Why Your LinkedIn Is "Buggy"?

Why Your LinkedIn Is "Buggy"?

Working hard on your professional network, but then you log in to LinkedIn and nothing works quite right, the feed stops loading, you get a message saying "You’re not able to perform this action," or an unexpected file download of “search results” appears. It’s tempting to think “It must be just me,” but in reality, you’re not alone.

In this post, I’m going to walk you through why LinkedIn becomes buggy for many users, and provide practical steps you can take right now to clear it up, so you can get back to connecting, engaging, and staying active without the frustration.

Why does the focus keyword matter here?

 Here’s the simple truth, when LinkedIn starts acting up, it usually thinks something is off, something about your browser, your network, or your account triggers its protection system, so it either blocks certain actions or fails to load parts of the site. That’s why the issue may look like it’s only on your side, but the root is often one of the common culprits below.

What typically causes LinkedIn to act buggy

Here are the top reasons you might see strange behavior with LinkedIn:

1. Automated or unusual traffic detected If you’ve ever used scraping tools, browser automation scripts, browser extensions that auto‑click, or even mass‑visiting profiles, LinkedIn’s systems can flag those patterns, the result is you’ll see “unable to perform this action,” or odd downloads of stub files.

   
   

2. Browser extensions interfering Things like ad‑blockers, privacy tools, download managers, or LinkedIn helper extensions can block essential JavaScript or XHR calls, which interrupts the site’s ability to render correctly.

   
   

3. Corrupted cache, cookies or local storage Over time, sites store data in your browser, if that data gets stale or malformed, it can break how LinkedIn thinks your session works.

   
   

4. Network, proxy or VPN issues Corporate gateways, VPNs, or shared IPs might alter headers or route traffic in a way LinkedIn doesn’t like, that can lead to soft blocks.

   
   

5. Account or IP-level restrictions If LinkedIn suspects policy violations on your account or the IP you’re using, it may throttle you, the UI might look like a bug, but really it’s a block.

   
   

6. Outdated browser or operating system compatibility If you’re using an old browser version or the OS has some compatibility issue, LinkedIn scripts might fail.

   
   

7. Malware, system-level scripts or injected traffic Rare, but if something on your machine is injecting or altering traffic, LinkedIn may respond by shutting functionality.

   
   

Quick checklist, start here

Before diving into heavy diagnostics, run this quick set of tests, it often resolves the issue right away:

• Open LinkedIn in an Incognito / Private window, if it works there, it’s likely an extension or cookie issue.

  
  

• Try a completely different browser, for example Chrome to Edge or Firefox, if it works there, the issue is browser-specific.

  
  

• On your mobile device or another computer using the same network, does it work? If yes, your primary browser/profile is likely the culprit.

  
  

• Switch off your VPN or proxy, try using a mobile hotspot, if LinkedIn works on a “clean” network, your IP or network routing was causing problems.

  
  

• Disable all browser extensions, reload LinkedIn, if it now works, re-enable extensions one-by-one until you spot the offender.

  
  

• Open Developer Tools (F12) and go to Console and Network tabs, look for 4xx/5xx HTTP errors, like a 403 or 429, that gives you clues that LinkedIn’s server side is rejecting something.

Quick video walk-through

Here’s a helpful YouTube tutorial that takes you step-by-step through fixing a stuck LinkedIn feed.

How To Troubleshoot LinkedIn App | Fix Errors

It’s great to follow alongside, watch what’s happening in real time, and you’ll recognize your issue faster.

Step-by-step, how to fix LinkedIn issues for good

Let’s dig into the detailed fix-list, I recommend doing them in this order so you don’t skip the obvious solution.

1. Use Incognito, disable extensions

Open an incognito/private window, sign into LinkedIn, if everything loads fine, go back to your regular browser window, disable all extensions, especially ad-blockers, LinkedIn helper plugins or download managers, after disabling, reload LinkedIn, then re-enable extensions one at a time, reload after each one, until you find which one breaks the site.

