LinkedIn Read Receipts: How to Know If Someone Read Your Message

Yes, LinkedIn has read receipts. When someone reads your message, their small profile photo appears next to it. Until then, the message shows as Sent, with a small check mark. If the recipient has turned read receipts off, the status stays on Sent even after they read it, so a missing photo doesn't prove your message went unread.

Read receipts are on by default. They come bundled with typing indicators under one setting, Delivery and typing indicators, and turning them off works both ways: you stop sending them and you stop seeing other people's. Here's what every icon means and how to control it.

What the icons next to your LinkedIn messages mean

Sources: LinkedIn Help, message status indicators, delivery and typing indicators and active status.

What does the check mark (tick) mean on a LinkedIn message?

The check mark means sent: your message reached the recipient's inbox. It does not mean read. LinkedIn doesn't use WhatsApp-style blue double ticks. A read message shows the reader's tiny profile photo instead of the check mark.

If the check mark never turns into a photo, either the person hasn't opened the conversation or they've disabled read receipts. You can't tell which from your side.

Don't confuse it with the badge next to someone's name on their profile. That's LinkedIn's verification badge, which shows the member verified their identity, workplace or school (LinkedIn Help). It has nothing to do with messages.

When LinkedIn doesn't show read receipts

You won't see that a message was read in these cases:

1. The recipient turned off Delivery and typing indicators. Your message stays on Sent.
2. You turned them off yourself. When the setting is off, nobody in the conversation, including you, can see whether messages were read or if someone is typing.
3. You sent an InMail. Read receipts and typing indicators don't appear to InMail senders. (More on how InMail works in our InMail guide.)
4. It's a message request the recipient hasn't accepted. Receipts only appear after the recipient accepts the request.

How to turn off read receipts on LinkedIn

On desktop:

1. Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
2. Select Settings & Privacy.
3. Click Data privacy in the left pane.
4. Under Messaging experience, click Delivery and typing indicators.
5. Switch the Delivery and typing indicators toggle off (or on).

On the mobile app:

1. Tap your profile photo, then Settings & Privacy.
2. Tap Data privacy.
3. Under Messaging experience, tap Delivery and typing indicators.
4. Switch the toggle off (or on).

There's a single switch for read receipts and typing indicators: you can't hide one and keep the other. If you only want to stop showing when you're online, change your active status instead: Settings & Privacy > Visibility > Manage active status, then pick Your connections only, All LinkedIn members or No one.

Can you read a LinkedIn message without the sender knowing?

Yes, in three ways:

• Turn off Delivery and typing indicators before you open the conversation. The sender's message will stay on Sent. The trade-off: you lose read receipts on your own messages too.
• Read message requests before accepting them. For message requests, read receipts only appear once you accept, so reading the request doesn't tell the sender anything.
• InMail is always silent. InMail senders never see read receipts or typing indicators, whatever your settings.

Read receipts only cover messages. Visiting someone's profile is a different story: depending on your settings, it can show up in their profile viewers. If you want to look around unnoticed, use LinkedIn's private mode.

Should you keep read receipts on?

For sales and recruiting, we'd keep them on. The signal is useful: you know whether your message was seen before you decide how to follow up, and you can time your next touch. The cost is that people can see when you've read their message and haven't replied yet.

Turn them off if you get a lot of messages you don't want to answer on the spot, or if the "seen" pressure pushes you into rushed replies. Just remember it switches off the signal for your own outreach too.

How to use read receipts when you prospect

• Read but no reply after a few days: follow up with something new, such as a useful resource, a short question or a relevant example. "Did you see my message?" adds nothing, since you already know they did. The same rules apply as in these follow-up email examples.
• Still on Sent after a week: the person may not check LinkedIn often, or has receipts turned off. Try another channel. An email finder can find and verify their work email.
• Typing, then nothing: don't read too much into it. People start replies and get pulled away.
• Many conversations to track: a few LinkedIn inbox management tips and tools keep follow-ups from slipping.

useArtemis runs this kind of follow-up as multichannel sequences: LinkedIn invitations and messages plus emails, with AI-personalized copy and a single inbox where LinkedIn and email replies land together. See pricing.

FAQ

Can you tell if someone read your LinkedIn message?

Yes, if both of you have Delivery and typing indicators turned on. The recipient's small profile photo appears next to your message once they've read it. If they've turned the setting off, or if you sent an InMail, your message stays on Sent.

What does the check mark mean on a LinkedIn message?

It means the message was sent and delivered to the recipient's inbox, not that it was read. When the person reads it, the check mark is replaced by their small profile photo, unless they've disabled read receipts.

How do I turn off read receipts on LinkedIn?

Go to Me > Settings & Privacy > Data privacy, then under Messaging experience click Delivery and typing indicators and switch the toggle off. This also hides typing indicators, and you'll stop seeing other people's read receipts.

Can someone see if I read their LinkedIn message?

Yes, by default. They'll see your profile photo next to their message once you've opened it. To prevent this, turn off Delivery and typing indicators before reading. For message requests, nothing is shown until you accept.

Does LinkedIn show read receipts for InMail?

No. Read receipts and typing indicators don't appear to people who send InMail messages, so you can't tell whether an InMail was opened from the conversation itself.