LinkedIn read receipts show you that someone has read your message: a small profile photo appears next to it and the status changes to “Message read”. You turn them off under Settings & Privacy → Data privacy → Messaging experience → Delivery and typing indicators, but once you do, you can no longer see whether your own messages were read either.
This article covers what the indicator tells you and what it doesn't, where it doesn't apply and how to handle a message that was read but never answered, with templates for sales, recruiting, job seekers and networking. Last updated: 28 September 2026.
What LinkedIn read receipts show
LinkedIn describes the feature like this: read receipts and typing indicators “let you know when a message has been read and when someone is actively typing a response.” Once the recipient has read your message, “a small profile photo appears next to the message.” The typing indicator appears “when someone is typing a response” and, according to LinkedIn, “is on by default.” Source: LinkedIn Help: Delivery and typing indicators, accessed 28 September 2026.
On top of that, every message you send carries a status. LinkedIn lists three:
Status | What LinkedIn says | What you can take from it |
|---|---|---|
Sending message | “Your message is being sent.” If it fails, you see an error message. | Nothing yet. Retry if you get an error. |
Message sent | “Your message is successfully sent and will be delivered to the recipient's inbox.” | It arrived. Whether it was read, you don't know. |
Message read | “Your message has been read.” | It was opened. Not how carefully, not what they thought. |
Typing indicator | Appears when someone is typing a response. | The other person is writing right now. |
Source for the status labels: LinkedIn Help: Understand message indicators in LinkedIn Messaging, accessed 28 September 2026.
The most useful line on that page sits in the “Important to know” box: if a recipient has turned off read receipts and typing indicators, “the message status indicator will show as Sent.” So “Sent” does not mean “unread”. It can just as well mean the other person switched the feature off.
Does LinkedIn show read receipts to both sides?
Yes. When the indicators are on, LinkedIn says “they'll show for all messages sent between you and your connections.” When they're off, “no one in the conversation, including you, can see whether messages have been read or if someone is typing a response.” Source: LinkedIn Help: Delivery and typing indicators, accessed 28 September 2026.
Put that next to the note about “Sent” and the picture is simple: one side switching off is enough. After that, nobody in the conversation sees whether a message was read. LinkedIn offers no setting that lets you read quietly while still seeing other people's receipts.
How to turn off read receipts on LinkedIn
LinkedIn doesn't call the setting “read receipts”. It's named Delivery and typing indicators, and the help page describes a single toggle for both. Turning off read receipts turns off the typing indicator as well.
On desktop
- Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.
- Select Settings & Privacy from the dropdown.
- Click Data privacy on the left.
- Under Messaging experience, click Delivery and typing indicators.
- Switch the toggle on or off.
In the mobile app
- Tap your profile photo, then tap Settings.
- Tap Data privacy.
- Under Messaging experience, tap Delivery and typing indicators.
- Switch the toggle on or off.
Source for both paths: LinkedIn Help: Delivery and typing indicators, accessed 28 September 2026.
Where read receipts don't apply, or work differently
- InMail on LinkedIn: “Read receipts and typing indicators do not appear to senders of InMail messages.” Source: LinkedIn Help: Delivery and typing indicators.
- Message requests: “For message requests, read receipts appear only after the recipient accepts the request.” While the request is pending, you see nothing. Source: same page.
- InMail sent from Sales Navigator: The Sales Navigator help center says the opposite for its own inbox: “You'll receive real-time read receipts for your Sent InMail messages, and be able to view real-time typing indicators while someone is typing a response to your message.” Source: Sales Navigator Help: Access responses to InMail messages in Sales Navigator, accessed 28 September 2026.
None of the help pages we checked sets out separate rules for group conversations, so we make no claim about them here.
Read, no reply: what it actually means
Your LinkedIn message was read and nothing came back. It feels like a no. The indicator gives you exactly one fact, though: the message was opened. Why there's no reply isn't shown anywhere. Maybe the timing is wrong. Or your message simply gave them nothing to respond to, because it didn't ask a question.
So treat “read” the same way you treat “sent”: follow up by the same rules, not sooner and not more often. Two mistakes are worth avoiding.
- Referring to the read receipt. “I can see you've read my message” puts pressure on the other person and tells them you're watching the chat. It rarely earns a reply. It's more likely to earn a switched-off setting.
- Reading “Sent” as “unread”. Resending the same message because no profile photo appeared backfires if the recipient simply turned the indicators off. They now read the same text twice.
Following up after “read”: four rules
- Refer back. Link to your first message in one sentence. Skip “just checking in”.
- Add something new. Bring what the first message lacked: a concrete example, a shorter question, a suggestion with two time slots.
- Remind once or twice, with space in between. Leave a few days between messages. After the second reminder, stop.
- Offer an easy exit. A line like “If this isn't a priority right now, just let me know” makes it easy to say no. A clear no is worth more than three more weeks of silence.
