How to Hide Interests on LinkedIn: Privacy Control in 3 Steps

I spent years curating my LinkedIn profile, only to realize my interests section was broadcasting more than I intended. It’s a small detail, but it can shape how people perceive your professional focus.

Fortunately, LinkedIn gives you control. The process is tucked away in settings, but once you know where to look, it takes less than a minute to adjust. No special tools, no technical skills—just a few clicks.

After hiding my interests, I noticed a shift in how connections approached me. Fewer off-topic messages, more relevant opportunities. It’s a subtle change with real impact.

This works on desktop and mobile, so you can lock it down wherever you are. Here’s exactly how to do it.

What Youll Need

Instructions

Here’s the exact method I use to clean up my profile and maintain full control over visibility.

Log into LinkedIn and click your profile picture in the top navigation bar. This brings you to your profile page. Scroll down to the Interests section—it typically appears below the About and Experience sections.

If you don’t see it immediately, click See all on the right side of the section. This expands the full list of companies, groups, and schools you follow. The section may be labeled differently depending on LinkedIn’s current interface, but it’s always grouped with your followed content.

Hover over any followed company, group, or school. A small … (More) icon appears to the right. Click it and select Unfollow to remove it entirely from your profile. This action is immediate and doesn’t notify the entity.

For finer control, click Settings & Privacy from the dropdown under your profile picture. Navigate to the Visibility tab, then Edit your public profile. Here you can toggle specific sections on or off for public view, though interests visibility is managed through unfollowing rather than direct toggles.

Return to your profile and confirm the Interests section no longer displays the items you unfollowed. If the section disappears entirely, that’s normal—LinkedIn hides empty sections by default. To check how others see your profile, click View profile as in the top right of your profile page.

For additional privacy, revisit Settings & Privacy and review the Profile viewing options. Here you can limit who sees your activity, which includes interactions with interests. Set this to Private mode to prevent others from seeing when you follow or engage with new entities.

When you follow a new company or group, LinkedIn may default to displaying it publicly. To prevent this, go to Settings & Privacy, then Data privacy, and under How others see your profile and network data, ensure Your followers is set to Private.

This doesn’t hide existing interests but ensures new ones won’t automatically appear. Regularly audit your profile—LinkedIn updates its interface, and settings can shift with new releases. A quick monthly check keeps your profile aligned with your privacy preferences.

Tips and Common Mistakes

These practical insights will help you streamline the process and avoid common oversights.

Settings Navigation: In Step 1, I recommend bookmarking the Visibility tab for quick access. LinkedIn’s interface can be overwhelming, and having this direct link saves time if you need to revisit settings later. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself when you don’t have to dig through menus again.

Layout Awareness: For Step 2, remember LinkedIn occasionally updates its interface. If you don’t see Profile visibility off LinkedIn immediately, look under Additional Info or Profile Customization. I’ve found this section moves around during platform updates.

Verification Essential: Don’t skip the incognito check in Step 3. I’ve seen cases where changes didn’t apply immediately due to caching. The incognito window gives you an unbiased view of what others actually see when they visit your profile.

Thorough Cleanup: In Step 4, take your time with the unfollow process. LinkedIn’s real-time updates mean you can work methodically without worrying about saving changes. I like to tackle this in batches to avoid missing anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hiding your interests on LinkedIn is a simple way to keep your profile clean and professional. Take control of your privacy today by following the easy steps outlined above. Ready to refine your profile further? Explore LinkedIn’s other privacy settings to ensure your online presence aligns with your goals. 🚀