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LinkedIn Ad Settings: Why You See an Ad, Turn Off Personalized Ads, and Check an Advertiser

You can’t turn off ads on LinkedIn, but you can stop LinkedIn using your data to personalize them. Go to Settings & Privacy > Advertising data. LinkedIn says you’ll still see ads, just less relevant ones, and changes take about 72 hours to work.

Reviewed 4 min read 1 fixes Feed & notifications

Quick answer

Click Me > Settings & Privacy > Advertising data, then switch off what you don’t want used in the Profile data, Activity and inferred data, and Off LinkedIn data sections. Changes take about 72 hours, and ads already queued can show for up to 48 hours after that.

What do you want to do?

Does this match what you see?

  • LinkedIn ads seem to know a lot about you.
  • An ad shows your name or profile picture.
  • You changed your ad settings but the ads look the same.

Computer (browser)

Based on three LinkedIn Help articles supplied by the site owner. Steps shown are for desktop.

Why this happens: the possible causes

What LinkedIn uses to choose your ads.

Setting and what it controls
SettingWhat it controls
Profile dataWhat from your LinkedIn profile can be used to show you ads
Activity and inferred dataWhat LinkedIn works out about you that can be used for ads
Off LinkedIn dataData from other advertisers, and what LinkedIn shares with its affiliates for their ads
  • Personalization is onCheck this first

    LinkedIn says it targets ads on and off LinkedIn using your data unless you limit it in your ad settings.

Try these 60-second checks first

  • Allow about 72 hours after changing a setting before judging whether it worked.

How to fix it, step by step

Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and only move to steps that sign you out or remove data later.

Fix 1: Turn off personalized ads

Safe & reversible5 minComputer (browser)

LinkedIn’s ad settings control which of your data it uses to personalize ads.

Computer (browser)

  1. Click Me > Settings & Privacy.
  2. Click Advertising data in the left rail.
  3. Open each setting under Profile data, Activity and inferred data and Off LinkedIn data to read how your data is used.
  4. Switch Off anything you don’t want used (or On to allow it).

LinkedIn says none of these settings stops ads, and none changes your access to features such as job search. Changes to Profile data and Activity and inferred data also affect ads LinkedIn shows you off LinkedIn. For emails promoting LinkedIn’s own products, use your marketing emails and promotions settings instead.

Did it work? After about 72 hours, ads look less tailored to you.

Changed your settings but ads look the same?

  • LinkedIn says changes typically take about 72 hours to take effect.
  • Ads already queued from earlier data can still show for up to 48 hours after that.
  • You’ll always see some ads; they’ll just be less personalized.
  • For members in what LinkedIn calls Designated Countries, LinkedIn says a setting you can’t change means it isn’t using that data for personalized ads.

Why an ad shows your name or photo

  • Dynamic ads may show your profile picture and name.
  • Sponsored Messages and Sponsored Content don’t use your photo but may include your name, job title, company or industry.

LinkedIn says only you see your own details; other members see theirs. Advertisers don’t get your information from these ads, and your name and photo aren’t shared with them without your permission. Turn off ad personalization to see a plain version instead.

More ways to limit ads

  • Other apps on your phone: if LinkedIn serves ads in non-LinkedIn apps, LinkedIn says you can opt out using your phone’s advertising ID settings. This doesn’t affect LinkedIn’s own apps, which don’t use that ID.
  • Cookies: in the Designated Countries and the UK, LinkedIn says you can turn ad cookies on or off in your cookie preferences.
  • Industry opt-outs: LinkedIn says you can also use industry platforms to opt out of interest-based advertising.
  • Not a member? LinkedIn offers a cookie-based opt-out for non-members. It only works in that browser, only when you’re signed out, and stops working if you clear cookies.

LinkedIn also says it doesn’t let advertisers target age ranges that include under-18s, and in Designated Countries and Brazil it tries to exclude members who may be under 18 from targeted audiences.

Check who’s behind an ad: the Ad Library

LinkedIn’s Ad Library is a public database of ads that have run on LinkedIn. You can search by advertiser, payer, keyword, country or date range to see an ad’s preview, format, advertiser and who paid for it.

  • It covers ads that ran after June 1, 2023, and keeps them for one year after their last showing.
  • For ads aimed at the European Union, it also shows the targeting used (such as job, location, skills, inferred age or gender, or interests) and estimated impressions by country.
  • For restricted ads, LinkedIn says the law stops it showing the preview, advertiser or payer.

How to know it worked

  • Your Advertising data settings show your choices.

Still not working? Your next steps

  1. Wondering why a promoted job appears? See Why am I seeing this job?. Seeing scam ads or fake profiles? See LinkedIn block and report. Too many LinkedIn emails? See LinkedIn emails.

Official help routes

SocialAppFix can’t see or change your account. For account decisions, recovery and appeals, only the platform’s own tools can help. These links go to the official sites.

Frequently asked questions

Can I turn off ads on LinkedIn?

No. LinkedIn says its ad settings don’t stop ads; they only make them less personalized.

How long do LinkedIn ad setting changes take?

LinkedIn says about 72 hours, and queued ads may still show for up to 48 hours after that.

Can advertisers see my name and photo in LinkedIn ads?

No. LinkedIn says only you see your own details in personalized ads, and advertisers don’t receive them.

How do I see who paid for a LinkedIn ad?

Search LinkedIn’s Ad Library by advertiser, payer, keyword, country or date.

Sources and how we checked this guide

We base steps on the platforms’ own help pages and the phone makers’ official guides. Menu names change often and can differ by device, app version and region. Where a platform page could not be independently read, we link it so you can check the current wording yourself.

  1. Access and manage your LinkedIn Ads settings (external site, opens in a new tab)LinkedIn Help · checked 6 November 2026
  2. LinkedIn’s Ad Library (external site, opens in a new tab)LinkedIn Help · checked 6 November 2026
  3. Ad Library targeting parameters and impressions (external site, opens in a new tab)LinkedIn Help · checked 6 November 2026

Last reviewed 6 November 2026 by the SocialAppFix editorial team against the sources above. Next scheduled review: 6 May 2027. How we write and review guides.

What changed
  • 6 November 2026: First published.

SocialAppFix is an independent guide and is not affiliated with or endorsed by LinkedIn or Microsoft. We never ask for passwords, login codes or payment to fix an account.