LinkedIn Data Export Not Working? Check These Files
Start with the exact import message and Export coverage & diagnostics. Check that you chose one original LinkedIn ZIP or the supported extracted CSVs, then distinguish an unreadable input from a readable export with a missing category.
Match the symptom to the next action
| What you see | What to check next |
|---|---|
| A category is not included | Request that category or choose its original CSV alongside the other supported files. |
| Unsupported structure | Keep the original header row. A renamed spreadsheet or an HTML download is not a supported CSV. |
| Repeated category files | Choose one representation of each category rather than combining overlapping exports. |
| Broken quotes or encoding error | Try the untouched download. Spreadsheet resaving can change quoting, separators and UTF-8 text. |
| A ZIP exceeds a limit | Extract it locally and select only the relevant supported CSV files. |
| No rows after filtering | Clear the category's text and year filters, then inspect its coverage and unknown dates. |
Check the input limits
The reader accepts one unencrypted ZIP or up to 100 selected CSV files. Limits are 2 GB per ZIP, 10,000 ZIP entries, 20 MB per supported CSV and 60 MB of combined expanded supported data. ZIP64 and multipart archives are unsupported.
CSV limits are 200,000 source rows per file, 250,000 across the selection, 100 columns and 100,000 characters per cell. Selecting only the relevant extracted CSVs can avoid unrelated archive size; it cannot bypass a supported file's own limits.
A partially read category needs inspection
Review skipped rows, unknown dates and exact connection duplicates in diagnostics. Repeated messages and activities are preserved. A malformed date may leave a usable record with an unavailable date rather than discarding the entire row.
Search text with unquoted commas has a specific bounded recovery rule. A recovered search row is reported separately; it does not make unrelated CSV row-width errors recoverable. Keep the original archive if you need to compare source text.
Report a format issue without exposing your archive
Use the correction link on About. Describe the category, the error and the file format using a synthetic example. Do not post your original ZIP, private messages, contact details or a screenshot containing other people's records.
Related LinkedIn guides
Sources and responsibility
LinkedIn's documentation describes the export request and the records it can supply. The worked examples use independent fictional inputs and InstaScope's current reader. Account coverage and upstream file formats can vary.