How to Find Someone’s Email Address on LinkedIn [8 Free Methods]

Do you want to know how to find someone's email address on LinkedIn? This guide shows 8 proven ways.  

Learn how to get email addresses from LinkedIn using free tricks and smart tools. Perfect for sales, marketing, and recruiting professionals who need fast, verified contact details.

Why Do You Need an Email Address from LinkedIn?

Before we start, let's look at why this is so important.

LinkedIn InMail is a good tool. But it has limits. Many users ignore their InMail. A direct email is often better. It is more personal. It is more professional. It lands in an inbox they check every day.

Here is why finding emails matters:

• Sales Teams: You can reach decision-makers directly. You can send personalized proposals and bypass gatekeepers. ‍
• Recruiters: You can contact top talent who are not actively looking for a job. A direct email feels more exclusive. ‍
• Marketers: You can build high-quality email lists for B2B (business-to-business) marketing. ‍
• Job Seekers: You can send your resume directly to a hiring manager. This shows you are serious and resourceful. ‍
• Networking: You can build real relationships outside of the LinkedIn platform.

Finding an email is about opening a door. This guide will give you the keys.

A Quick, Important Note: Be Ethical

Finding an email is a powerful skill. You must use it responsibly. Just because you can find an email does not mean you should spam it.

• Follow the Rules: LinkedIn's User Agreement has rules against scraping data. Using some tools can be risky. Always be careful. The methods in this guide are for professional and respectful outreach. ‍
• Respect Privacy: People value their privacy. When you find an email, use it to provide value. Do not send junk mail. ‍
• Be Personal: Do not send mass, generic emails. Write a personal message. Mention why you are contacting them. Show you have done your research. A good email starts a conversation. A bad email gets marked as spam.

Always aim to be helpful, not annoying.

Now, let’s get to the good part — 8 proven methods to find someone’s email address on LinkedIn that actually work.

Method 1: Use an Email Finder Tool (SMARTe Extension)

This is the fastest and most effective way to find contact details. It’s the go-to method for most sales and recruiting professionals who need accurate data fast.

Let’s look at one powerful example — the Email & Mobile Finder by SMARTe, a Chrome extension designed to make LinkedIn prospecting effortless.

Email scraping tools like SMARTe are simple browser extensions. Once installed, they add a small icon to your browser. When you visit a LinkedIn profile, all you have to do is click the icon. The tool instantly reveals verified email addresses and direct phone numbers, displayed right on the page.

How the SMARTe Extension Works

The SMARTe extension doesn’t guess email addresses. It connects directly to a massive, verified B2B contact database. Here’s how it works:

1. Install the Extension: Add the Email & Mobile Finder by SMARTe from the Chrome Web Store. ‍
2. Visit a Profile: Open any LinkedIn profile you’d like to contact. ‍
3. Click to Reveal: Tap the SMARTe icon. The tool searches its database of over 284 million verified contacts. ‍
4. Get Verified Data: Instantly access accurate work emails and direct-dial mobile numbers — not just generic company info.

This all-in-one LinkedIn email finder and phone number lookup tool turns your browsing experience into a full contact discovery engine. It works seamlessly across LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, and even company websites.

What About Pricing?

Most tools follow a freemium model, and SMARTe is no different. The SMARTe Chrome extension offers a free plan that includes 10 free credits every month. Each credit equals one reveal — one verified email and phone number. This lets you test the tool’s accuracy and experience its quality before upgrading.

In short, the SMARTe extension is a quick, reliable, and verified way to find someone’s phone number and email addresses directly from LinkedIn.

Method 2: The Easiest Win (Check "Contact Info")

This is the simplest method. It is surprising how often people miss it. You can only use this method for your 1st-degree connections.

A 1st-degree connection is someone you are already connected with on LinkedIn.

Here is how to get their email:

1. Go to the LinkedIn profile of your connection.
2. Look directly under their name and headline.
3. You will see a link that says "Contact info." Click it.
4. A pop-up box will appear.

If the person has shared their email, it will be listed right there. It may also show their website, phone number, and Twitter handle.

What if it's not there?

Many users hide their email. They may only show it to 1st-degree connections, or they may hide it from everyone.

If you click "Contact info" and no email is listed, do not worry. This is very common. It just means we need to try the next method.

Method 3: Search the Profile Manually

Sometimes, people want you to contact them. They hide their email from data-scraping bots, but they leave clues for a human to find.

You just need to know where to look.

Check the "About" Section

This is the summary at the top of their profile. Many people put their email here. They do this to make it easy for people to reach them for business.

• Go to the person's profile.
• Scroll down to the "About" section.
• Read the text carefully.

People often write their email in a "hidden" way to trick bots. Look for things like:

• "Email me at: john.doe [at] company [dot] com"
• "Reach me: john.doe(at)company.com"
• "Contact: johndoe @ company . com"

Your human brain can read this. A simple script might miss it.

