I’ve exported all of my LinkedIn contacts right from LinkedIn and added them to a spreadsheet—without using any tool, and all for free.
And in this guide, I’ll show you exactly how you can do the same.
Step 1: Go to Your LinkedIn Settings
The process is super simple:
- 1- Log in to your LinkedIn account.
- 2- Click your profile icon in the top-right corner.
- 3- Go to Settings & Privacy.
Step 2: Request a Copy of Your Data
Once inside Settings & Privacy:
1- Go to the Data Privacy tab.
2- Scroll down and find “Get a copy of your data.”
3- Click into it.
Select the first option that says “Connections.”
Once you’ve done that, click Request Archive.
LinkedIn will start preparing the export.
You’ll receive an email within 24 hours with a download link.
Step 3: Download Your Data Archive
Once you get the email from LinkedIn:
- 1- Click the link inside.
- 2- Download the
.zipfile. - 3- Unzip the file on your computer.
Inside, you’ll find several files, but the one you want is called: Connections.csv
This file includes:
- – First Name
- – Last Name
- – LinkedIn Profile URL
- – Company
- – Job Title
- – Date Connected
- – Email (only if made public)
You can open it with Google Sheets or Excel.
Step 4: Check What Emails You Got
Here’s the catch: most of your contacts will not have email addresses listed.
LinkedIn clearly states that you’ll only get email addresses from people who allowed their connections to view or download them.
In my case:
- – I had over 12,000 connections
- – Only around 300 had email addresses
- – And most of those were Gmail or Yahoo addresses
If you’re hoping to find work emails for outreach, you’ll need to enrich your file.
Step 5: How to Get Work Emails for Your LinkedIn Connections
If you want to find the work emails for your contacts, use a tool like Scalelist.com.
Scalelist is one of the best lead enrichment tools and sales intelligence software for B2B teams.
Here’s how it works:
1- Sign up for a free account (no credit card needed).
2- Go to “Import CSV.”
3- Upload your cleaned CSV File
4- Match the columns (name, company, LinkedIn URL, etc.).
5- Click Validate Columns.
6- Click Search Emails.
Scalelist uses real-time email validation and multiple B2B data sources to find and verify work emails.
You’ll get:
- – Valid emails (safe to use)
- – Risky emails (found but unverified)
- – Unknowns (no match)
You’re only charged credits for verified work emails. No match = no charge.
In our latest test:
- – 1,522 contacts enriched
- – 1,410 emails found
- – 1,090 were valid
92% match rate
It’s faster, more accurate, and cheaper than most email harvesting tools or generic b2b data providers.
Bonus Features with Scalelist
Once your list is enriched, you can:
- – Export valid leads to CSV
- – Push directly to CRMs like HubSpot
- – Merge lists from different exports
Scalelist also helps with email deliverability best practices by flagging low-quality emails before you send anything.
Final Thoughts
LinkedIn gives you access to your connections.
But it’s what you do with that data that matters.
By combining your export with a tool like Scalelist, you’ll:
- – Clean up your lists (good email list hygiene)
- – Get verified B2B emails fast
- – Build high-performing outreach campaigns
- – Unlock the true value of your LinkedIn network
Try Scalelist Free — no credit card required.
