How to export your data from LinkedIn

easy Wait: minutes for the small files, up to twenty-four hours for the rest

LinkedIn is required to give you a copy of the data it holds about you, including posts and social activity and records. The request itself is free, and arrives as .zip containing CSV. Typical wait: minutes for the small files, up to twenty-four hours for the rest.

Get a copy of your data

Step by step

  1. Open Settings, then Data privacy

    Get a copy of your data. This is not available in the mobile app.

  2. Choose the larger option

    The quick option gives you a handful of files within minutes. The full one takes up to a day and includes connections and messages.

  3. Wait for both emails

    They arrive separately. The fast set first, the important set later.

  4. Download within seventy-two hours

    The link expires after three days, which is shorter than most services.

Worth knowing

Connections and messages, which are the two most people actually want, are in the slower batch. It is easy to download the first email and think that is everything.
Connections.csv begins with several lines of explanatory text before the header row, so importing it directly into a spreadsheet mis-labels every column.
Dates in that file use English month names regardless of your language setting.

Common questions

Why is my LinkedIn export missing my connections?

They are in the second, slower download. LinkedIn sends a small set of files within minutes and the rest, including connections and messages, up to twenty-four hours later as a separate email.

Why does Connections.csv open wrongly in Excel?

There are three or four lines of notes above the real header row. Skip down to the line beginning First Name and import from there.

How long is a LinkedIn data download available?

Seventy-two hours, which is shorter than most. After that you have to request it again.

What Muletto does with this export

Once your download arrives, open it in Muletto. The file is read in your browser, on your own machine - nothing is uploaded. You get a breakdown of what is inside, duplicate detection, and a browsable view of your photos, messages, timeline and records.

Open your export