Check the Profile Banner

This is a creative one. The LinkedIn banner is the wide image at the very top of a profile.

Many consultants, freelancers, and salespeople use this space for marketing. They will put their email address or website directly onto the banner image. It is a smart way to make their contact info visible to everyone who visits their page.

Check Their Posts and Articles

Has the person written any articles on LinkedIn? Do they post updates?

• Scroll down to their "Activity" section.
• Click on "Posts" or "Articles."
• Look at their recent content.

Often, at the end of an article or post, they will include a call-to-action. This might be, "For more information, email me at..." or "What are your thoughts? Let me know at jane.doe@web.com."

This is a great way to find an email from an active LinkedIn user.

Method 4: Export Your LinkedIn Connections

This is one of the most powerful free ways to get email addresses. But it only works for your 1st-degree connections.

You can ask LinkedIn to give you a copy of your data. This data often includes the email addresses of your connections.

Important Note: This feature has changed. LinkedIn now gives users a choice. They can choose not to have their email address included in this data export. So, this method will not get you every email, but it will get you many of them.

Here is the step-by-step process:

1. On the LinkedIn homepage, click your "Me" icon (your photo) at the top right.
2. Select "Settings & Privacy" from the dropdown menu.
3. On the left-hand side, click "Data privacy."
4. Look for the section titled "How LinkedIn uses your data."
5. Click on "Get a copy of your data."
6. You will see two options. Choose "Want something in particular?"
7. Check the box for "Connections."
8. Click the "Request archive" button.

LinkedIn will take a few minutes (or a few hours) to prepare your file. They will send you an email when it is ready.

You will get a .zip file. Open it, and inside you will find a file named Connections.csv. Open this file with Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet program.

You will see a list of all your connections. There will be columns for "First Name," "Last Name," "Company," and... "Email Address."

You can now sort this list and find the email you need. This is the best way to get hundreds of emails from your network at once.

👉 You might be interested in learning more about the LinkedIn Social Selling Index (SSI).

Method 5: The "Smart Guess" Technique

This method is for detectives. It is free, and it is surprisingly effective.

The idea is simple: Most companies use a standard pattern for their emails. If you can figure out the pattern, you can guess the email.

Let's say you want to find the email for John Doe who works at Acme Corp.

Step 1: Find the Company's Email Pattern

First, you need to find the company's email format. The company website is acme.com.

The most common patterns are:

• first.last@company.com (john.doe@acme.com)
• flast@company.com (jdoe@acme.com)
• first@company.com (john@acme.com)
• first_last@company.com (john_doe@acme.com)
• firstinitial.lastname@company.com (j.doe@acme.com)

How do you find the right pattern?

Try to find any email address from that company.

• Check their "Contact Us" or "Team" page on their website.
• Look for a press release. They often list a media contact.
• Use an email finder extension like SMARTe. You can type in the company website (acme.com), and it will tell you the most common pattern it has found for that company.

Step 2: Create Your Guesses

Once you have the pattern, you can make your guess.

• If the pattern is first.last@company.com, your guess is john.doe@acme.com.
• If the pattern is flast@company.com, your guess is jdoe@acme.com.

Make a list of 2-3 of the most likely guesses.

Step 3: Verify Your Guess (For Free)

This is the magic part. How do you know if your guess is correct without sending an email?

Option A: Use an Email Verifier

There are free tools designed for this. Websites like Mailtester or ZeroBounce (free verifier) let you test an email.

You type your guess (e.g., john.doe@acme.com) into their search box. The tool will ping the company's mail server. It will then tell you if that email address actually exists. It will often return a result like "Valid," "Invalid," or "Unknown." If it says "Valid," you have found your email!

Option B: Use Google

This is a clever trick.

1. Go to Google.
2. In the search bar, type your guess in quotation marks.
3. Example: "john.doe@acme.com"
4. Press Enter.

If that exact email address has ever been written on any public website, blog post, or forum, Google will find it. If you get results, you know the email is real. If you get zero results, your guess is probably wrong. Try your next guess.

This "guess and verify" method is powerful. It costs nothing but a few minutes of your time.

Method 6: Use Google Like a Pro (Advanced Search)

You can use Google to search inside LinkedIn. You can also use it to find information that people have removed from their profile.

These are called "Google Dorks" or advanced search operators.

Search Operator 1: The "Site Search"

This search tells Google to only look for results from one specific website.

Go to Google and type:

site:linkedin.com "John Doe" "Acme Corp" "email"

site:linkedin.com "John Doe" "contact"

This searches all of LinkedIn for John Doe's profile and any public pages that also have the word "email" or "contact" on them. Sometimes, this uncovers contact info in a public post or a group discussion.

Search Operator 2: Find Their Personal Website

Many people link to their personal blog or portfolio from their LinkedIn profile. They are much more likely to put their email on their own website.

