How to find a LinkedIn profile by email address in 2026?

Key Takeaways

• You can’t search LinkedIn profiles by email anymore. LinkedIn removed email lookup due to privacy reasons.
• However, you CAN still find LinkedIn profiles from emails using external methods. Using Google search operators, enrichment tools, or Google Sheets + Custom Search API formula.
• For free, one-off lookups, you can use queries like: site:linkedin.com/in “[email protected]” or “First Last” “Company”.
• Meanwhile, data enrichment tools are best for at-scale outreach, automatically mapping email → LinkedIn URL → title → company.
• The Google Sheets formula method lets you bulk-find LinkedIn URLs for free, up to ~100 lookups per day, making it perfect for SDRs, recruiters, and agencies working with CSV lists.
• Common use cases include:
  • → SDRs enriching lists for LinkedIn outreach
  • → Recruiters matching candidate emails to profiles
  • → Agencies preparing lists for outbound campaigns
• Once LinkedIn URLs are appended, you can import them into Expandi (or your outreach tool of choice) to run scalable LinkedIn and multichannel campaigns.

If you’re trying to find a LinkedIn profile by email, you’ve probably noticed that:

• LinkedIn no longer allows reverse email lookup.
• You can’t paste an email into LinkedIn search to find a profile.
• You can’t “search LinkedIn by email” natively for privacy reasons.

So, is it still possible?

Short answer: Yes, but only by using external methods. LinkedIn removed public matching years ago to comply with privacy regulations.

And that’s why this guide exists. Below, you’ll learn:

• 2 Main ways you can find LinkedIn profiles from emails
• Using custom Google Sheets formulas to find profiles at scale
• 3 Real use cases for finding LinkedIn profiles from emails
• How to use these URLs in your outreach campaigns with Expandi

Whether you’re a recruiter, SDR, agency, or founder, these methods let you instantly turn email lists → LinkedIn profiles → outreach sequences.

Let’s break down what works and what doesn’t.

2 Main Ways to Find LinkedIn Profiles From Emails

First off, if you’re curious on how to find someone’s email on LinkedIn, see our full guide on finding someone’s email address.

Now, let’s take a look at how to find LinkedIn profiles based on that.

1. Google search operators (fast + free)

Assuming you have someone’s email, this is the easiest and fastest tactic you can use.

On Google, search for:

• site:linkedin.com/in “[email protected]”
• site:linkedin.com/in “First Last”
• site:linkedin.com/in “First Last” “Company”
• “[email protected]” “LinkedIn”

The reason this works is because Google continues to index public LinkedIn profiles even though LinkedIn doesn’t allow email lookup natively.

This is best for one-off lookups, SDRs doing quick personalization, or confirming someone’s identity before doing outreach.

2. Data enrichment tools (most accurate at scale)

Many enrichment databases automatically map:

Email → Person → Company → LinkedIn URL.

These tools pull data from verified B2B databases, not LinkedIn scraping.

Some data enrichment tools that can do this include: 

• Apollo enrichment
• Clearbit person enrichment
• ZoomInfo
• Dropcontact
• And other LinkedIn automation tools

This method is ideal if you’re doing outreach at scale and want accurate job titles, company, LinkedIn URLs, and sometimes phone numbers.

That said, if you’re doing outreach at scale, there is another method to consider.

Using Google Sheets Formulas to Find LinkedIn Profiles At Scale

We’ve prepared a Google Sheets Formula that will find LinkedIn profiles based on emails AND/OR people’s names.

Though a combination of other tools may give you the same result, this method requires as much as 3 min to set up and is totally FREE!

(The FREE limitation is 100 searches/day, but it equals to 3000 searches / month!).

How to create the formula to find LinkedIn profiles from email

Google Sheets doesn’t have a native function that can take an email → return a LinkedIn profile. So the only way to make this work is by creating a custom function using Google’s tools.

Here’s the simple breakdown of what you’re actually doing in plain English.