More examples for the second and third message are in our follow-up templates. Step-by-step guides for CompLeadly are in the knowledge base.
Templates for the message after “read”
None of these mention the read receipt. Names are examples; adapt each one to the person you're writing to.
Sales
Hi Sarah, one addition to my question from last week: we recently helped a team of a similar size move their meeting prep into a fixed weekly block. If that's relevant for you, I'll send over two short slots to choose from. If not, no problem at all.
Recruiting
Hi Daniel, one more detail on the Backend Team Lead role: the team is fully remote and the start date is flexible from January. If a move isn't on your mind right now, just tell me and I won't follow up again.
Job seekers
Hi Emma, I wrote to you last week about the open product marketing role. I've since put my work samples together in one PDF. Should I send it here, or would another address suit you better?
Networking
Hi Tom, no pressure on my last message. It just occurred to me that we're both at the same conference next month. Fancy a coffee there?
Keep read receipts on or off? Our recommendation
This is less a technical question than a question of etiquette. Because the setting works both ways, you trade information for expectations.
- Keep them on if you do a lot of outreach on LinkedIn and want to know which messages land. In return, your contacts see when you've read theirs and will expect a reply sooner.
- Turn them off if you want to read messages in peace and answer later without anyone counting. In return, you lose the indicator on your own messages.
Whichever you choose, one habit helps: if you've read a message and can't reply properly yet, send a quick “Thanks, I'll get back to you by Thursday.” It takes ten seconds and saves the other person the guesswork. And someone else's read receipt is information for you, not leverage over them. The same goes for profile visits; who can see what is covered in LinkedIn profile views.
How CompLeadly helps
To be clear up front: CompLeadly does not display LinkedIn read receipts. Follow-ups depend on whether a reply comes in. When either side has the indicators switched off, that's the only reliable signal anyway.
- Follow-up after a set number of days without a reply: a follow-up only goes out once your previous message has gone unanswered for as many days as you specify. The spacing between reminders stays consistent without you tracking it.
- No follow-up once they reply: if the contact has replied, no further follow-up is sent. CompLeadly also skips the opener, the first message after a connection is accepted, if the contact has already replied or two of your messages are already in the chat.
- Smart Chat: replies are collected in one inbox inside CompLeadly, where you take over the conversation yourself. AI reply suggestions come with the Smart Chat add-on, which isn't included in the LinkedIn plans.
- Statistics: per feature and per week you see connections, acceptances and replies. Run two sequences with different copy side by side and the comparison shows which text gets more replies.
- Daily limits: for every feature you set the maximum number of messages sent per day.
You write the texts yourself, with placeholders such as first name or company. The four rules above still apply: every reminder adds something new, and after the second one you stop.
After the 10-day trial with all features, you can keep using CompLeadly for free with the basic features and daily limits, for example 2 connection requests, 1 opener and 1 follow-up per day, each step started individually; full workflows start with Basic. See all plans on the pricing page.
Recruiting and job hunting: same rules
In recruiting, “read, no reply” is everyday life. Many candidates read approaches without being ready to move. A reminder with one new detail about the role plus a clear way out makes it easy for the candidate to say yes or no. In CompLeadly you build the audience from a LinkedIn people search, a Sales Navigator search or, with Recruiter access, from Recruiter searches, connect, send the opener and let follow-ups run after the number of days without a reply that you set. Replies land in Smart Chat. More on the recruiters page and in LinkedIn recruiting message templates.
As a job seeker, you message recruiters, hiring managers or people at the company you want to join directly. A “read” without a reply is not a rejection. Recruiters read a lot of messages between meetings. Follow up once with something concrete, such as work samples, and then let it go. With CompLeadly you create an audience from a people search and send an opener and one follow-up; on the free plan with daily limits and each step started individually. For more job search tips, read 10 common LinkedIn mistakes when job hunting and our post on Open to Work.
FAQ
Does LinkedIn show read receipts?
Yes. When someone reads your message, a small profile photo appears next to it and the status reads “Message read”. That only works if both of you have delivery and typing indicators turned on.
Can I read LinkedIn messages without the sender knowing?
Yes, by turning off delivery and typing indicators. But then no one in the conversation, including you, can see whether messages have been read.
Why does my message only say “Sent”?
Either the recipient hasn't read it yet, or they've turned off read receipts. LinkedIn says the status then stays on “Sent”. You can't tell the two apart.
Can I see if an InMail was read?
Not on LinkedIn itself: read receipts don't appear to InMail senders. For InMail sent from Sales Navigator, the Sales Navigator help center says you get real-time read receipts.
How often should I follow up after a message was read?
Once or twice, a few days apart, each time with something new and an easy way to say no. Then stop.
Does CompLeadly show whether a message was read?
No. CompLeadly doesn't display LinkedIn read receipts. Follow-ups depend on whether and when a reply arrives, and replies appear in Smart Chat.
