How to See Pending Connections on LinkedIn

LinkedIn's connection system works on a two-step model: you send a request, the other person accepts (or ignores it). Until they respond, that request sits in a pending state — visible to you, invisible to them in terms of your profile activity. Knowing where to find those pending requests, on both desktop and mobile, helps you stay organized and avoid the awkward mistake of sending duplicate invitations to the same person.

What "Pending Connections" Actually Means on LinkedIn

When you send a connection request, LinkedIn holds it in a queue until the recipient accepts, ignores, or withdraws it. From your side, pending sent invitations are requests you've sent that haven't been responded to yet. There's a separate category for pending received invitations — requests other people have sent to you that you haven't yet accepted or declined.

Both live in the same general area of LinkedIn's interface, but they're displayed under different tabs. Most people know how to find received requests; fewer realize they can also review and manage the requests they've sent out.

How to See Pending Connections on LinkedIn Desktop 🖥️

1. Log into your LinkedIn account at linkedin.com.
2. Click the My Network icon in the top navigation bar (it looks like two silhouettes).
3. On the left side of the My Network page, you'll see an Invitations section showing received requests at the top.
4. To see requests you've sent, look for the Manage link or button near the top right of the Invitations panel — this takes you to a full invitations management page.
5. On that page, click the Sent tab to switch from received to sent invitations.

Here you'll see every pending outgoing connection request, listed with the person's name, profile headline, and the date the request was sent. You can also withdraw any request from this view by clicking the "Withdraw" button next to a name.

How to See Pending Connections on LinkedIn Mobile 📱

The LinkedIn mobile app (iOS and Android) follows a similar path, though the layout is condensed for smaller screens.

1. Open the LinkedIn app and tap the My Network icon at the bottom of the screen.
2. At the top of the screen, you'll see pending received invitations with Accept/Decline options.
3. Tap See all next to the Invitations section to open the full list.
4. Look for a toggle or tab labeled Sent — tapping it switches the view to your outgoing pending requests.

As with desktop, each sent invitation shows the recipient's name and some profile context. Withdrawing a request is available here too, which permanently removes the pending invitation from their queue.

Received vs. Sent: Understanding Both Queues

Managing both queues matters more than most users realize. A large backlog of sent requests that were never accepted can affect how LinkedIn interprets your networking behavior. LinkedIn places limits on total pending sent invitations — historically around 3,000 — and approaching that ceiling can restrict your ability to send new ones until you withdraw some older requests.

Why Pending Requests Sometimes Disappear

If a sent request vanishes from your Sent tab without showing up as a new connection, a few things may have happened:

• The recipient declined your request — LinkedIn doesn't notify you when this happens; the request simply disappears.
• You withdrew the request — either intentionally or accidentally.
• LinkedIn's system removed it — very old pending requests (some users report requests disappearing after several months) may be auto-expired, though LinkedIn hasn't formally confirmed a specific expiry window for all account types.

None of these scenarios send you a notification, which is why periodically checking your Sent tab gives you a clearer picture of your actual network outreach.

Factors That Affect Your Experience

Not every LinkedIn user sees the same interface, and a few variables shape what you'll encounter:

• Account type: Free (Basic) accounts and Premium subscribers share the same My Network area, but Premium accounts have additional features elsewhere that can affect layout density.
• App version: LinkedIn updates its mobile app frequently. If your app is several versions behind, the tab labels or navigation paths may differ from current documentation.
• Platform: The desktop browser experience generally shows more information at once compared to the mobile app, which condenses the view significantly.
• Account age and activity level: Accounts with very high invitation volumes may see the Sent tab paginated or load more slowly.

A Note on LinkedIn's Interface Changes

LinkedIn has a history of quietly redesigning navigation — what's labeled "Manage invitations" today might be restructured in a future update. If the steps above don't match exactly what you see, the underlying logic stays constant: My Network is always the entry point, and somewhere within it is a mechanism to separate sent from received invitations.

Checking your pending connections regularly — both directions — gives you an accurate view of where your outreach actually stands, rather than relying on memory or assuming silence means acceptance. How useful that visibility is, and how often it makes sense to act on it, depends entirely on how actively you use LinkedIn and what you're trying to accomplish with your network.