Nevertheless, if the problem lies solely with you, there is either an issue with your LinkedIn account, internet connection, browser, or operating system. Thus, you should first make sure it’s just you who is experiencing this problem, then move on to the other fixes that can help resolve the issue.
But First, Some Preliminary Fixes
Your first two checks should be to ensure that your internet connection isn’t the cause, nor does the issue come from LinkedIn. Try running other websites parallel on your computer to rule out browser-related issues temporarily. If they work, the problem is only with LinkedIn.
In that case, check LinkedIn’s official account or pages on social media platforms such as Twitter to see if they have announced a maintenance downtime. There is only one thing you can do if the issue is with LinkedIn, which is to wait until the website is functional again.
If LinkedIn hasn’t reported anything on the official account, try accessing LinkedIn and other websites from other browsers and computers. When you have trouble opening LinkedIn and other websites, even on different browsers and computers, it indicates an issue with the internet. In that case, you can try re-establishing the connection, restarting your router, running an internet troubleshooter, or getting in touch with your ISP.
When the problem is contained to a particular browser, but LinkedIn is working properly in another, you should troubleshoot the browser issues. However, before you do that, try signing in with a different account. If the error occurs immediately after you sign in, it means your LinkedIn account isn’t the cause of the problem.
After trying all preliminary checks, it’s time to start implementing the below fixes.
1. Try Logging In Again or Use a Different Account
Log out of your account and then log back in again. If the issue arises immediately after signing in, try signing in using another account. Create a temporary account if you don’t already have one. If the problem is limited to one account, you can only report it to LinkedIn.
However, if you cannot log in to any of your accounts or the LinkedIn website isn’t opening at all, the issue may lie with either your browser or your system. If so, implement the following fixes.
2. Clear Your Browser Cache
When troubleshooting a browser issue, clear its cache first. Cache data helps reduce loading times of frequently visited websites, but when it piles up or becomes corrupted, it can impede the site’s ability to load correctly.
To ensure that’s not causing the issue, clear the browser cache by following these steps:
Click on the three vertical dots in the top-right corner. Go to the History page. Click on the Clear browsing data in the left-sidebar. Uncheck all other boxes except Cached images and files, and Cookies and other site data. Set the Time range to All time in the dropdown menu. Click on the Clear data.
Note: We will be using the Google Chrome browser for this guide. However, the steps are similar for other browsers.
3. Enable or Disable Any VPN Services Running
Once you have cleared your browser cache, check if your VPN is enabled, if you have one. You will likely be blocked from LinkedIn if the IP address provided by the VPN you’re using constantly changes or is blacklisted or malicious. It is, therefore, a good idea to turn off your VPN.
The fix also works the other way around. It’s possible that LinkedIn is experiencing downtime only in your region, or your IP address is blacklisted by the LinkedIn servers, which may prevent you from accessing the website. If this is the case, changing your IP address and location by turning on the VPN may resolve the issue right away.
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If disabling and enabling the VPN connection does not fix the issue, you may want to disable the ad-blocker extensions.
4. Disable Ad-Blocking Extensions
Ad-blockers interfere directly with the website’s script, blocking the ads to give you an ad-free browsing experience. It enhances your browsing experience but can cause unexpected issues even on websites without advertisements. Therefore, it’s imperative to ensure it hasn’t backfired on you.
To disable ad-blocker extensions, follow these steps:
Click on the three vertical dots and navigate to More tools > Extensions. Locate the ad-blocker extension and turn its toggle to the left to turn it off. If needed, you can also hit the Remove button to get rid of this extension.
Access LinkedIn to see if disabling the ad-blocker extension has made a difference. If not, it is equally important to make sure that you haven’t blacklisted LinkedIn by adding it to the list of websites in the website blocker extension. Once you have done that, implement the rest of the fixes.
5. Reset Your Chrome Browser
If none of these fixes have resolved the issue, and you’re using Google Chrome the problem might be more severe. Therefore, you should consider resetting your browser since that will likely resolve the problem. By resetting your browser, you can rule out any browser issues once and for all.
Follow the steps below to reset your Chrome browser:
Go to the Settings after clicking the three vertical dots in the top-right corner. Under the Advanced dropdown on the left-sidebar, navigate to Reset and clean up. Click on the Reset settings to their original defaults in the right-hand pane. Click the Reset settings button.
By doing this, your browser will be completely reset. Although it may resolve the issue under discussion, resetting your browser also resets all your customizations. As such, keep that risk in mind, as you’ll have to start from scratch.
If resetting does not work, you can try reinstalling Chrome as a last resort. Even when reinstalling doesn’t resolve the issue, there is a system issue that needs further investigation.
6. Ruling Out System Issues
Although you are less likely to have a system issue preventing you from accessing LinkedIn, it’s essential to rule them out. Start by scanning your system for malware. Afterward, run an internet troubleshooter to fix any temporary connectivity issues. After that, you can run an SFC scan, update your OS, or reset your computer to eliminate system interference.
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If ruling out system problems hasn’t made any difference, and you are sure that the problem lies with your LinkedIn account only, it’s time to report it to LinkedIn.
7. Report the Problem to LinkedIn
You can report the problem to LinkedIn support by following these steps:
Go to the LinkedIn Help page. Write “contact us” in the search bar. Navigate to the bottom of the screen and hit Contact us. Click on Get help from us. Choose Other from the list of options. Type Issue as “LinkedIn not working” and hit Enter to search. Scroll down and click on Create a support ticket. Enter your details, write down the issue in particular, and hit Submit.
Don’t expect a reply soon after submitting the request. Depending on the nature of the issue, LinkedIn may take some time to resolve it.
LinkedIn Still Not Working?
Following reporting the problem to LinkedIn support, you can do a few things if LinkedIn isn’t working after applying all fixes. In the case of account issues, temporarily create a new account and continue using it.
For your professional needs, you can also explore other LinkedIn alternatives such as Meetup, Xing, and similar. Moreover, you can switch to another browser, such as Mozilla Firefox, Opera, and Microsoft Edge, if the issue is only with Chrome.
