LinkedIn, a powerful networking platform, tracks your viewing activity. While this feature helps you connect with people, some users prefer to maintain more privacy. This guide provides a practical strategy for learning how to delete your LinkedIn view history, ensuring you control your online footprint.
Understanding LinkedIn's View History
Before diving into deletion, understanding LinkedIn's view history is crucial. This feature shows others who've viewed their profile in the past 90 days. However, LinkedIn doesn't offer a direct "delete" button for your own viewing history. This is because it's a feature intended to facilitate networking. Therefore, the strategy focuses on minimizing its visibility and impact.
What LinkedIn View History Shows (And Doesn't Show)
- Who you've viewed: LinkedIn shows you the profiles you've viewed recently. This list is only visible to you.
- Who's viewed your profile: This is the information others might see – which profiles have viewed yours. Again, this is limited to the past 90 days.
- Specific details: LinkedIn doesn't offer granular details, such as the exact time or duration of your views.
Minimizing Your LinkedIn View History
Since you can't directly delete your view history, the goal is to minimize its potential impact. Here's a practical strategy:
1. Use Incognito Mode (or Private Browsing):
Browsing LinkedIn in incognito mode prevents the platform from associating your views with your regular account activity. This won't erase past views, but it limits future tracking.
- Chrome: Open a new incognito window by pressing
Ctrl+Shift+N(Windows) orCmd+Shift+N(Mac). - Firefox: Click on the three horizontal lines (menu), then select "New Private Window."
- Safari: Click on the Safari menu, then select "New Private Window."
- Edge: Click on the three horizontal dots (menu), then select "New InPrivate window."
This is a simple but effective method for maintaining a degree of anonymity while browsing LinkedIn.
2. Be Mindful of Your Activity:
The best way to control your view history is to be mindful of what profiles you view. Only look at profiles that are genuinely relevant to your professional goals. Avoid browsing aimlessly, as this can inflate your viewing history.
3. Regularly Clear Your Browser's Cache and Cookies:
While this won't directly remove your LinkedIn view history from LinkedIn's servers, it can help to remove some browsing data that might be indirectly associated with your activity. Each browser has its own method for clearing cache and cookies. Consult your browser's help section for instructions.
4. Review Your LinkedIn Privacy Settings:
While you can't delete view history directly, regularly reviewing your LinkedIn privacy settings is important. Ensure you understand and adjust your settings according to your comfort level. This includes settings related to who can see your connections and activity.
Conclusion: Managing Your LinkedIn Presence
While completely deleting your LinkedIn view history isn't possible, the strategies outlined above provide effective ways to manage and minimize its impact. By combining incognito browsing, mindful activity, and regular browser maintenance, you can achieve a better degree of control over your online presence and privacy on LinkedIn. Remember that proactive management of your digital footprint is crucial for maintaining both professional and personal privacy.
