LinkedIn guide
By
Elias Brandt
Elias Brandt writes about marketing, email and analytics tools for Appcyclopedia, working on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 10 and a Galaxy S25.
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Short answer
Open the person’s profile and select Connect. If you do not see it, look under More. Choose to add a note saying how you know them, or send without one. The invitation waits under My Network until they accept.
Invite people you know: LinkedIn restricts accounts whose invitations are often ignored or marked as unknown, and the restriction can last a week or more.
Below: the steps on a computer and a phone, writing a note, and what to do with invitations nobody answers.
How to connect with someone on LinkedIn, step by step
To send a connection request on LinkedIn, start from the person’s profile. The first group sends the invitation, the second checks and manages the ones you have sent.
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Send the invitation
Open the person’s profile
Search for the person by name in the search bar at the top, or open their profile from a post or My Network. Check the photo, job and location so you invite the right person with that name.
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Select Connect, or find it under More
Select Connect under their name. Some profiles show Follow or Message in that place instead; then select More and choose Connect from the menu. On a phone, the buttons are in the same place under the profile header.
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Add a note, or send without one
LinkedIn asks whether to add a note. Select Add a note and write a line on how you know the person or why you want to connect, then select Send. Free accounts can add a note to a limited number of invitations; when the allowance runs out, send without a note.
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Enter an email address if LinkedIn asks for one
Sometimes LinkedIn asks for the person’s email address before it sends the invitation. That usually means your account has a restriction for sending many invitations to people you do not know. Enter it if you have it, or wait for the restriction to lift.
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Manage your invitations
See invitations you have sent under My Network
Select My Network, then the invitations section, and switch to Sent. Invitations wait there until the person accepts or ignores them. The person is not told when you check.
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Withdraw invitations nobody answers
Next to an old invitation, select Withdraw. Clearing invitations that have sat for weeks helps keep your account clear of restrictions. You cannot invite the same person again for up to three weeks after withdrawing.
After a conference: open the profile of a speaker you talked to, select Connect, add a note such as “Enjoyed your talk on payroll software in Leeds yesterday, and our chat afterwards,” and send. A specific note makes the person far more likely to accept.
Add a note when the person might not place your name: one line about where you met is the difference between accepted and ignored.
More about LinkedIn
The professional network for work history, job hunting and industry news.
When a LinkedIn invitation will not send
- There is no Connect button
Look under More on the profile. Some people set Follow as their main button, and a few limit who can invite them, for example to people who know their email address.
- LinkedIn says you cannot send more invitations right now
Your account has a temporary restriction, usually for sending many invitations in a short time or having many ignored. Most lift automatically within about a week; LinkedIn does not remove them on request.
- You sent an invitation to the wrong person
Go to My Network, open sent invitations and select Withdraw next to it. They will not be able to accept it after that.
Connect, Follow or Message: which button to use
LinkedIn shows different buttons on different profiles, and each does something else.
| Button | What it does | Needs the other person to accept |
|---|---|---|
| Connect | Invites them to your network | Yes |
| Follow | Shows you their public posts | No |
| Message | Opens a message, if they allow it | No, but free accounts can usually only message connections |
Connect with people you have worked or studied with, and follow people whose posts you want to read but do not know.
Why LinkedIn restricts invitations
LinkedIn limits invitations to keep requests relevant. An account is restricted when it sends many invitations in a short time, when many are ignored or left pending, when recipients say they do not know the sender, or when LinkedIn suspects an automation tool.
A first restriction usually lasts a few hours. Repeated ones last days, and too many invitations left unanswered can mean waiting up to a month.
How to write a note that gets accepted
A note works when it answers “who is this?” in the first line. Say where you met or what you have in common, and keep it short.
- Good: “We sat next to each other at the Leeds payroll conference on Tuesday, nice to meet you.”
- Weak: “I’d like to add you to my professional network.”
What to do after sending connection requests
Most people accept within a few days or not at all. Check your sent invitations every couple of weeks and withdraw the ones that went unanswered.
Open the profile, select Connect, add a one-line note and send. A complete profile helps too: people accept invitations from a face and a job title far more readily, as the guide to creating a LinkedIn account explains.
LinkedIn connection requests: what people ask
- How many connection requests can I send?
- LinkedIn limits invitations but does not publish an exact number. Sending many in a short time, or having many ignored, can restrict your account for a few hours to a few weeks.
- Does the person know if I withdraw my invitation?
- No notification is sent. The invitation simply disappears from their list.
- What is the difference between Connect and Follow?
- Connect asks the person to join your network, and both of you see each other’s updates once they accept. Follow shows you their public posts without them having to accept.
- Should I always add a note?
- Add one when the person may not know who you are. For close colleagues an invitation without a note is fine.
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- Worked Every step, start to finish · Daniel Okonkwo Team
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When you need this
If you want to add a colleague or contact to your LinkedIn network, open their profile and select Connect. A short note helps them recognise you.
- Describes
- LinkedIn in a browser on a computer · LinkedIn app for iPhone and Android
- Takes
- A minute per invitation
- Platforms
- Web · iOS · Android
- Published
- 14 October 2026
- Facts checked
- 10 October 2026
Steps repeated and verified by 
Daniel Okonkwo
on
- Daniel Okonkwo: the iPhone steps on an iPhone 15 (iOS 27.0.1), the Android steps on a Pixel 9 Pro (Android 17) and the web steps on a MacBook Pro (macOS 27.0.1).
LinkedIn