.png)
A linkedin contacts export is a CSV file containing your first-degree connections' names, employers, job titles, and — sometimes — email addresses, downloaded directly from LinkedIn's data privacy settings. A recurring pattern among professionals trying to do this is that they wait until they urgently need the data (changing jobs, closing an account, migrating to a CRM) and then hit unexpected walls: missing emails, a 24-hour wait for the download link, or a CSV that opens as a garbled mess in Excel. This guide walks through every step, every limitation, and every workaround — so none of that catches you off guard.
Your LinkedIn network is a professional asset — and right now, it lives entirely inside a platform you do not control. According to Leadfeeder (2026), LinkedIn has approximately 1.3 billion members, making it the largest professional networking platform on earth. That scale means competition for visibility is fierce, and your connection list is one of the few things on the platform that is genuinely yours to take with you.
LinkedIn data portability — the ability to download a copy of your own data — means you are not permanently locked in. Exporting protects you in three concrete scenarios:
Creators who skip this step typically find themselves rebuilding relationships from scratch after a job transition — relationships that were already established and simply needed to be moved off-platform.
The most overlooked LinkedIn habit is treating your connections list as a living asset that belongs to you — not a feature that belongs to the platform.
Here is how to export LinkedIn contacts using LinkedIn's built-in archive tool — no third-party software needed, and no Premium account required.
Connections.csv.The mobile path exists but is nested deeper — which is why most users miss it entirely on mobile:
The email arrives on the same timeline as desktop. The CSV is identical — mobile does not give you a different or reduced dataset.
The LinkedIn data export CSV — specifically the Connections.csv file — contains these fields by default:
That is the complete list. No phone numbers. No profile URLs. No second-degree connections. For a deeper look at what the full archive includes beyond contacts, see our guide on LinkedIn data export to CSV/Excel 2026.
The full archive — if you choose it — also includes your messages, posts, profile data, ad targeting data, search history, and more. LinkedIn archive download what data is included beyond contacts is extensive, but for most people the Connections file is all that matters for outreach or CRM purposes.
The most common failure mode here is expecting more from the CSV than LinkedIn actually puts in it. Understanding the gaps upfront prevents a lot of frustration.
Does LinkedIn export include email addresses? Yes — but selectively. LinkedIn contact email addresses export only surfaces an address when the connection has their settings configured to share email with connections. In practice, roughly a third of connections share their email, sometimes fewer depending on your network's privacy preferences. This means you should never plan a campaign assuming the CSV will be complete.
Why is my LinkedIn export missing contacts? Three common reasons:
How often can you export LinkedIn data before hitting platform limits? LinkedIn does not publish a hard export frequency limit, but patterns observed across users suggest requesting exports more than once every few days for the same data type can trigger delays or temporary holds. Space exports out — there is rarely a reason to export more than once a month.
Now that you know exactly what the native export gives you — and where it falls short — here is how third-party tools and CRM imports fill those gaps.
When the native export is not enough — because you need profile URLs, enriched email addresses, or phone numbers — best LinkedIn contact export tools like Phantombuster, Evaboot, and Dux-Soup can pull richer data directly from LinkedIn profiles. According to Snov.io (2026), a Premium LinkedIn account can export around 550 prospects per day via third-party tools, while a Sales Navigator account allows up to 1,000 per day. In practice, staying at the lower end of those limits reduces account-safety risk considerably.
LinkedIn to Excel contact export software — this category of tools typically works via browser extension. They scrape profile data as you browse LinkedIn or your search results and export it as a CSV or Excel file. The trade-off: richer data, but real Terms of Service exposure if used aggressively.
Once you have the CSV, opening it correctly matters — otherwise you get a garbled single-column file.
How to export contacts in linkedin to excel / how do i export contacts from linkedin to excel:
Connections.csv file.For Google Sheets: File → Import → Upload the CSV → Separator type: Comma → Import data.
Export LinkedIn contacts to CRM: HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive all accept CSV imports natively. Before importing, map the LinkedIn CSV columns:
For how to export contacts from LinkedIn Sales Navigator: navigate to your Saved Leads list → click the three-dot menu → Export to CSV. This is available on paid Sales Navigator tiers and produces a richer file than the standard archive — including LinkedIn profile URLs and account data.
