2 Simple Ways to Find Open Profiles on LinkedIn in 2026
TL;DR: LinkedIn Open Profiles let you send InMails to anyone for free, no credits required. You can find them manually by looking for the gold "Open" badge on profiles, or at scale using Sales Navigator's Open Profile filter. For B2B lead generation, targeting Open Profile users first stretches your InMail budget significantly. Outly automatically detects and routes free messages to Open Profile users in your campaigns.
InMail credits are limited. On Sales Navigator Core, you get 50 per month. On LinkedIn Premium Business, you get 15. Once they're gone, they're gone until next month.
But there's a category of LinkedIn users you can message for free, regardless of whether you're connected: people with Open Profile enabled.
This article explains what Open Profile is, why it matters for outreach, how to turn it on, and two ways to find these users so you can stretch your InMail budget significantly further.
What Are Open Profiles on LinkedIn?
Open Profile is a setting available to LinkedIn Premium subscribers. When someone enables it, they're signaling that they're open to receiving messages from any LinkedIn member, not just their connections.
The key benefit for you: you can send a full InMail to an Open Profile user without spending a credit. LinkedIn treats it as a free message.
This is a meaningful advantage. If a significant portion of your target audience has Open Profile enabled, you can reach them without touching your monthly credit allocation.
Who typically has Open Profile enabled?
- Founders and executives who want to be accessible
- Recruiters and talent acquisition professionals
- Sales professionals who are actively networking
- Consultants and freelancers looking for new clients
- Speakers, coaches, and thought leaders building their audience
- People who are actively job searching
In other words, many of the people you most want to reach are exactly the people who have Open Profile on.
How to Turn On Open Profile on LinkedIn?
If you want others to be able to message you for free, you can enable Open Profile on your own account.
Requirements: You need a LinkedIn Premium subscription (any tier).
How to enable it:
- Go to your LinkedIn profile
- Click the "Open to" button near your profile photo
- Look for the Open Profile option in your Premium settings
- Alternatively, go to Settings > Visibility > Profile visibility off LinkedIn and look for the Open Profile toggle
Enabling Open Profile is a good idea if you're actively networking, building a personal brand, or want to be accessible to potential clients, partners, or collaborators. It signals openness and increases the number of relevant messages you receive.
How to Find Open Profiles on LinkedIn — 2 Options
Option #1 — Manually
If you don't have Sales Navigator, you can still find Open Profile users, but it requires more manual effort.
How to do it:
- Search for your target audience using LinkedIn's standard search
- Click through to individual profiles
- Look for the gold "Open" badge near their profile photo — it's a small circle with a lock icon
- If you see it, click "Message" — you'll be able to send a free InMail
This is slower than the Sales Navigator method, but it works on a free or basic Premium account. If you're doing targeted outreach to a specific list of people, checking for the Open Profile badge before deciding how to reach out is a good habit.
A tip for efficiency: When you're researching a list of prospects, check for the Open Profile badge as part of your qualification process. Note it in your CRM or spreadsheet. Then when you're ready to do outreach, you know exactly who you can message for free.
Option #2 — Automate Using Outly
If you have Sales Navigator, this is the fastest way to find Open Profile users at scale.
How to do it in Sales Navigator:
- Open Sales Navigator and go to Lead Search
- Apply your standard filters (industry, job title, company size, geography, etc.)
- Scroll down in the filter panel to find "Open Profile" under the "Spotlights" section
- Toggle it on
Your search results will now show only people with Open Profile enabled who match your other criteria.
This is powerful because you can combine the Open Profile filter with all of Sales Navigator's other filters. You can find VP-level decision-makers at Series B SaaS companies in North America who have Open Profile enabled, then message all of them for free.
A practical workflow:
- Run your normal Sales Navigator search for your target audience
- Add the Open Profile filter
- Save the results to a lead list labeled "Open Profile — [segment name]"
- Work through this list first before spending InMail credits on non-Open Profile users
Outly takes this further by automatically detecting Open Profile users in your prospect list and routing free messages to them. You don't have to manually check each profile — Outly handles it in the background, so your paid credits are reserved for people who actually require them.
On a list of 200 prospects, if 30% have Open Profile enabled, that's 60 free messages. Those 60 free messages free up 60 credits for the remaining 140 people.
Why Use LinkedIn Open Profiles for B2B Lead Generation?
Open Profile is one of the most underused features in LinkedIn outreach. Most people don't know it exists, and even those who do rarely build it into their prospecting workflow systematically.
The math is simple: if 20-30% of your target audience has Open Profile enabled, you can reach them without spending a single InMail credit. That's a meaningful extension of your outreach capacity, especially if you're on a plan with limited credits.
For B2B lead generation specifically, Open Profile users tend to be higher-quality prospects. Founders, executives, and active networkers are more likely to have it enabled — and those are exactly the people you want to reach.
Note: Open Profile doesn't mean someone will respond to every message. It means they're open to receiving them. You still need to write a good message. Generic pitches still get ignored, even when they're free to send.
How to write a good Open Profile message:
- Reference something specific: their recent post, a company announcement, a shared connection, or something in their profile
- Be direct about why you're reaching out
- Keep it under 150 words
- Make the ask small — start a conversation, don't try to close a deal
- Don't pitch immediately — give before you ask
Frequently Asked Questions
Will someone know if I view their LinkedIn profile without logging in?
No. LinkedIn only shows profile view notifications to users who are logged in. If you view a profile while not logged in, the profile owner won't be notified. However, if you're logged in and view someone's profile, they may see your name in their "Who viewed your profile" section (depending on their privacy settings and your account type).
How many profile searches on LinkedIn per month are allowed?
Free accounts typically hit the commercial use limit after 300-500 profile views in a calendar month. LinkedIn doesn't publish the exact threshold. Sales Navigator and other premium plans have significantly higher limits and generally don't hit this wall during normal prospecting use.
How can I find a LinkedIn profile from email?
LinkedIn's "Find a LinkedIn member" feature lets you search by email address. Go to the search bar, type the email address, and LinkedIn will show you the matching profile if one exists. You can also use tools like Apollo or Hunter to reverse-lookup LinkedIn profiles from email addresses.
Conclusion
Open Profile is a simple feature with a meaningful impact on your outreach economics. Finding and prioritizing Open Profile users in your prospect list lets you send more messages with the same credit budget.
The two methods above cover both ends of the spectrum: manual checking for targeted lists, and Sales Navigator's filter for systematic prospecting at scale. Start with whichever fits your current setup.
Combined with a tool like Outly, which automates LinkedIn connection requests and follow-up sequences, you can build a high-volume outreach system that doesn't depend on InMail credits at all. Connection requests are free, follow-up messages to connections are free, and Open Profile InMails are free. The only thing you need is a system to manage it all.
| Method | Requires | Speed | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales Navigator Open Profile filter | Sales Navigator subscription | Fast | High |
| Manual profile browsing | LinkedIn Premium (any tier) | Slow | Low |
| Outly automated detection | Outly + Sales Navigator | Automatic | High |
Start with the Sales Navigator method if you have access. If not, build the habit of checking for the Open Profile badge whenever you're researching prospects manually.
Ready to Maximize Your LinkedIn Outreach Budget?
Outly automatically detects Open Profile users in your campaigns and routes free messages to them, so your InMail credits go further.
Starter plan: $39.99/month. Pro plan: $79.99/month.
