How to Export Your Connections on LinkedIn? (2026 Tutorial)

On LinkedIn, you can export your 1st-degree connections.

It's one of fastest way to book sales calls and generate business.

Whether you want to back up your network or turn your connections into warm leads, this tutorial will walk you through everything.

Here's what you'll learn in this guide:

• Why you should export your LinkedIn contacts
• How to export your LinkedIn connections from the platform
• How to export 1st-degree contacts from Sales Navigator
• What to do with your exported contacts
• Advanced strategies

Watch on YouTube

Why You Should Export Your LinkedIn Contacts

Your LinkedIn network is one of your most valuable assets. But it only lives on LinkedIn… which means if your account ever gets restricted or banned, you lose everything.

By exporting your connections, you can:

• See exactly who's in your network
• Identify decision makers you forgot about
• Import those contacts into your CRM
• Keep a backup of your data (just in case)
• Reuse those contacts in future campaigns (or for recruiting candidates)

This is especially useful if you're in sales, recruiting, or business development.

How to Export Your LinkedIn Contacts

All right, you want to export your LinkedIn contacts.

In other words, you want to export all the people who are in your 1st-degree network.

LinkedIn gives you a native way to export all your 1st degree connections.

Here's how:

Step 1: Go to LinkedIn and click on your profile icon

Open LinkedIn, and then click on "Me" on top of any LinkedIn page.

Step 2: Click on "Setting & Privacy"

Then click on "Settings & Privacy".

Step 3: Select "Data Privacy"

Click on "Data privacy" in the menu.

Step 4: Click on "Get a copy of your data"

Then you have to click on "Get a copy of your data".

It's between "Manage your data and activity" and "Manage cookie preferences".

Step 5: Select "Download larger data archive…"

We are almost done! You just need to:

1. Select "Download larger data archive, including connections, verifications, contacts, account history, and information we infer about you based on your profile and activity"
2. Then click on "Request archive".

Once you clicked on "Request archive", you get this a confirmation message on your screen.

You just need to wait and check your emails.

Step 6: Click on "Download first part of your data archive with this link"

Check your email (and spam folder). You will receive an email from LinkedIn.

Then click on "Download first part of your data archive with this link".

Step 7: Click on "Download archive"

Once you've clicked in the link, you will be redirected to the same LinkedIn page.

Here, you just have to click on "Download archive".

Step 8: Open your CSV file and check your contacts data

Once you've extracted the archive, open the folder.

You'll find several files inside.

The one you need is called "Connections.csv". It contains the full list of your LinkedIn connections.

When you open the file "Connections.csv", you will see 7 data points from your connections:

• First name
• Last name
• LinkedIn URL
• Email (only if the user made it public)
• Job title
• Company name
• Position
• Date connected

But you will notice 2 things:

1. The data isn't clean. You'll see emojis (like 🚀) and names in odd formats, such as "vincent ROBIN" in all caps.
2. Most email addresses are missing. And the ones you do get are often personal emails, which means you can't legally use them for cold outreach under GDPR rules.

Now, if you want to get the verified emails of your connections, the best way is to use LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

Watch on YouTube

How to Export Your Contacts from LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Follow the 6 steps to export your leads from LinkedIn Sales Navigator with their verified emails:

1. Create a GiveMeLeads account
2. Download the Chrome Extension
3. Select your target on LinkedIn Sales Navigator
4. Launch your export
5. Schedule your export (Optional)
6. Download your leads file

Let's dive in!

Step 1: Create a GiveMeLeads account

Go on GiveMeLeads. Then click on "Get first 20 leads for free".

Then, you have to write your:

1. First Name
2. Last Name
3. Email
4. Password

And click on "Create account".

Step 2: Download the Chrome Extension

To get started, install the GiveMeLeads Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store.

Once installed, it integrates directly into LinkedIn Sales Navigator, allowing you to extract your leads instantly while browsing your search results or saved lead lists.

Step 3: Select your target on LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Go to LinkedIn Sales Navigator.

The filter you're looking for is "Connection".

