How to Download LinkedIn Contacts: Export, Use, and Protect Your Data

Need a clean list of your LinkedIn connections for CRM import, outreach, or to re-engage past contacts? How to download LinkedIn contacts is a common question for professionals who want control over their network data. This guide walks you through every step — desktop and mobile — explains what LinkedIn exports include, covers privacy and compliance, shows how to import the CSV into CRMs, and offers safer automation alternatives to scale engagement without scraping or violating policies.

Why export LinkedIn contacts? (When it helps your personal brand)

Exporting your LinkedIn contacts can be a high-impact, low-effort move if you're building your personal brand, moving to a new CRM, or running a re-engagement campaign. Use cases include:

• CRM imports and contact deduplication
• Building an email or newsletter list (with consent)
• Segmenting contacts by role, company, or location
• Cross-referencing relationships before outreach
• Backing up your professional network

Curious about how LinkedIn stores connection data, and what you'll actually get when you export? Read on.

What LinkedIn includes (and excludes) in a connections export

Before exporting, set expectations. A LinkedIn connections export is not a full CRM record dump — it's a snapshot of basic contact data.

• Included: First name, last name, current company, and the profile URL. For some connections, LinkedIn also provides the email the member chose to share.
• Often excluded: Phone numbers, full work history, or private emails if a connection hasn't shared them.
• Limitations: Exports only include your 1st-degree connections. If someone is a 2nd or 3rd-degree connection, they're not in the file.

LinkedIn describes the export options in their Help Center — the official guide is useful for interface changes (LinkedIn Help: Downloading your data).

Quick export: Step-by-step (Desktop)

1. Go to Settings & Privacy: Click your profile avatar (top-right) > "Settings & Privacy."
2. Access Data Privacy: Choose "Data privacy" in the left-hand menu.
3. Get a copy of your data: Click "How LinkedIn uses your data" > "Download your data" or find the "Get a copy of your data" card.
4. Select "Connections": Choose the "Connections" checkbox to export only your connections (faster) or select "The works" (full account archive) if you want everything.
5. Request archive: Click "Request archive." LinkedIn will prepare the file — this usually takes under 10 minutes but can take longer for very large networks. You will receive an email when the download is ready.
6. Download CSV: Return to the page and download the CSV containing your connections.

Notes and common issues (desktop)

• If your export comes back empty, confirm you're exporting "Connections" and not an empty custom range.
• LinkedIn may limit exports during rare maintenance windows — try again in a few minutes.
• Emails are only included if the connection has allowed sharing.

Export on mobile (iOS/Android)

Mobile steps vary slightly but follow the same flow:

1. Open the LinkedIn app > tap your profile picture > Settings & Privacy.
2. Tap "Data privacy" > "Get a copy of your data."
3. Select "Connections" and tap "Request archive."
4. Watch for the confirmation email and download the CSV from desktop for easier processing.

Pro tip: do the final download and cleaning on desktop — most CRMs accept CSV imports and it's easier to dedupe there.

How to interpret and clean the CSV

Once you download your connections CSV, you'll typically see columns like: firstName, lastName, emailAddress (if available), and publicProfileUrl. Follow this checklist:

• Open the CSV in Google Sheets or Excel.
• Make a copy before editing.
• Remove duplicates based on profile URL or email.
• Add custom columns you need for segmentation (e.g., lead_source=LinkedIn, relationship_status, notes).
• Validate emails with an email verification tool before sending any mass emails.

Importing into CRMs and mailing tools

Most CRMs (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive) accept CSV import. General steps:

1. Map CSV columns to CRM fields (first name, last name, email, LinkedIn URL).
2. Set a tag or property: "source = LinkedIn export."
3. Run deduplication rules during import if available.
4. Respect email consent — treat the LinkedIn export as a resource to re-engage connections, not as permission to cold-email without consent.

Need help with specific CRMs? See HubSpot’s CSV import guide for step-by-step details (HubSpot import CSV).

