How to export your LinkedIn connections
LinkedIn lets you download your connections as a CSV file, for free, from your privacy settings. It is the only clean way to get them out: no official API gives a third-party app your list of connections. Here is how to request the export, what you will find inside, and what to do with it.
Step 1: request your data from LinkedIn
LinkedIn emails you when the file is ready. A connections-only export often arrives in about ten minutes; the full archive can take up to a day. Request it before you need it.
- On LinkedIn, open Me, then Settings & Privacy.
- Go to Data privacy, then Get a copy of your data.
- Choose the data you want. Selecting only Connections is the fastest option; the full archive also includes invitations, messages and more.
- Click Request archive and confirm with your password.
Step 2: download the zip
The email links to a download page in your settings. You get a zip file, and the link stays valid for a limited time: download it when it arrives.
What is inside Connections.csv
Email addresses are often missing: LinkedIn only includes them for connections who chose to let their connections download them. That is normal, not a broken export.
- First Name and Last Name.
- URL: the link to the LinkedIn profile.
- Email Address: only for connections who allow it.
- Company and Position: current company and role.
- Connected On: the date you connected.
Opening it in Excel or Google Sheets
The first lines of Connections.csv are a note from LinkedIn, not data. If Excel shows everything in one column or the headers look wrong, delete the rows above First Name, Last Name. In Google Sheets use File, Import, and fix the header row the same way.
Other useful files in the archive
- Invitations.csv: the invitations you sent and received, including the ones never accepted.
- Your messages are private conversations: keep them to yourself, you don't need them to map your network.
What to do with your connections
A spreadsheet of names doesn't tell you much on its own. The value is in who should meet whom, and who could introduce you. In Salesgram you upload the zip exactly as LinkedIn sends it, with no unzipping and no column mapping. The file is opened in your browser and only your connections and pending invitations are sent; your messages stay on your computer. Then you tag the people who matter and Salesgram surfaces the intersections in your network.
Want to start small? Pick the 20 people you would most like to reconnect with and begin there.
FAQ
Can I export my LinkedIn connections without waiting?
The export is the only official way, and it takes from a few minutes to a day. Browser extensions that copy your connections page exist, but they can break LinkedIn's terms and put your account at risk.
Why are email addresses missing from my export?
LinkedIn only includes the email of connections who chose to make it downloadable by their connections. For everyone else the field stays empty.
Can I export another person's connections?
No. The export only contains your own data.
Is the LinkedIn data export free?
Yes, for every account.
How do I import LinkedIn connections into a CRM?
Most CRMs accept Connections.csv once you remove the note at the top. Salesgram accepts the zip directly, as LinkedIn sends it.
Already have your export? Upload it to Salesgram and see who should meet.