiding your activity, you eliminate these serendipitous connections.

Use Private Mode when you genuinely need it for competitive research or sensitive situations. But default to visible browsing. The intelligence you gain from seeing who viewed your profile usually outweighs the awkwardness of being seen.

Scaling Research While Managing Visibility

If you are researching large numbers of profiles for recruiting, sales, or market research, manually toggling Private Mode becomes impractical.

At scale, visibility often becomes an asset rather than a liability. Viewing hundreds of profiles signals that you are active and engaged. For recruiters, this attracts inbound interest. For sales professionals, it creates awareness.

The key is combining research with strategic outreach so your profile views feel intentional, not random. When you view someone's profile and then send a thoughtful message, the view becomes part of your professional approach rather than an awkward digital footprint.

Tools that help manage this research and outreach at scale let you maintain consistency while staying authentic. The goal is efficient visibility, not hiding.

Final Thoughts

LinkedIn's anonymous browsing feature gives you control over your visibility, but it comes at a cost. You trade your identity for access to intelligence about who is interested in you.

For occasional competitive research or sensitive situations, Private Mode is useful. But as a default setting, it undermines many of LinkedIn's core benefits around networking, visibility, and professional opportunities.

Most professionals are better served by staying visible, embracing profile views as part of networking, and using anonymous mode only when truly necessary. The relationships and opportunities that come from visibility usually outweigh the occasional awkwardness of being seen.

How to Use LinkedIn Anonymously: Browse Profiles Without Being Seen