How to Save a LinkedIn Profile as a PDF (Step-by-Step Guide)

Did you know LinkedIn lets you save any public profile — including your own — as a PDF resume? It's a built-in feature that most people have never used, and it can be genuinely useful for job searching, recruiting, networking, and research.

Here's everything you need to know about how it works, when to use it, and its limitations.

What Is the LinkedIn Save to PDF Feature?

LinkedIn's Save to PDF feature generates a formatted PDF document from a LinkedIn profile's introduction section and experience. The resulting PDF looks like a clean, structured resume — similar to what you'd create manually in a word processor, but pulled directly from LinkedIn profile data.

You can use it to save:

Your own profile as a resume to share with employers
Another member's profile for recruiting, research, or reference purposes

Important Things to Know Before You Start

Before walking through the steps, a few key things to be aware of:

Desktop only. This feature is not available on the LinkedIn mobile app. You must use a desktop browser — the feature simply doesn't exist in the iOS or Android apps.

English profiles only. The Save to PDF feature currently supports only English language profiles. The member's LinkedIn language setting must also be set to English. If the profile or language setting is in another language, you may experience translation mismatches or improper PDF rendering.

Download limits apply for other members' profiles. You can download your own profile as many times as you want. However, you're limited to 100 PDF downloads of other members' profiles per month.

Not available to all members. LinkedIn occasionally rolls out and adjusts features by region or account type. If you don't see the option, it may not be available to your account yet.

How to Save Your Own LinkedIn Profile as a PDF

Follow these steps on your desktop browser:

Step 1: Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage (top-right corner, next to the notifications bell).

Step 2: Click "View profile" from the dropdown menu.

Step 3: In the introduction section of your profile (the section at the top with your photo, name, and headline), look for the "More" button or "Resources" button.

Step 4: Click it to open the dropdown menu.

Step 5: Select "Save to PDF" from the dropdown options.

LinkedIn will generate and download a PDF version of your profile to your browser's default download location.

How to Save Another Member's LinkedIn Profile as a PDF

The process is nearly identical:

Step 1: Navigate to the LinkedIn member's profile that you want to save.

Step 2: In their introduction section (at the top of their profile with their photo and headline), look for the "More" or "Resources" button.

Step 3: Click to open the dropdown.

Step 4: Select "Save to PDF" from the dropdown options.

The PDF will download to your computer.

Remember: you're limited to 100 such downloads of other members' profiles per month. Your own profile has no such limit.

What Does the LinkedIn PDF Look Like?

The downloaded PDF is a clean, structured document that typically includes:

Profile photo
Name and headline
Contact information (whatever is publicly visible on the profile)
About section (summary)
Experience (job history with dates and descriptions)
Education
Skills
Recommendations (in some cases)
Certifications and achievements

The formatting is clean and professional, though it uses LinkedIn's own template. It won't match the styling of a custom-designed resume, but it's a reasonable representation of the profile's core information.

When Is Saving a LinkedIn Profile to PDF Useful?

For Job Seekers

If a company asks for a resume and you don't have an updated one handy, the LinkedIn PDF is a quick way to generate something presentable. It pulls directly from your current LinkedIn profile, so if your profile is up to date, the PDF will be too.

This is also useful for quickly sending your background to someone who asks for it informally — a networking contact, a conference connection, or a recruiter who just wants a snapshot.

Pro tip: Keep your LinkedIn profile updated and polished, and the PDF feature becomes a reliable quick-resume fallback at any time.

For Recruiters and Hiring Managers

If you're assessing candidates, the LinkedIn PDF lets you save a clean copy of their profile for your records, pass it to a colleague who doesn't have LinkedIn access, or attach it to an applicant tracking system file.

This is faster than screenshotting a profile or copy-pasting information manually.

For Networking and Research

Saving a profile as PDF can be useful for keeping records of contacts met at events, building a reference file for clients or partners, or researching speakers, panellists, or collaborators before a meeting.

Limitations to Be Aware Of

The PDF is a snapshot, not a live document. Once downloaded, the PDF won't update if the person updates their LinkedIn profile. It reflects the profile at the moment of download.

Not all profile sections are included. Sections like featured posts, volunteering, projects, and some custom sections may not appear in the PDF or may appear inconsistently.

Visual quality varies. The profile photo quality in the PDF depends on what the member has uploaded. Small or low-resolution photos won't look sharp in the document.

Privacy limitations apply. You can only generate a PDF for profiles you have access to view. If a member has restricted their profile visibility, you won't be able to generate a PDF for it.

Making Your LinkedIn Profile PDF-Ready

If you know people may be downloading your profile as a PDF, it's worth making sure your profile is in good shape:

Strong profile photo. Your profile photo is one of the first things on the PDF. A professional, high-quality headshot makes the document look polished. Use our LinkedIn Profile Photo Editor to crop and optimise your photo, or generate a professional AI headshot with our AI Headshot Generator.

Complete About section. The About section appears prominently in the PDF. A well-written summary makes a strong impression. Not sure what to write? Our LinkedIn Bio Generator can help.

Detailed experience entries. Each role's description in your Experience section becomes the body of your PDF resume. Treat those descriptions like bullet points on a traditional resume — specific, results-focused, and clearly written.

Up-to-date information. The PDF is only as good as the underlying profile. If your LinkedIn is out of date, the PDF will be too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I save a LinkedIn profile as PDF on my phone?

No. The Save to PDF feature is only available on the LinkedIn desktop website. It's not available in the LinkedIn app for iOS or Android.

Is there a limit to how many times I can download my own profile?

There is no documented limit for downloading your own profile as a PDF. The 100-per-month limit applies only to downloading other members' profiles.

Does the person know if I downloaded their profile as PDF?

LinkedIn does not notify members when their profile is saved as a PDF by someone else. It's treated the same as a profile view.

Can I edit the LinkedIn PDF after downloading?

The PDF is a standard PDF file, so you can open it in PDF editing software (like Adobe Acrobat) and modify it. However, for most purposes it's better to update your LinkedIn profile directly and re-download.

Why don't I see the "Save to PDF" option?

A few possible reasons: you may be on the mobile app (not supported), your LinkedIn language setting may not be in English, or the feature may not be available to your account in your region. Try on a desktop browser first.

The LinkedIn Save to PDF feature is a small but genuinely useful tool hidden in plain sight. Whether you're a job seeker who needs a quick resume, a recruiter building a candidate file, or simply someone who wants to keep a clean record of a contact — it's worth knowing how to use it.

Want to make sure your profile looks great when someone downloads it? Start with a professional profile photo using our LinkedIn Profile Photo Editor or AI Headshot Generator.