%2520(1).png){kind=small}
hyperclapper.comWant to grow the LinkedIn network you just exported?
HyperClapper helps you boost post visibility and get real engagement from your target audience — so your next export is even more valuable.
Explore HyperClapper
54 seconds is roughly how long it takes to send a generic mass email to an exported list — and long enough to permanently damage relationships with every person on it. What consistently separates effective users of exported contact data from ineffective ones is how they segment before they reach out.
Contact list segmentation strategy using the CSV columns:
What is the best way to back up my LinkedIn network before leaving a job? Export immediately — do not wait for your last day. Once your work email is deactivated, recovering access to a LinkedIn account tied to that email can take weeks. Export while you still have frictionless access, and save the CSV somewhere personal (not on company hardware).
CRM data migration tip: use the Connected On date as a "warmth proxy." Connections made in the last 90 days are the most receptive to outreach — they already agreed to connect with you recently and your name is still fresh.
For transferring contacts from one LinkedIn account to another: LinkedIn does not support this natively. The practical workaround is exporting from the old account, importing the CSV into a CRM or Google Contacts, and then using LinkedIn's "Add connections" import feature on the new account (Settings → Connections → Import contacts) — though this only sends new connection invitations, not a transfer of existing relationships. For a detailed walkthrough, see our guide on how to download LinkedIn connections as CSV/Excel.
Build a LinkedIn presence worth exporting
Tools like HyperClapper help you earn real engagement on every post — so the connections you accumulate are genuinely warm when you reach out later.
Start Free with HyperClapperYes — LinkedIn's native export tool downloads all your first-degree connections for free. Go to Settings & Privacy → Data Privacy → Get a copy of your data → select Connections → Request archive. You will receive an email with a download link, typically within 10–30 minutes. Second- or third-degree connections cannot be exported.
Yes. Once you download the Connections.csv file, open Excel, go to Data → From Text/CSV, select the file, confirm Comma as the delimiter, and click Load. For a complete walkthrough, see our guide to exporting LinkedIn contacts to Excel. Google Sheets and most CRMs also accept the file directly via CSV import.
Use LinkedIn's built-in archive feature: Settings & Privacy → Data Privacy → Get a copy of your data → Connections → Request archive. Select only the Connections file (not the full archive) for the fastest delivery. The resulting CSV contains all confirmed first-degree connections — no third-party tool required.
LinkedIn does not support direct account-to-account transfers. Export your connections from the old account as a CSV, then use LinkedIn's Import Contacts feature on the new account (Settings → Connections → Import contacts) to send fresh connection requests. Existing relationships are not transferred — only new invitations can be sent from the imported list.
Use LinkedIn's native export — the CSV will include email addresses for connections who have chosen to share them in their privacy settings. You cannot force email inclusion for contacts who have opted out. For fuller email coverage, enrichment tools like Evaboot or Phantombuster can supplement missing addresses, though they carry ToS compliance considerations.
Phone numbers are never included in LinkedIn's export — LinkedIn does not store them as a contact field in its standard data model. Emails appear only when the connection has their account set to share email with connections. This is the most common source of surprise in the export file: the fields simply do not exist in LinkedIn's data for those contacts.
A Connections-only export typically arrives within 10–30 minutes. A full data archive can take up to 24 hours. If the email has not arrived after an hour, check your spam folder. If it still has not arrived after 24 hours, revisit Settings to confirm the request was submitted — LinkedIn does not always surface errors clearly.
Yes. For Google Contacts: go to contacts.google.com → Import → select the CSV → map fields manually (LinkedIn's column names may not auto-match). For Outlook: File → Open & Export → Import/Export → Import from another program → CSV. In both cases, the Email Address column is the most important field to map correctly — without it, the contacts import with names and companies but no way to reach them.
Yes — the native LinkedIn contacts export is free for all account types. No Premium subscription is required. Premium and Sales Navigator accounts gain access to additional export features (such as saved lead exports in Sales Navigator), but the core Connections CSV is available on the free tier.
What consistently separates professionals who get real value from their exported LinkedIn data from those who end up with a forgotten CSV file is not the export itself — it is having a plan for the data before you download it. Export with a purpose, segment before you reach out, and treat every address as a relationship to maintain rather than a lead to close. For more on making the most of your LinkedIn network, explore the full LinkedIn influencer database and email export guide on HyperClapper.