You’re building a miniature “search engine” that:

1. Takes the email, first name, or last name you provide
2. Sends it to Google’s Custom Search API
3. Google searches the web (only on LinkedIn.com/in pages)
4. Google returns the most likely matching LinkedIn URL
5. The URL automatically appears in your Google Sheet

It’s basically a safe, automated reverse lookup using Google’s indexing power.

Now here’s what each required tool actually is:

1. Google Sheets (of course) – This is where your email list lives and where the results will appear.
2. Programmable Search Engine – This is your mini Google search that only searches LinkedIn.com/in pages. This is how the formula avoids random, irrelevant results.
3. Search Engine by Google – The engine behind your programmable search setup. This is what actually performs the web lookup and returns the most relevant LinkedIn profile that matches the email/name you provide.
4. AppScript – Where you’ll paste the custom code I’ll give you below. It creates a new custom function in Sheets called getLinkedInProfile(). You’ll use this like any other Sheets formula.
5. The script – Generated by ChatGPT, zero coding skills required.

Copy Template

Note: You can do this for free with 100 searches (100 rows in Google Sheets) per day. More is paid, but super cheap.

Now we need to delete the columns we are not gonna use and keep only three of them (in this case,I have Email, First Name & Last Name).

And we add 2 more columns:

Full Name

LinkedIn profile

Below, I’ll share with you the script you need to add to App Script.

1. So, now click “Extensions” → “App Script”
   
2. Delete everything you have here, so it’s blank:
   
3. Copy and paste the code I give you below.

Copy Template

Note: You will need to change the “YOUR API” & “YOUR KEY” parameters to yours (I’ll show how to do that):

/*** Find a LinkedIn profile from email, first name, and/or last name** @param {string} email The email of the person. If not provided, set as empty string.* @param {string} firstName The first name of the person. If not provided, set as empty string.* @param {string} lastName The last name of the person. If not provided, set as empty string.* @return if found the LinkedIn URL and name of the person* @customfunction*/function getLinkedInProfile(email = “”, firstName = “”, lastName = “”) { // Get a Custom Search API Key var key = “YOUR API”;// Create a Programmable Search Engine let searchEngineId = “YOUR KEY”;// Prepare the search query let searchTerms = []; if (email) searchTerms.push(email); if (firstName) searchTerms.push(firstName); if (lastName) searchTerms.push(lastName);let search = “site:linkedin.com/in ” + searchTerms.join(” “);try { // Call Google Custom Search API var options = { method: “get”, contentType: “application/json”, }; var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch( “https://www.googleapis.com/customsearch/v1?key=” + key + “&q=” + search + “&cx=” + searchEngineId, options );// Parse the API response var jsonResponse = JSON.parse(response); if (!jsonResponse.items || jsonResponse.items.length === 0) { // No results found return [[“No results found”, “”]]; }// Get the first result var firstItem = jsonResponse.items[0]; var url = firstItem.formattedUrl || “URL not available”; var title = firstItem.title ? firstItem.title.split(“-“)[0].trim() : “Name not available”;// Return the results in a 2D array return [[title, url]]; } catch (error) { // Handle errors gracefully return [[“Error”, error.message]]; } }

So it looks like this: 

4. Now you need to add “YOUR API” & “YOUR KEY”:

Don’t fret! Even though it might seem as confusing as a Rubik’s Cube, fear not. All you need to do is follow the simple steps below and you’ll get the result:

For “YOUR API” 

1. Go here: https://developers.google.com/custom-search/v1/overview
2. Click on “Get a key” to generate a new API. If you need to create a project, do it.

For “YOUR KEY”

1. Go here: https://programmablesearchengine.google.com/controlpanel/all
2. And create a new Search Engine, as shown below:
   
3. Click on “Basic” on the left menu and copy the Search Engine ID. It’ll be “YOUR KEY”

Now update this code with your API and Search Engine KEY. Click the “Save” button.

Once it is done, let’s get back to Google Sheets.

Add the formula  “getLinkedInProfile(“[email protected]”, “John”, “Doe”).

In a few seconds, this function will return LinkedIn account URLs based on the info you have:

Now, apply this formula to all the rows you have: 

Boom! In a few seconds, you get all the results! 

