Free tool

LinkedIn Boolean search builder

List the words you want, accept or leave out, and get a Boolean string that LinkedIn's search reads the way you mean it. Paste one you already have to check it.

Every one must appear. Separate with commas.
At least one must appear. Separate with commas.
None may appear. Separate with commas.
Edit it, or paste one to check it
Search LinkedIn:PeoplePostsCompanies

Runs in your browser: nothing is sent anywhere until you open a search on LinkedIn.

Run the same search from your product? Lempile's LinkedIn API takes a LinkedIn search address as it is, and runs it through your users' own accounts.

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The operators

Five symbols, and they only work as written.

LinkedIn reads Boolean strings in the search bar at the top of the site. AND, OR and NOT must be in capitals: in lowercase they're just words.

OperatorWhat it doesExample
ANDEvery term must appearaccountant AND CPA
ORAt least one term must appearsales OR marketing
NOTLeaves out results with the termprogrammer NOT manager
" "An exact phrase, words in that order"product manager"
( )Groups terms, applied before the restVP NOT (assistant OR SVP)

Source: LinkedIn Help, “Use Boolean search on LinkedIn”, read on 4 November 2026.

Order of operations

LinkedIn applies them in a fixed order.

Quoted phrases come first, then anything in parentheses, then NOT, then AND, and OR last. That last step catches people out:

  • sales OR marketing AND manager means sales, or marketing and manager together, because AND comes before OR.
  • (sales OR marketing) AND manager means a manager in sales or in marketing, which is usually what you wanted.

The builder always puts OR terms in parentheses, so its strings read the way they look.

What doesn't work

The mistakes the checker looks for.

  • Lowercase operators. and, or and not are read as words.
  • Brackets, braces and wildcards. LinkedIn doesn't support { }, [ ], < > or *. Parentheses are the only way to group.
  • + and -. They may seem to work but aren't officially supported: use AND and NOT.
  • Stop words in phrases. LinkedIn leaves out words such as “by”, “in” and “with”.
  • Unclosed quotes or parentheses, and operators with nothing on one side.

Examples

Boolean strings to start from.

  • "account executive" AND (SaaS OR software) NOT (intern OR junior)Sales hires with software experience, without junior roles
  • (CTO OR "head of engineering" OR "VP engineering") AND fintechEngineering leaders at fintech companies
  • "customer success" NOT (manager OR director)Customer success people, not their managers
  • (founder OR "co-founder") AND (Paris OR Lyon) AND B2BB2B founders who mention Paris or Lyon

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Does LinkedIn support Boolean search?
Yes. Type the Boolean string straight into the search bar at the top of LinkedIn: AND, OR and NOT in capitals, quotes for exact phrases, and parentheses to group terms.
Why doesn't my Boolean search work on LinkedIn?
Most often an operator typed in lowercase (LinkedIn reads it as a word), a quote or parenthesis that's never closed, or a character LinkedIn doesn't support, like brackets or *. Paste the string into the builder above: it points to each of these.
Does LinkedIn support wildcards?
No. LinkedIn doesn't support wildcards like *, nor braces, brackets or angle brackets. Search each form of the word with OR instead: (engineer OR engineering).
In what order does LinkedIn apply the operators?
Quotes first, then parentheses, then NOT, then AND, and OR last. So sales OR marketing AND manager means sales, or marketing and manager together. Add parentheses to say what you mean.
Can I use + and - on LinkedIn?
They may seem to work, but LinkedIn doesn't officially support them. Use AND instead of + and NOT instead of -.
Is my search sent anywhere?
No. The string is built and checked in your browser. Nothing leaves it until you click a search button, which opens LinkedIn with your string in its search bar.

LinkedIn search, from your product.

Lempile runs LinkedIn's classic search for people, posts, jobs and companies through your users' own accounts, and takes a search's address as it is. 7-day free trial, no card needed.

Get your free API keyRead the search docs