How to Export LinkedIn Connections to CSV (2026 Guide)

LinkedIn's built-in export gives you a data dump of your entire network. No filtering. No tags. No way to export a specific group of connections.

If you want to export a curated list (say, all your connections in finance, or everyone you connected with before 2023), you need a different approach.

This guide covers two methods: LinkedIn's native export and a filtered export using Network Cleaner.

Why Export Your LinkedIn Connections?

People export their connections for different reasons:

• Backup before cleaning - You're about to remove hundreds of connections and want a record of who they were.
• Move to a spreadsheet or CRM - You need names, titles, and profile URLs in a format you can work with.
• Analyze your network - Who did you connect with in the last year? How many recruiters vs. founders? A CSV makes this visible.
• Share a list with your team - Export connections tagged "prospects" or "partners" and hand it off.

Whatever the reason, you want control over what gets exported. Not a raw dump of 10,000 rows.

Method 1: LinkedIn's Built-In Export

LinkedIn lets you download a copy of your data, including connections. Here's how:

1. Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage
2. Select Settings & Privacy from the dropdown
3. Click Data Privacy on the left rail
4. Under How LinkedIn uses your data, click Get a copy of your data
5. Select Download larger data archive (connections are not available in the quick-select options)
6. Click Request archive
7. Wait for LinkedIn to email you a download link (up to 24-48 hours)

Important: "Connections" is not one of the individual data files you can request separately. The quick-select options only include things like Articles, Invitations, and Profile. To get your connections, you need the larger archive, which takes significantly longer.

What You Get

The CSV file includes:

• First Name, Last Name
• Public Profile URL
• Email Address (only if the connection made it public, which is roughly 3% of users)
• Company, Position
• Connected On date

What's Missing

LinkedIn's export has real limitations:

• No filtering. You get every connection, all or nothing. Can't export a subset.
• No headlines. You get a "Position" field, but not the headline. Position is often outdated or empty.
• No tags or categories. If you've organized connections in your head (or in a tool), none of that context comes through.
• Slow. The archive takes up to 24-48 hours. Not ideal when you need the data now.
• No programmatic access (for most users). LinkedIn offers a Member Data Portability API, but it's restricted to members located in the EU/EEA and Switzerland. Everyone else is stuck with the manual archive request.

For a full backup where timing doesn't matter, LinkedIn's export works. For anything filtered, tagged, or time-sensitive, you need a better tool.

Method 2: Filtered Export with Network Cleaner

Network Cleaner is a Chrome extension built for managing LinkedIn connections. Along with bulk removal, it lets you export selected connections to CSV.

The key difference: you choose exactly which connections to export.

How It Works

Step 1: Install and Import

Install Network Cleaner from the Chrome Web Store. Open the extension and import your connections. This takes a few seconds.

Step 2: Search and Filter

Use the search bar and filters to narrow down your list:

• Search by text: Name, job title, company, or headline. Use OR for multiple terms, - to exclude, "quotes" for exact matches.
• Filter by date: Connections added before, after, or between specific dates.
• Filter by tag: If you've tagged connections (e.g., "keep", "prospects", "old industry"), filter by tag to isolate groups.

Step 3: Select and Export

Check the connections you want, or use Select All to grab everyone matching your filters. Click Export CSV.

The file downloads immediately. No waiting for an email.

What You Get

Network Cleaner's CSV includes:

• First Name, Last Name - Split into separate columns
• Headline - Their current LinkedIn headline, not a stale position field
• Job Title - Current role title
• Company - Where they work now
• City, Region, Country - Location broken into separate columns
• Followers, Connections - Their network size at time of export
• Profile URL - Direct link to their LinkedIn profile
• Connected At - When you connected
• Tags - Any tags you've assigned in Network Cleaner

Why This Matters

The difference between LinkedIn's export and a filtered export is the difference between a phone book and a contact list.

LinkedIn gives you the phone book. Every name, no context, no way to pick who you need. And you wait up to 48 hours to get it.

Network Cleaner gives you the contact list. The people you chose, with the tags and headlines you care about, downloaded instantly.

Common Export Workflows

Here are a few ways people use the export:

Backup Before a Network Cleanup

About to remove 2,000 connections? Export them first. You'll have a record of every name, headline, and profile URL. If you ever need to reconnect, the profile links are right there.

Export by Tag

Tag your connections as "prospects", "partners", "old industry", or whatever categories make sense. Then filter by tag and export each group separately. Clean spreadsheets, organized by purpose.

Export Connections from a Specific Time Period

Filter by connection date to export everyone you connected with during a specific job, event, or campaign. Useful for career changers who want to separate "past life" connections from current ones.

Feed a CRM or Outreach Tool

Export your tagged connections and import the CSV into your CRM. Names, headlines, and profile URLs give you enough to start personalized outreach without manual data entry.

LinkedIn Export vs. Network Cleaner

LinkedIn's export wins on two things: it's free, and it includes email addresses (for the small percentage of users who make them public). For everything else, especially filtering, speed, and headlines, a filtered export gives you more useful data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to Export?

Install Network Cleaner free, browse and tag your connections, then export exactly the list you need. One CSV, your connections, your way.