Ask Nathan Academy

    How to download your LinkedIn connections

    Five steps, about ten minutes, most of it LinkedIn preparing your file. You never give Ask Nathan your LinkedIn password.
    Ask Nathan How Nathan finds the path

    The five steps

    1. Open LinkedIn's export page. Go to Me → Settings & Privacy → Data privacy → Get a copy of your data, or use the direct link on this page.
    2. Tick only “Connections”. Choose “Want something in particular?” and select Connections. The full archive can take a day; connections alone usually arrives in about ten minutes.
    3. Click “Request archive”. LinkedIn asks for your LinkedIn password, on LinkedIn. You never give Ask Nathan your LinkedIn password.
    4. Download the file from LinkedIn's email. It arrives as a .zip. There's no need to open it.
    5. Drop it into Ask Nathan, zip and all. Nathan finds Connections.csv in your browser and shows you what's in it before anything is imported.

    Open LinkedIn’s export page ↗

    Last checked September 2026. LinkedIn moves this menu from time to time.

    Now you have 2,000 names. Which ones matter?

    LinkedIn tells you who you know. It doesn’t tell you how well, and it doesn’t know which accounts you’re trying to get into. A connection you accepted years ago reads the same as a former colleague you still meet every month.

    Ask Nathan reads your LinkedIn connections alongside your pipeline (the accounts you need) and your calendar (who you actually meet, and how recently). Who you know, who you need and how well you know them, joined into one answer: who can get you in.

    What happens to the file

    Drop the .zip in as LinkedIn sends it. Nathan opens it in your browser, finds Connections.csv and shows you what’s in it before anything is imported. Nathan uses it to find your paths and nothing else. LinkedIn connections stay below “verified”: they can suggest a path, never establish one. See Trust & data.

    Frequently asked questions

    Why does my export have almost no email addresses?

    LinkedIn includes a connection's address only when that person chose to share it — about 1 in 40. Nathan matches on name and company instead.

    How long does LinkedIn take?

    Connections alone usually arrive in about ten minutes. The full archive can take up to a day, so tick only Connections.

    Is exporting my connections allowed?

    Yes. It's LinkedIn's own export of your own data. Ask Nathan never scrapes LinkedIn and isn't a LinkedIn integration: you bring the file.

    Can I do this on my phone?

    It's much easier on a computer. LinkedIn's data-export settings are hard to reach in the mobile app.

    Keep exploring

    See it on your own accounts

    Upload a CSV or paste account context. No CRM connection required.

    Ask Nathan Request Team Pilot

    Private beta · No live CRM, Microsoft, LinkedIn, or Gmail access · Draft only — verify before action.