The basic steps to connect with someone on LinkedIn

To connect with someone on LinkedIn, find their profile, click the "Connect" button, and optionally add a personal message before sending. The person receives a notification and can accept, decline, or ignore your request. Once they accept, you can message them directly and see more of their activity on your feed.

LinkedIn shows you a "Connect" button on most profiles you visit. If you cannot see it, the person has restricted who can connect with them, or you are already connected. The button usually appears near their name and headline at the top of their profile.

When you click "Connect," LinkedIn gives you the option to add a note. This is a short message — up to 300 characters — that explains why you want to connect. Sending a note makes your request more personal and increases the chance the person will accept, especially if you do not already know them.

Key Takeaways

  • You can connect with anyone on LinkedIn by clicking the "Connect" button on their profile and optionally adding a personal message.
  • The person you connect with will see your name, photo, and any note you included, but not your full profile unless they accept.
  • Once someone accepts your connection request, you can send them direct messages and see their posts in your feed.
  • LinkedIn limits the number of connection requests you can send per week, so sending requests to people you actually want to know matters more than collecting connections.
  • You can view, cancel, or withdraw pending requests you have sent from your "My Network" page.

What the person sees when you send a request

When you send a connection request, the recipient sees your name, photo, headline (your current job title), and any personal note you wrote. They do not see your full profile, your connections, or your activity history unless they accept and become your connection.

If you include a note, it appears directly on the request notification. A note that mentions something specific — a shared interest, a mutual connection, or why you want to know them professionally — stands out more than a generic message. People are more likely to accept requests that feel intentional rather than random.

The person can accept your request when ready, decline it, or let it sit in their notifications. If they decline, you will not be notified, but the request disappears from their inbox. If they ignore it for a long time, it may expire after a few months, though LinkedIn does not announce an exact timeframe.

How LinkedIn limits connection requests

LinkedIn restricts how many connection requests you can send in a week to prevent spam and keep the platform usable. The exact limit varies based on your account age, activity level, and how many connections you already have, but most accounts can send between 100 and 500 requests per week.

If you hit the limit, LinkedIn will not let you send more requests until the weekly counter resets. You will see a message saying you have reached your limit. This is why connecting only with people you genuinely want to know is more effective than trying to build a massive network quickly.

LinkedIn also penalizes accounts that send many requests that get declined or ignored. If a high percentage of people reject your requests, your limit may drop further. This is another reason to personalize requests and connect with people relevant to your work or interests.

Managing requests you have already sent

You can see all the connection requests you have sent that are still pending by going to your "My Network" page and clicking the "Manage" option under "Connections." This shows a list of people who have not yet responded to your request.

From this list, you can withdraw a request if you change your mind or if someone has not responded after several weeks. Withdrawing a request frees up space in your weekly limit and removes the notification from the other person's inbox. You can always send a new request later if you want to try again.

LinkedIn does not tell you why someone declined your request, and you cannot see a list of people who have rejected you. If you suspect someone declined, the simplest approach is to move on and focus on connecting with people who are more likely to accept.

What happens after someone accepts your connection

Once someone accepts your connection request, they appear in your "Connections" list, and you can send them direct messages through LinkedIn's messaging feature. You will also start seeing their posts, job changes, and other activity in your feed, and they will see yours.

Accepting a connection does not mean the person has agreed to anything beyond being connected on the platform. They can still mute your posts so they do not see your activity, or they can remove you as a connection later if they want to.

Your connections can see your profile, your work history, your endorsements, and your recommendations. They can also see who else you are connected with, unless you have changed your privacy settings to hide your connections list.

Privacy and what information is shared when you connect

When you send a connection request, the recipient learns your name, photo, headline, and location (if you have made it public). They do not automatically see your email address, phone number, or any information you have marked as private in your settings.

Once you are connected, the other person can see everything on your profile that you have not hidden behind privacy settings. This includes your work history, education, skills, endorsements, and any recommendations you have received. If you want to limit what connections see, you can adjust your profile visibility in your privacy settings.

LinkedIn also uses your connections to show you mutual connections, suggest new people to connect with, and personalize your feed. The platform does not sell your connections list to third parties, but it does use connection data to improve its own features and recommendations.

Connecting with people you already know versus strangers

LinkedIn makes it easier to connect with people you already know because it can suggest them based on your email contacts, past workplaces, or schools you attended. These "People You May Know" suggestions often include people you have worked with or studied alongside.

Connecting with strangers — people in your industry you have never met — is also common on LinkedIn, especially if you are looking to expand your professional network or explore job opportunities. In these cases, a personalized note explaining why you want to connect is much more important, because the person has no reason to accept otherwise.

Some people on LinkedIn set their profile to "Open to connecting" or include a note in their headline saying they welcome connection requests. These are signals that they are actively building their network and are more likely to accept requests from people they do not know.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I send a connection request to someone and they decline?

LinkedIn does not notify you when someone declines your request. The request straightforward disappears from their inbox and from your pending list. You cannot see who has declined you, and you have to wait a while before sending another request to the same person.

Can I message someone on LinkedIn before they accept my connection request?

No. You can only send direct messages to people who are already your connections. If you want to reach someone you do not know, you have to send a connection request first and wait for them to accept. Some premium LinkedIn accounts can send messages to non-connections, but this is a paid feature.

Does the other person know if I withdraw my connection request?

No. When you withdraw a request, it straightforward disappears from their notifications without any alert. They will not know you sent a request unless they happened to see it before you withdrew it.

Can I see who viewed my profile on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn shows you a limited number of recent profile views for free, though the detail is minimal. Premium accounts can see more detailed information about who viewed your profile and when. This is separate from connection requests — viewing a profile does not send any notification to the other person.

What should I write in a connection request note?

Keep it short and specific. Mention something you have in common — a shared workplace, industry, school, or mutual connection — or explain briefly why you want to connect professionally. Avoid generic messages like "Let's connect" or "I'd like to add you to my network." People respond better to notes that show you have actually looked at their profile.