How to see your LinkedIn connection date with someone

Short answer: your LinkedIn connection date is in your data download. Request it under Settings & Privacy, Data privacy, and the Connections file lists the date for every 1st-degree connection. The catch: the request only works on desktop, and LinkedIn doesn't document a connection date on the person's profile.

For a quick look at who you connected with lately, the Recently added sort on your Connections list helps too. Both routes are below.

Where LinkedIn records the date you connected

LinkedIn keeps the date you connected with each person, but it doesn't put it on the obvious screens.

The documented home for it is the Connections file in your account data. LinkedIn's page on downloading your account data describes that file as containing the first and last name, public profile URL, email address, company, position, and connection date for all 1st-degree connections.

That's the exact date, for everyone, in one place.

The second route is lighter. Your Connections list can be sorted by Recently added, which puts your newest connections at the top. It shows order, not a documented date.

Most people want one of two things: the exact day for one person, or a rough sense of who's new. The download answers the first. The sort answers the second.

How to find your LinkedIn connection date in the data download

The request takes a minute. LinkedIn sends you a download link once it's ready.

Request the file

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 How LinkedIn uses your data, click Get a copy of your data. Some LinkedIn pages call this option Download your data.
5. Choose the data you want and click Request archive.

Open the connections file

1. Download the archive from the link LinkedIn sends you.
2. Open the Connections file in a spreadsheet app.
3. Find the person's row and read the connection date column.

If you only need connection dates, pick the specific data rather than the whole archive. Smaller requests come back much faster.

How long the LinkedIn data download takes

Timing depends on what you ask for. LinkedIn's page on exporting your connections gives the windows.

A request for specific categories, such as your connections, arrives within minutes. A full archive of everything can take up to 24 hours.

The download link doesn't last forever. LinkedIn says it stays valid for 72 hours, so save the file somewhere you'll find it.

Download the file the same day you get the link. If the link expires, you'll need to request the data again and wait a second time.

Can you check a connection date on your phone?

Not through the download. LinkedIn states that the data download is currently not available on mobile.

The workaround is simple: request the file from a computer, then open the archive later on any device that reads spreadsheets.

What does work in the app is the Recently added sort. Go to My Network, then Manage my network, then Connections, and use Sort by.

That gives you your newest connections first. It won't give you a date, but it answers "who did I add lately?" on the go.

How to sort your LinkedIn connections newest first

On a computer, LinkedIn's page on viewing your connections describes the route:

1. Click the My Network icon at the top of your homepage.
2. Click Connections on the left, under Manage my network.
3. Open the Sort by dropdown and choose Recently added.

The other sort options are First name and Last name.

In the app, it's My Network, then Manage my network, then Connections, then Sort by.

What the newest-first sort can and can't tell you

The sort is good at one thing: order. Your most recent connections appear first, and older ones sit further down.

It's less useful for exact dates. LinkedIn's help page documents the sort itself but doesn't describe a date label on each connection, so treat anything you see there as a rough guide.

There's also a practical ceiling. LinkedIn notes that searches of your connections list are limited to 100 pages or 1,000 results.

If you have thousands of connections and want someone from years ago, scrolling a sorted list is the slow way. The data download reaches everyone.

Why the contact info section isn't the place to look

Many older answers say to open the person's profile, click Contact info, and read a "Connected" date. LinkedIn's own documentation doesn't back that up.

The help page on viewing a connection's contact information describes opening a connection's profile and clicking See contact info in their introduction section. It doesn't mention a connection date.

Contact info also depends on the other person. LinkedIn says it's visible only if they opt to share those details, and only to 1st-degree connections.

So even if a date appears there for some people, it isn't a documented feature you can rely on for everyone. The download is.

Finding one person in the connections file

Once the file is open, the fastest route is your spreadsheet's search.

Search for the person's last name, then their first name if the list is long. The row gives you their name, profile URL, company, position and the connection date side by side.

If you can't find someone, check the spelling they use on LinkedIn. People change display names, add middle initials or switch to a married name, and the file uses whatever the profile shows.

It also helps to search by company. If you remember where they worked when you connected, that column narrows the list quickly.

Why some email addresses are missing from the file

Don't be surprised if the email column has gaps. LinkedIn says email addresses won't appear for connections who don't allow their email to be downloaded.

The connection date isn't affected by that choice. You'll still see the name, profile URL, company, position and date.

That's worth remembering if you planned to use the export as a mailing list. It isn't one.

It's a record of who you know on LinkedIn, and each person controls whether their email is part of it.

Sorting the file to find your oldest and newest connections

The spreadsheet gives you more than a lookup. Sort the connection date column and your whole LinkedIn history lines up in order.

Sorted oldest first, the top of the list shows the people you connected with when you joined. That's often a list of former classmates and first colleagues you haven't spoken to in years.

Sorted newest first, you see who you've added lately. It mirrors the Recently added sort, with exact dates this time.

Filter by year if you want a narrower view, for example everyone you connected with during a particular job or event.

Practical uses for a connection date

Knowing when you connected is more useful than it sounds. A few common reasons people look it up:

• Reconnecting with someone after a long gap, and wanting to mention where you met.
• Preparing for a meeting with a contact whose history you've forgotten.
• Reviewing old connections you no longer recognize before deciding whether to keep them.
• Tracking outreach, for example how long ago a prospect accepted your invitation.

For reconnecting, the date plus the company column is usually enough context. "We connected when you were at Acme in 2019" is a much better opener than a cold hello.

If the person isn't in your connections file

The file covers your 1st-degree connections at the time you request it. If someone doesn't appear, the likeliest reason is that you aren't connected any more.

LinkedIn's help page on removing connections says a removed connection is no longer a 1st-degree connection. Either of you may have removed the other at some point.

If you need that history, check your own records outside LinkedIn: old emails, calendar invites or notes. LinkedIn's export only reflects the connections you have now.

Keeping your connections export private

The Connections file holds other people's details, including email addresses where they allowed it. Treat it with the same care as any contact list.

A few habits help:

• Store it somewhere private, not a shared drive the whole team can open.
• Delete old copies once you've found what you needed.
• Don't upload it to other tools without thinking about what those contacts agreed to.

Your connections shared their details with you on LinkedIn. That trust doesn't automatically extend to every app you use.

The LinkedIn connection date, in short

To see the exact date you connected with someone, request your data from Settings & Privacy, Data privacy, and open the Connections file. It lists the connection date for every 1st-degree connection.

For a quick look at who's new, sort your Connections list by Recently added, on desktop or in the app.

Request the file on a computer, download it within 72 hours, and search for the person's name. That's the whole job.

Connection date questions

Do I need Premium to see when I connected with someone?

No. The data download sits in Settings & Privacy, and LinkedIn's help pages on it don't limit it to Premium members.

Can I see a connection date for someone I'm not connected with?

No. The Connections file covers your 1st-degree connections only, so there's no date for 2nd-degree contacts or people you follow.

Can I export only my connections instead of all my data?

Yes. Choose the specific data you want before you click Request archive. LinkedIn says specific categories arrive within minutes, much faster than a full archive.