Download Your LinkedIn Connections

Your LinkedIn connections are an asset you don’t fully control — if your account is ever restricted or hacked, years of relationship-building can vanish. Downloading your connections backs them up, and it’s also the raw material for the Systems step of the Evyrgreen Networking System: download your connections, then Recognize → Strategize → Prioritize.

It takes about two minutes of clicking and a short wait.

The steps

1. On LinkedIn, click your photo (Me) in the top bar, then Settings & Privacy.
2. Open Data Privacy, then Get a copy of your data.
3. Choose the first option, “Download larger data archive”, and click Request archive.
4. Wait about 15 minutes. LinkedIn says it will email you, but you don’t have to wait for the email — come back and refresh the page, and the download button turns blue.
5. Click the blue button to download your ZIP. Your connections are in the Connections.csv file inside.

Do this on a desktop or laptop — the export page doesn’t work well on mobile.

The mistake almost everyone makes

LinkedIn’s export page shows two choices, and as of 2026 only one of them includes your connections:

• ✅ “Download larger data archive” (the first option) — includes Connections.csv. This is the one you want.
• ❌ “Want something in particular?” (the second option) — LinkedIn no longer offers Connections here at all. If you pick this, your download won’t contain your connections, no matter what else you select.

If you downloaded your data and only got your profile, this is what happened — go back and request the larger data archive.

What to do with the file

• Keep it as a backup. Re-export a fresh copy every few months.
• Work your list with the Evyrgreen Systems approach: recognize who you actually know, strategize who matters to your goals, prioritize who to reach out to this week — with evyAI handling the outreach comments and messages.
• Bring it to a Prospecting Party. Joe Apfelbaum, CEO of evyAI, hosts an invite-only networking game at prospectingparty.com where a vetted group pools their connections to make warm introductions for each other — your Connections.csv is your ticket in.

Teach your network

A pro move from the community: message your ten most-connected, most-networking-friendly people — “Have you backed up your LinkedIn connections lately? If your account ever gets restricted, you could lose them. Want me to show you how to download them?” — then walk them through it on a quick Zoom. You’ve done them a real favor, and you’ve had a valuable conversation with the exact people who open doors.