Go to Google and type:

"John Doe" "Acme Corp" personal website

"John Doe" blog

Find their site. Once you are there, look for a "Contact" or "About Me" page. The email is almost always there.

Search Operator 3: The "Name + Company" Search

This is a broad search, but it works.

"John Doe" "Acme Corp" email

"Jane Smith" contact information

This will search the entire internet. You might find a news article where Jane Smith was interviewed. At the bottom, it might say, "For more information, contact Jane Smith at jane.smith@company.com."

You are looking for any digital footprint that person has left behind.

Method 7: Just Ask for It (The Direct Approach)

This method is so simple, most people forget to try it.

If you want to find someone's email address, ask them for it.

You do not need to be sneaky. Being direct and polite is very professional.

Step 1: Send a Connection Request

You cannot message someone (for free) unless you are 1st-degree connections. So, first, you must connect.

Do not just click the "Connect" button. Always add a personal note.

Click "Connect," then click "Add a note." Write something simple:

"Hi John,

I was impressed by your recent article on new marketing trends. I'm also in the B2B marketing space and would love to connect and follow your work."

This is polite and gives a reason.

Step 2: Send a Message After They Connect

Once they accept your request, they are a 1st-degree connection. Now you can send them a message.

Do not pitch them immediately. Start a real conversation.

"Hi John, thanks for connecting.

That article you wrote was great. I had a quick question about the data you mentioned. Would email be a better place to chat for a minute?

No pressure at all, just thought it might be easier.

Best,

[Your Name]"

Or, be even more direct:

"Hi Jane, thanks for connecting.

I'm working on a project that I think could be a great fit for [Her Company]. I have a one-page idea I'd love to send you.

What's the best email address to send it to?

Thanks,

[Your Name]"

Most people will share their email if you are polite, professional, and you have a good reason to ask. This method builds a relationship. It does not just steal an email.

Method 8: Check Other Social Media

People are everywhere online. If they lock down their LinkedIn, they might be more open elsewhere.

• Check Twitter: Many professionals have a Twitter account. Go to their Twitter profile. Look at their bio. People very often put their email address or website right in their Twitter bio. ‍
• Check Their Company Website: Go to the company the person works for. Find the "About Us," "Our Team," or "Leadership" page. They may have a profile for the person, complete with an email address. This is very common for managers and executives.

This is all about connecting the dots. LinkedIn is your starting point. The rest of the internet is your map.

What About LinkedIn Sales Navigator?

You may have heard of Sales Navigator. This is LinkedIn's premium, paid tool for sales professionals.

It is important to know what it does and does not do.

Sales Navigator does not give you a list of email addresses. If you buy it, you will not suddenly see everyone's email.

However, it is extremely helpful for finding the right people.

• It has much better search filters.
• It lets you save lists of leads.
• It gives you more InMail credits.

You use Sales Navigator to find your target list. Then, you use the other methods in this guide (like email finder tools or smart guessing) to get their email addresses.

Email finder tools (like Hunter or Skrapp) work with Sales Navigator. They will add their "Find Email" button right onto the Sales Navigator interface. This combination is the most powerful method of all, but it is not free.

👉 You might be interested in checking out the best LinkedIn Sales Navigator alternatives.

How to Protect Your Own Email on LinkedIn

After reading this, you might be worried about your own email.

You have control over who sees your email address.

Here is how to check your settings:

1. Click your "Me" icon (your photo) at the top right.
2. Go to "Settings & Privacy."
3. Click on the "Visibility" tab.
4. Click on "Who can see or download your email address."

You have several choices:

• Only visible to me: No one can see your email. ‍
• 1st-degree connections: Only people you are connected to can see it. ‍
• 1st and 2nd-degree connections: (Not recommended) ‍
• Anyone on LinkedIn: (Not recommended)

You can also choose to block your email from being in the data export (Method 3).

For most people, setting this to "1st-degree connections" is the best balance. It lets trusted contacts reach you, but it hides your email from strangers and bots.

Your Final Checklist: Finding Any Email

Finding an email on LinkedIn is a process of steps. Start with the easiest and work your way up.

1. Use an Email Finder Tool: This is the fastest way. Use the free credits from a tool like SMARTe. ‍
2. Check "Contact Info": (For 1st-degree connections). ‍
3. Scan the Profile: Look in the "About" section and the banner image. ‍
4. Try the "Smart Guess": Find the company pattern (first.last@company.com) and verify it. ‍
5. Use Google: Search for "Name" + "Company" + "email". ‍
6. Ask Directly: Send a polite connection request and then just ask for it. ‍
7. Export Your Connections: Do this to get a large list of emails from your existing network.

You now have all the techniques. You are ready to find the contacts you need. Remember to be respectful, be professional, and always provide value. Good luck.