Keep in mind, this isn’t a direct LinkedIn API lookup. It relies on Google’s indexed results. So, in some cases, it might find the correct LinkedIn profile but:

• Very common names may return the wrong person.
• People with private or barely active profiles might not show up.
• Some rows might show “no results found”, this is normal for any enrichment or email marketing tool.

If you’re enriching big lists, remember Google’s free tier is ~100 searches per day per API key. For heavier volume, you can:

• Spread lookups over multiple days.
• Use a paid custom search quote (still cheap compared to many enrichment tools).

3 Real Use Cases for Finding LinkedIn Profiles From Emails

Finding those LinkedIn profiles from emails is only half the work. Now, here are three, highest-impact use cases where this method can save hours and increase conversions instantly.

Use case 1 – SDRs turning email lists into LinkedIn outreach campaigns

Problem

SDRs often receive prospect lists from:

• CRM exports
• Webinar registrations
• Lead magnets
• Cold email tools

But these lists don’t always include LinkedIn URLs.

Without URLs, SDRs can’t:

• Send connection requests
• Run personalization
• Launch multi-touch campaigns
• Send Open InMails…

Without spending many hours doing manual work.

Solution

Use the above tactics to enrich your list and find LinkedIn profile URLs from email.

This instantly gives SDRs:

• The prospect’s identity
• Their role
• Their activity
• Their LinkedIn URL for outreach

This way, they can run:

• Multi-channel email + LinkedIn outreach 
• Better-personalized messages
• More touches per prospect
• Higher reply rates and more booked meetings

Use case 2 – recruiters matching candidate emails to LinkedIn profiles

Problem

Recruiters receive candidate information via:

• Applications
• Job boards
• Referrals
• Talent databases

But sometimes, they don’t always include LinkedIn profiles.

And manually searching each person on LinkedIn is slow and error-prone.

Solution

Bulk-enrich candidate lists using the formula:

• Add candidate emails → get LinkedIn profiles
• Quickly review their background
• Prioritize qualified candidates

This way, recruiters benefit from faster sourcing, accurate candidate matching, and easier communication on LinkedIn if needed.

Use case 3 – agencies enriching client lead lists for LinkedIn prospecting

Problem

Lead generation companies running demand gen or outbound campaigns are often handed raw CSVs, CRM exports, or purchased lists.

These lists don’t always include LinkedIn URLs, which slows down:

• Campaign setup
• Personalization
• Lead research
• Multi-channel engagement

Solution

Use the above tactics to enrich the list even more with clean, enriched prospect files.

This way, agencies can:

• Launch campaigns significantly faster
• Improve targeting accuracy
• Provide better reporting

How to Use These LinkedIn URLs in Your Outreach Campaigns (With Expandi)

Once you’ve enriched your list and have LinkedIn profile URLs for each contact, you can finally turn a static email list into a full multi-channel outreach engine.

Here’s the exact workflow most SDR teams, agencies, and recruiters follow when using LinkedIn URLs inside Expandi.

At this point, you should have an enriched list full of LinkedIn URLs, emails, and other info.

Here’s what you do next.

1. Import your enriched Google Sheet into Expandi

With Expandi, you can run smart, omnichannel outreach campaigns, targeting people on LinkedIn AND email, all in one place.

If you haven’t done so yet, be sure to claim your free, 7-day trial and export your sheet as CSV directly into Expandi.

1. Go to Search
2. Add new search

3. Select imported by CSV and upload your spreadsheet

Your imported audience should look like so.

2. Set up an outreach campaign

There are a few different ways you can structure this, depending on your offer and audience.

But now that every lead has a LinkedIn URL, you can:

• Send personalized connection requests
• Add follow-ups
• Create multi-step sequences

This works especially well if you’re doing outbound at scale.

Now, with Expandi, you can set up different kinds of outreach campaigns, depending on your objective.

• Connector Campaign – If you wish to reach people not in your network with a connection request.
• Messenger Campaign – If you wish to reach people already in your network (1st-degree connection), with DMs and follow-ups.
• Builder Campaign – If you would like to build your own customized campaign and define exact steps to use in your outreach. E.g. send a connection request → If not accepted within 4 days → Send an email. If accepted → Send a follow-up DM.
• Open InMail Campaign – If you wish to reach people with an open profile.

