How to Export Your LinkedIn Contacts (and What You Can Legally Do With Them)
Updated 13 September 2026
To export your LinkedIn contacts, go to Settings and Privacy, then Data Privacy, then Get a copy of your data, select Connections, and request the archive. LinkedIn emails you a CSV, usually within about ten minutes for that single file.
The export contains names, headlines, companies and connection dates. Email addresses appear only where the contact has allowed connections to see them.
Step by step
- 01Click Me, then Settings and Privacy.
- 02Open Data Privacy in the left menu.
- 03Click Get a copy of your data.
- 04Choose Want something in particular, then tick Connections.
- 05Click Request archive and confirm your password.
- 06Wait for the email, then download the CSV from the link.
Requesting the full archive instead, posts, messages, activity, takes up to 24 hours. If you only need the contact list, tick Connections alone.
What is in the file
| Column | Always present | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First name, last name | Yes | |
| Company | Usually | Blank if the profile has no current role |
| Position | Usually | Current headline role |
| Connected on | Yes | Useful for segmenting by era |
| Email address | No | Only where the contact permits it |
What you may do with it
The export is your contact list, not a marketing list. Under GDPR and comparable regimes, a LinkedIn connection is not consent to receive marketing email, and uploading the file to a cold email tool is the fastest way to damage both your domain reputation and your professional one.
- Reasonable: keeping a personal backup, segmenting for one-to-one outreach on LinkedIn itself, identifying who to invite to an event individually.
- Risky: bulk email to people who never opted in.
- Also worth knowing: LinkedIn's user agreement restricts scraping and bulk export beyond the official tool.
Frequently asked questions
- How long does a LinkedIn contact export take?
- The Connections-only file usually arrives within about ten minutes. The complete archive can take up to 24 hours.
- Why are most email addresses missing from my export?
- LinkedIn only includes an email when that member has chosen to share it with connections. Most have not.
- Can I upload my LinkedIn connections to a cold email tool?
- Legally risky and practically unwise in most jurisdictions, a connection is not consent to be emailed marketing. Use the list for one-to-one outreach instead.
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