Privacy, compliance, and best practices

Exporting contacts has legal and ethical implications. Keep these rules front and center:

• GDPR and local laws: If your contacts are in the EU/UK, ensure you have a lawful basis before adding them to email marketing lists. Exports are allowed, but reusing personal data has limitations.
• Consent: Use the export to re-establish consent. Send personalized re-introductions and ask if contacts want to join your newsletter.
• Don't scrape: Avoid third-party scrapers or browser extensions that harvest data outside LinkedIn’s export feature — this violates LinkedIn’s Terms of Service and can risk account action.
• Security: Store the CSV encrypted and limit access. Treat the file like any sensitive contact list.

Alternatives & safer automation for scaling engagement

If your goal is to grow relationships and your personal brand at scale — without manual exports and risky scraping — consider automation focused on content and consented engagement. Rather than mass-emailing exported contacts, true personal-brand scale comes from consistent content and authentic follow-up.

If you want to re-engage contacts responsibly, combine a careful export with an authentic content plan and personalized outreach. For example, use your exported CSV to segment contacts, then send a short, bespoke LinkedIn message or email inviting them to opt into your newsletter after you’ve shared value.

How Linkesy helps without risking your account

Linkesy automates content creation and scheduling so you can stay top-of-mind with your network without scraping or mass cold outreach. Benefits for professionals who export contacts include:

• Consistent content: 30-day auto-scheduling keeps your profile active and shows up in your connections' feeds.
• Voice-matched AI: Posts that sound like you, building trust before you reach out.
• Image generation: Create visuals that increase CTR and replies.
• Use your export strategically: Import the CSV into your CRM, segment, then use Linkesy-generated content to warm contacts before personalized outreach.

Try Linkesy free to see how content automation complements responsible contact management: See our plans / Get started.

Troubleshooting & FAQs (quick fixes)

• Export link not working: Check email notifications from LinkedIn; sometimes the file link is only available via the confirmation email.
• No emails in CSV: LinkedIn only includes email addresses if the member allowed sharing. Use profile URLs to find or re-request contact info with permission.
• Export delay: Large networks may take longer. Wait up to 24 hours in rare cases.

Checklist: Before you hit "Request archive"

1. Decide your objective (CRM import, backup, re-engagement).
2. Review data compliance rules that apply to your contacts.
3. Prepare your CRM import template (field mapping).
4. Plan a re-introduction message that asks for consent to receive emails.
5. Securely store and delete the CSV when it's no longer needed.

Final tips to get the most value

Exporting your LinkedIn contacts is a practical, official way to regain control of your network data — but the real value comes from what you do next. Use the export to clean and segment your contacts, then prioritize value-first re-engagement. Want to reduce manual steps? Use automation for content that fuels warmer outreach and higher response rates.

Ready to turn your connections into real opportunities — without risky scraping or cold spam? Try Linkesy free to automate consistent, authentic posts that warm your network and support responsible re-engagement.

Related reading

• Pillar: Tools and Technology for LinkedIn
• How to Automate LinkedIn Posts with AI
• 30-Day LinkedIn Content Calendar Template
• LinkedIn Help: Downloading your data
• HubSpot: Import CSV Files

FAQ

How long does it take to download LinkedIn contacts?

LinkedIn typically prepares a connections export within minutes but may take longer for very large networks. You will receive an email when the file is ready; allow up to 24 hours in rare cases.

Does LinkedIn export email addresses?

Only if the connection has chosen to share their email. Many exports will contain profile URLs and names, but emails are not guaranteed for all contacts.

Can I export 2nd-degree connections?

No. LinkedIn exports only include your 1st-degree connections. To reach 2nd-degree users, use personalized inbound content and connection requests.

Is exporting my LinkedIn contacts legal?

Yes—using LinkedIn’s built-in export tool is allowed. However, reusing contact data for marketing must comply with GDPR and local privacy laws; always obtain consent before adding people to email campaigns.

Is it safe to use third-party scrapers to get more data?

No. Scrapers violate LinkedIn’s Terms of Service and can result in account restrictions. Use LinkedIn’s official export and consent-based outreach instead.

Can Linkesy replace downloading contacts?

Linkesy doesn’t replace the official export but complements it: use exports for CRM imports and use Linkesy to automate content and warm your network ethically before outreach.