3. Launching your campaign

Here’s a straightforward outreach flow you can use once your enriched list (with LinkedIn URLs) is inside Expandi.

Step 1 – Profile Visit

→ Soft touch to get on their radar that builds familiarity before connecting.

Step 2 – Connection Request

Short, low-friction note works best:

“Hey {first_name}, looking to grow my network of marketers in (niche). Glad to connect!”

Step 3 – Follow-up #1 (if accepted)

Keep it contextual to their role or ICP:

“Glad to connect, {first_name}. Curious, how are you currently handling (problem) at (company)?”

Step 4 – Follow-up #2

A value-led nudge:

“Not sure if this is relevant, but I recently saw another (ICP) struggling with X. Just recorded a quick Loom on this. Happy to share if relevant?”

Step 5 – Email touch (optional)

If you imported emails as well, run an email step for people who:

• Didn’t accept your request
• Didn’t reply
• Rarely check LinkedIn

This creates a light multichannel sequence without being aggressive. 

Here’s what all this would look like in Expandi set up.

FAQ: Finding LinkedIn Profiles by Email in 2026

1. Can you search LinkedIn by email in 2026?

No. LinkedIn no longer supports reverse email lookup, and there’s no native “search LinkedIn by email” feature anymore. You can’t paste an email address into LinkedIn search and get a matching profile for privacy and security reasons.

Instead, you have to use external methods, such as:

• Google search operators (e.g. site:linkedin.com/in “[email protected]“)
• Data enrichment tools that map email → LinkedIn URL
• Custom solutions like the Google Sheets + Custom Search API method shown above

2. How do I find a LinkedIn profile by email address?

You can’t do this directly inside LinkedIn, but you can find a LinkedIn URL from an email using:

• Google search
  • site:linkedin.com/in “[email protected]“
    • site:linkedin.com/in “First Last” “Company”
• Data enrichment tools

These can automatically return a LinkedIn URL when you upload a list of emails.

• Google Sheets formula method (in this guide)
• Add emails to a Sheet
• Use the getLinkedInProfile() custom function
• It uses Google Custom Search to return likely matching LinkedIn URLs at scale

This gives you a safe workaround to find LinkedIn profiles from emails, even though LinkedIn itself doesn’t offer email search.

3. How to find LinkedIn URLs from emails at scale?

If you have a big list (from your CRM, webinar, or email tool) and need LinkedIn URLs in bulk, you have three main options:

1. Data enrichment platforms
   1. Upload a CSV with emails
   2. Download enriched data with LinkedIn URLs, company, title, etc.
2. The Google Sheets + Custom Search formula
   1. Ideal if you want a low-cost / DIY approach
   2. Limited to ~100 searches/day on the free Google tier
3. Hybrid workflow
   1. Use enrichment for your main lists
   2. Use the Google Sheets method to fill in missing or tricky records

This is the most practical way to find LinkedIn URLs from emails without manual copying and pasting.

4. What are some use cases for finding LinkedIn profiles by email?

Finding LinkedIn profiles from email addresses can be useful for anyone working with lead lists, candidates, or large datasets. Main groups include SDRs and sales teams, recruiters and talent sources, marketing agencies, and more.

Then, with Expandi, you can:

1. Upload the CSV 
2. Build LinkedIn or multi-channel sequences
3. Send automated connection requests, DMs, emails, or InMails
4. Run automated campaigns at scale safely

Summary

So, to recap, finding a LinkedIn profile by email isn’t something LinkedIn lets you do anymore. But with the right external methods, it’s still completely doable.

Once you have LinkedIn URLs enriched, you can finally run scalable, personalized outreach instead of manually searching profiles one by one.

If you want to turn your enriched lists into automated LinkedIn + email campaigns, safely, at scale, and all in one dashboard, you can try Expandi free for 7 days and see how it fits into your workflow.

Start your free Expandi trial and streamline your outreach now.