LinkedIn Private Mode: How to Turn It On, What Others See, and What Premium Changes
By Muhammad Amir, Searcora Digital Ltd · LinkedIn Help pages read 22 October 2026
Private mode lets you look at LinkedIn profiles without your name appearing in the other person’s “Who’s viewed your profile” list. Recruiters, salespeople and job seekers use it to research people quietly. On a free account it also has a cost that most people only notice later. This page sets out how private mode works according to LinkedIn’s own help pages, and what changes with Premium.
The three profile viewing options
LinkedIn gives you three ways to appear when you look at someone’s profile:
- Your name and headline. The person sees exactly who you are.
- Private profile characteristics (semi-private). They see a description such as your job title, company, school or industry — for example “Someone at Accenture” or “Student at Cornell University” — but not your name.
- Private mode. You appear as “LinkedIn Member — This person is viewing profiles in private mode”, and no other information about you is shared.
How to turn on private mode on LinkedIn
On the desktop site, the setting takes under a minute:
- Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
- Select Settings & Privacy.
- Click Visibility on the left.
- In Visibility of your profile & network, click Visibility when viewing other profiles.
- Choose Private mode, or semi-private if you only want to hide your name. In the app, the same setting sits under Settings, then Visibility.
What private mode costs on a free account
LinkedIn’s help pages are clear about the trade-off: on a Basic (free) account, if you browse in private mode, you will not be able to see who has viewed your profile either. With Premium, you can browse in private mode and still see the list of people who viewed you. The difference in the viewer list itself is large:
| Feature | Basic (free) | Premium Career or Business |
|---|---|---|
| Time range of viewer data | Last 90 days | Up to 365 days |
| Viewer list | Three most recent viewers, and only if your own setting shows your name and headline | The full list |
| Insights | Not available | Top locations, industries and companies of viewers, filterable |
| Sorting | Not available | Most recent or most relevant |
| Browsing in private mode | Hides your own viewer list | Your viewer list stays visible |
When private mode helps, and when it hurts
Private mode is a tool, not a default. Use it deliberately.
- Use it when you are screening candidates, researching a sales account or looking at a competitor, and a visible view would tip your hand.
- Turn it off before you reach out to someone. A view from you, a day before your message, is a gentle introduction.
- Turn it off when you are job hunting and looking at people at the companies you want. Hiring managers notice who views them.
- Remember that a free account in private mode loses its own viewer list, which is often the most useful signal LinkedIn gives you.
Browse privately and keep your viewer list
Searcora Digital Ltd is a UK-registered company and is not affiliated with LinkedIn. We activate fixed terms on your own LinkedIn account — as a licence seat on your sign-in email or an activation link you redeem yourself. No password is asked for and nothing renews. Premium Career is $25 for 2 months, $90 for 6 and $140 for 12; Premium Business is $30, $100 and $150. See how LinkedIn Premium works or all Premium prices.