How to Add a Line Break in a LinkedIn Message

Sending a LinkedIn message that's just one giant, intimidating block of text is the modern equivalent of showing up to an interview with a wrinkled shirt. It's a small detail, but it sends the wrong signal. Or worse, you hit the Enter key to start a new paragraph, and your half-finished message zips off into the digital ether. This article breaks down exactly how to add line breaks in a LinkedIn message on both desktop and mobile, so you can craft clear, professional, and easy-to-read communications every single time.

Why Does the Enter Key Send My LinkedIn Message?

If you've ever felt the panic of accidentally sending a message, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common frustrations on LinkedIn’s desktop platform, and the reason is simple: LinkedIn’s messaging is designed to feel like a real-time chat. In many chat applications (like iMessage or WhatsApp), the Enter key's primary function is to send, speeding up the back-and-forth of a conversation. It prioritizes speed over formatting.

However, professional communication isn't always about speed. A well-formatted message invites a response, a wall of text often gets ignored. Whether you're sending a cold outreach message, following up on a connection request, or sharing detailed project updates, clarity and structure are far more important. Learning how to override the default "send" function is a small but powerful skill for effective networking and brand building on the platform.

More Than Just Tidiness: Why Line Breaks Are a Networking Superpower

Formatting your LinkedIn messages might seem like a minor detail, but it has a surprisingly big impact on how your messages are received. It’s part of your personal or professional brand. Here’s why mastering the line break is worth your time.

1. Sky-High Readability and Scannability

Let's be honest: professionals are busy. They aren't reading your outreach messages like a novel, they’re scanning them for value. Giant paragraphs are hard to scan. The eye glazes over, and key information gets lost. Line breaks create white space, which acts as a visual guide, allowing a reader's eyes to move comfortably through the text. This makes it effortless for them to pick out the important parts: who you are, what you want, and what the next step is.

Example: No Line Breaks

Hi John, I saw your recent post about scaling content marketing teams and it really resonated with me. At my company, we faced a similar challenge when growing from 5 to 15 writers, and we found that implementing a tiered editing system was a game-changer for maintaining quality without slowing down our production schedule. I was wondering if you’ve tried something similar or had any other insights from your experience? I think it’s a fascinating problem to solve and would love to connect and share notes if you’re open to it. Thanks so much.

Example: With Line Breaks

Hi John,

I saw your recent post about scaling content marketing teams and it really resonated with me.

At my company, we faced a similar challenge when growing from 5 to 15 writers, and we found that implementing a tiered editing system was a game-changer for maintaining quality.

Have you tried something similar or found other strategies that worked well for you?

Would love to connect and share notes if you’re open to it.

Thanks so much!

The second message is instantly more approachable and easier to digest in seconds.

2. Professionalism and Intentionality

A message that is thoughtfully formatted signals that you took a moment to compose it. It shows respect for the recipient's time and attention. A hastily typed, unformatted message can feel transactional or, even worse, like spam. The simple act of adding paragraph breaks elevates your communication from a casual chat to professional correspondence. This is especially important for first impressions, such as when you're reaching out to a potential client, employer, or business partner.

3. Crystal Clear Communication

Line breaks are organizational tools. You can use them to clearly separate distinct ideas, list out questions, or outline a set of action items. This structure reduces the chance of misinterpretation. If you’re asking three questions in a single block of text, the recipient might only answer the first one they see. Spacing them out makes your request clear and comprehensive.

• Introduce yourself.
• State the reason for your outreach.
• Ask your primary question.
• Propose next steps.

Structuring your message like this ensures every part gets the attention it deserves.

The Keyboard Shortcut: How to Add Line Breaks on a Desktop or Laptop

For anyone using LinkedIn in a web browser, there is one main method that works almost universally, along with a helpful backup plan.

Method 1: The Go-To Keyboard Shortcut (Shift + Enter)

This is the fastest, simplest, and most reliable way to add a line break without sending your message. It’s a "soft return" as opposed to the "hard return" command triggered by hitting Enter alone.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Type out a line of text in the LinkedIn message box.
2. When you’re ready to start a new line, hold down the Shift key.
3. While still holding Shift, press the Enter key (or Return on a Mac).
4. Your cursor will jump down to the next line.

You can repeat this as many times as you need to create paragraphs, lists, and spacing. When your entire message is composed and formatted perfectly, you can then hit Enter by itself (or click the "Send" button) to send it.

Pro Tip: Practice this a few times in a message to yourself to build muscle memory. Once you get used to it, you'll never accidentally send a half-written message again.

Method 2: The Copy &, Paste Workflow

If you prefer to compose longer, more detailed messages without any risk, or if for some reason the keyboard shortcut isn't working on your setup (due to a rare browser extension conflict, for example), this method is foolproof.

1. Open a separate text editor. This could be anything from Notepad (Windows) or TextEdit (Mac) to Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or even a simple notes app like Notion.
2. Write out your entire message in the editor, using the Enter key to create line breaks and paragraphs just as you normally would.
3. Once you’re completely satisfied with the formatting and content, select all of the text (Ctrl + A or Cmd + A) and copy it (Ctrl + C or Cmd + C).
4. Navigate back to your LinkedIn message chatbox.
5. Paste the formatted text into the message box (Ctrl + V or Cmd + V).

The message should appear with all your line breaks intact, ready to be sent. This workflow is particularly helpful for creating and reusing message templates for outreach, as you can store your perfected templates in a document and simply copy them over when needed.

Can You Change the Enter Key Setting on LinkedIn?

This is a common question, so let's clear it up: No, LinkedIn does not currently offer a setting to change the function of the Enter key in messaging. You cannot toggle a setting that makes "Enter" create a new line instead of sending. The "Shift + Enter" keyboard shortcut is the officially intended way to manage formatting on desktop.

It's Simpler Than You Think: Adding Line Breaks on the LinkedIn Mobile App

Good news! This process is radically simpler on your smartphone. The design of mobile keyboard interfaces naturally separates the act of typing from the act of sending.

On virtually all modern mobile devices, both iOS and Android, the virtual keyboard includes a dedicated "Return" or "Enter" key. Tapping this key will insert a line break, moving your cursor down to a new line.

• To start a new paragraph, tap "Return" twice.
• To create an itemized list, tap "Return" after each item.

The "Send" function is almost always a separate button on the user interface, often represented by a paper airplane icon to the right of the text input field. You type and format your text using the keyboard, and when you are ready, you tap the separate Send icon. This intuitive design removes any confusion and makes it nearly impossible to send a message accidentally while trying to format it.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to add a line break in a LinkedIn message is a small but essential skill for crafting professional and readable communications. Using Shift + Enter on desktop and the built-in Return key on mobile allows you to break up walls of text, separate ideas, and present your message in a polished, easy-to-scan format that busy professionals will appreciate.

Staying on top of individual messages is one thing, but managing engagement across all your social channels can quickly become a juggling act. We built Postbase to solve that chaos. One of our core features is a unified inbox that gathers all your comments and DMs from LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and beyond into a single, organized stream. This makes it simple to provide timely, professionally formatted responses to everyone, from anywhere, without constantly switching tabs and apps.