Select "1st degree connections" to export the people already in your network.

Then click "Extract leads" using the GiveMeLeads extension or paste the search URL on the platform.

Step 4: Launch your export

Your target is set up. Now it's time to export your leads. For that, click on "New Export".

You will get a pop-up where you can select:

• The number of leads you want to export
• If you want to get the verified emails (of all leads or filtered leads only)
• If you want to schedule this export on a weekly basis

Then click on "Export Leads".

Step 5: Schedule your leads export (Optional)

GiveMeLeads lets you schedule lead exports. Pick the day you want, and you'll receive fresh leads weekly.

Each lead is unique, and the system ensures there are no duplicates. This saves you time and keeps your CRM clean, so you can focus on outreach, not data cleaning.

Step 6: Download your leads file

When your export is finished, you'll receive an email with a download link.

You can also download your file directly by clicking the "Download" button in your dashboard. You'll see two options.

1. "Open in Sheets"

This gives you a simple version of your lead list. You have:

• matches_filters / invalid_reason
• First Name
• Last Name
• Profile picture
• Company name
• Job title
• Headline
• LinkedIn URL
• Email

It doesn't include all the data, but it's perfect if you just want to import leads into your CRM or a B2B outreach tool like Lemlist or Expandi.

2. "Download CSV"

This gives you the full file with all available data. For each lead, you'll see extra info like whether they have LinkedIn Premium, their total years of experience, and company details like size, industry, and location.

GiveMeLeads also automatically cleans your data:

• Fixes capital letters in names and job titles
• Removes emojis from job titles
• Removes legal suffixes in company names (like LLC, GmbH, etc.)

GiveMeLeads also checks if each lead matches your LinkedIn Sales Navigator filters. Leads that don't fit are tagged in the matches_filters column with the reason they're invalid (like "Invalid job title" or "Wrong company size"). That way, you keep full control of your data.

With GiveMeLeads, you also get the verified professional email of every lead — even if they're in your 2nd or 3rd-degree connections.

How to Use Exported Contacts for Business?

You now have a file with your most valuable contacts. Here's how to put them to work:

Update Your CRM with your Contacts

If you use a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool to manage your B2B leads, you should absolutely consider syncing it with your LinkedIn contact data.

Why? Because your CRM is only as good as the data inside it.

By exporting your 1st-degree connections or filtered lead searches from LinkedIn or Sales Navigator, you can:

1. Enrich your CRM with fresh data (like current job titles or companies)
2. Fill in missing contact details from past prospects
3. Track conversations and follow-ups in one central place
4. Segment your leads more accurately based on updated info

All you need to do is export your LinkedIn data into a CSV file, clean it up a bit, and then import it into your CRM (like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive).

Watch on YouTube

Turn Them Into a Leads List

When you export leads from LinkedIn to Excel, you can build qualified list of leads for your outreach campaigns.

Once you've created your list of leads from your connections, you can start to send LinkedIn DMs and/or cold email by importing your lead list into a B2B prospecting tool.

Watch on YouTube

Find Candidates Faster

In your LinkedIn contacts, you might have some people who are good fit for your open positions.

All you need to do is to identify good candidates, send them a message and get a good reply rate.

Watch on YouTube

Advanced Techniques When Exporting Your LinkedIn Connections

Here are 2 advanced techniques I want to show you to leverage your connections on LinkedIn.

1. Filter your best leads
2. Create a lead search

Let's start!

1 - Filter Your Best Leads in your Contacts

I'm sure you don't want to export everyone in your LinkedIn network, just the contacts that actually matter to your business.

The best way to do that is to add some filters in the lead filters page.

When exporting via Sales Navigator, use filters like:

• Job title (use boolean operators to get better results)
• Location (US, Europe)
• Size of company

That way, you don't waste time on low-quality contacts.

2 - Create a Lead Search

The 2nd advanced technique when exporting your connections is to save your search on Sales Navigator.

Now, every time a new 1st-degree connection matches that search, you'll get an alert.

That's perfect to stay on top of new warm leads entering your network.

Watch on YouTube