How to Check if a LinkedIn Profile Is Public

Wondering exactly what the outside world sees when they search for you on LinkedIn? You’re not alone. Figuring out if your LinkedIn profile is public - and what that public view actually includes - is a common question. This guide will walk you through exactly how to check your own profile's visibility, how to test it from an outsider’s perspective, and how to verify if someone else's profile is public, too.

Why Your LinkedIn Public Profile Matters

Before we get into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Your public LinkedIn profile is essentially your digital business card, available to anyone with an internet connection. It’s what recruiters, potential clients, future business partners, and old colleagues see when they search for you on Google. A well-crafted public profile builds credibility and opens doors to new opportunities. Conversely, a private or incomplete profile can make you seem invisible, which might not be what you want if you're trying to grow your network or accelerate your career.

There are good reasons to limit what’s public, especially for privacy. But many professionals choose to keep key details - like their headline, summary, and experience - visible. This allows them to control their professional narrative online and be discoverable for the right reasons. Taking a few minutes to get these settings right gives you complete control over your first impression.

How to Check and Edit Your Own Public Profile

LinkedIn gives you a simple, direct way to see and edit what the public can view on your profile. The platform puts you in control, but you have to know where to find the settings. Let's walk through it step-by-step.

Step 1: Navigate to "Settings &, Privacy"

First, log in to your LinkedIn account. In the top right corner of the navigation bar, you’ll see an icon with your profile picture labeled "Me."

• Click the "Me" icon to open a dropdown menu.
• Select "Settings &, Privacy" from the list. This will take you to your main account settings page.

Step 2: Go to the "Visibility" Tab

Once you’re in your settings, you’ll see a navigation menu on the left side of the screen. This menu organizes all your options into categories like "Account preferences," "Sign in &, security," and "Data privacy."

• Click on the "Visibility" tab. This section contains all the settings that determine who can see your profile and activity on LinkedIn.

Step 3: Find and Edit Your Public Profile Settings

Inside the "Visibility" section, you’ll find several options. The one we're looking for is the first one, which controls what people outside of LinkedIn can see.

• Click on "Edit your public profile."

This will open a new page that is your central command center for all things public visibility. On the right side of the screen, you’ll see a live preview of how your profile looks to people who aren’t signed in to LinkedIn. On the left side, you have all the tools to change that view.

Step 4: Customize What the Public Can See

Now for the most important part: customizing your look. Here’s a breakdown of the toggles you’ll find on the left sidebar.

Your profile’s public visibility
This is the master switch. If this toggle is turned off, your entire public profile is hidden. Search engines won’t be able to find you, and a non-logged-in user who gets a link to your profile will only see a message telling them to sign in. If you want any public presence at all, this switch needs to be turned on.

Show or Hide Specific Profile Sections
When the master switch is on, you get granular control over exactly which parts of your profile are visible. You can choose to show or hide:

• Profile photo: You can choose to show it to everyone, your 1st-degree connections, your network (up to 3rd-degree), or all LinkedIn members. Selecting "Public" makes it visible to everyone, on and off LinkedIn.
• Headline: This is a big one. Your headline is one of the first things people read. It’s generally a good idea to keep this public.
• Website: If you've added a portfolio or company website, you can decide whether to share it publicly.
• Summary: Your professional summary is your chance to tell your story. Making this public helps people understand your skills and goals.
• Articles &, Activity: Want the world to see your latest articles and popular posts? Keep this switched on.
• Current and Past Experience: You can choose to show details for each job or just the basics.
• Education: Like your job experience, you can decide if the public can see where you went to school.
• Recommendations: Showing off your glowing recommendations can be a powerful credibility booster.

Scroll through these options and toggle each one based on your comfort level. The preview on the right will update in real time, so you can see exactly how your changes affect your public profile.

How to Verify Your Public Profile Like a Pro

Adjusting your settings is great, but how can you be 100% sure what the world sees? Don't just trust the preview - double-check it yourself. There are two reliable methods to get an objective view of your public profile.

Method 1: The Incognito Window Trick

This is the fastest and most accurate way to check your public visibility. Every modern browser has a private browsing mode (like Incognito in Chrome, Private Window in Firefox or Safari).

Why does this work? A private window doesn't share your login information or cookies, so when you visit LinkedIn, it sees you as a brand-new visitor who isn't logged in. It’s the perfect way to simulate what a stranger or a search engine sees.

1. Get Your Public Profile URL. On the "Edit your public profile" page, look at the top of the left sidebar. LinkedIn provides your vanity URL there (it looks like www.linkedin.com/in/yourname). Copy this link.
2. Open a New Incognito Window. You can usually find this in your browser’s "File" menu or by right-clicking the browser icon.
3. Paste Your URL. Paste the URL you copied into the address bar of the incognito window and press Enter.
4. See the Real Thing. The page that loads is exactly what anyone who isn't logged into LinkedIn will see. It reflects the public settings you just configured. It's the ultimate reality check.

Method 2: Use Google (With a Caveat)

You can also perform a Google search for yourself. Simply search for [Your Name] LinkedIn to see if your profile appears in the results. If it does, it's public and being indexed by search engines.

However, keep in mind that Google takes time to update its index. So, if you just made changes to your visibility settings (like making your profile public for the first time or hiding it), those changes might not be reflected in a Google search for hours or even days. For an immediate, accurate view, the incognito window trick is always the better choice.

How to Check if Someone Else's LinkedIn Profile Is Public

So, you've sorted out your own profile. What about someone else's? How can you tell if that great connection you met at a conference, or a potential candidate, has a public profile for you to share or refer back to?

The process is nearly identical to verifying your own profile from an outsider's view.

The Easiest Way: Use an Incognito Window

1. Find Their Profile URL. If you're connected or have visited their profile while logged in, go to their page and copy their LinkedIn profile URL from your browser’s address bar.
2. Open a New Incognito Window. Just like you did for your own profile check.
3. Paste and Go. Paste their URL into the address bar and see what comes up.

Here’s how to interpret the results:

• If their profile loads and you can see their photo, headline, and other information, then their profile (or at least parts of it) is public.
• If you’re redirected to a login page or see a message saying "This profile is not available" or something similar, it means their profile is either completely private or only visible to logged-in LinkedIn members.

That's all there is to it. The login wall is the definitive sign that a profile is not public.

Final Thoughts

Taking a few moments to review and adjust your LinkedIn public profile settings puts you back in the driver’s seat of your professional brand. You get to decide exactly what a potential employer, client, or partner sees, giving you the confidence that your best foot is always forward. It's an easy win that has a lasting impact on your visibility.

Once your profile is set up just how you want it, the next step is building your professional brand with great content. We built Postbase to make that part easier. Our visual calendar and straightforward scheduling tools help you plan and publish consistent, engaging posts on LinkedIn and other platforms, ensuring your public profile is always active and polished - without turning social media into a chore.