2. Clear cache, cookies and local storage

In your browser settings, go to “Clear browsing data”, select cookies & site data and cached images/files, optionally remove everything older than 30 days, in DevTools (F12) > Application tab > Local Storage & Session Storage > remove any entries for “linkedin.com”, sign in again, check whether LinkedIn behaves normally.

3. Try a different browser or device

Download or open a different browser and sign into LinkedIn, or use your mobile app or another computer entirely, if it works elsewhere, your main browser profile is corrupted or has conflicting settings, consider creating a new browser profile and migrating only bookmarks.

4. Test your network

Disconnect from your current network and use a mobile hotspot, turn off any VPN, proxy, or corporate gateway if possible, if LinkedIn starts working on a fresh network with no proxy/VPN, then your original network may be flagged or mis-routing LinkedIn traffic.

5. Inspect Developer Console and Network traffic

Press F12 in your browser, go to the Console tab and look for red errors, go to the Network tab, reload LinkedIn, look for requests that return status codes like 403 Forbidden, 429 Too Many Requests, or others in the 4xx/5xx range, if you see 429/403 consistently for your login or feed requests, chances are LinkedIn has throttled your account or IP.

6. Run malware scan

Use a reputable antivirus engine to run a full system scan, additionally use an on-demand scanner like Malwarebytes to check for unusual software or scripts that might be interfering, if malware is found and removed, re-launch your browser and check LinkedIn again.

7. Create a fresh browser profile or reinstall browser

If everything else fails and you’ve pinpointed the issue to your browser profile, create a new browser profile, sign into LinkedIn fresh, do not install extensions at first, test LinkedIn, if it now works clean, gradually migrate bookmarks and passwords, leave out problematic extensions, if using a browser you can’t profile-switch easily, you may uninstall and reinstall it.

8. Consider whether you used automation tools

If you’ve ever used scraping scripts, browser macros, mass-connect tools, or other automation that interacts with LinkedIn, stop using them now, LinkedIn’s backend is very good at detecting patterns of automation and they may have flagged your account or IP, if you suspect this is the case, you may need to wait 24-72 hours, stop the automation entirely, clear your browser, and check again.

9. Contact LinkedIn Support if nothing works

If the issue persists across browsers, devices and networks, and your DevTools show server-responses rejecting you (403/429) or there are account-level blocks, open a support ticket with LinkedIn, provide time of issue, what you tried, screenshots from Console/Network, any error codes shown, they may confirm whether your account or IP has restrictions.

How to prevent LinkedIn acting up in the future

Once you’re back on track, here’s how to keep things running smoothly:

• Avoid browser automation tools or scripts unless using LinkedIn’s official APIs and following their rate-limits.

• Keep your browser and OS up-to-date, outdated browsers are more prone to breaking site scripts.

• Use one trusted ad-blocker or privacy tool instead of many, or whitelist LinkedIn if you notice issues.

• Periodically clear cookies and local data if you notice odd behavior.

• Use separate browser profiles or tabs for work vs personal LinkedIn use, that helps avoid conflicts.

• If you manage multiple LinkedIn accounts, consider using separate browsers or profiles to avoid cross-session issues.

Final Thought

When LinkedIn starts acting buggy, feeds stop loading, actions get blocked, or you see odd downloads, it’s rarely just a random glitch, more often than not it’s your browser/profile, your network/connection, or LinkedIn’s system treating your traffic as unusual, work through the checklist, incognito, another browser, another device, clean network, disable extensions, clear cache, monitor Console/Network for errors, if you find 403/429 errors, you might be dealing with a soft-block or throttling, from there, scan for issues, create a fresh profile, review your use of automation, and if needed escalate via LinkedIn Support, if you follow these steps, your LinkedIn experience should be smooth again, so you can focus on engaging, networking and growing your presence, rather than wrestling with weird glitches.

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EXEED Digitals | LinkedIn

EXEED Digitals | 3,048 followers on LinkedIn. LinkedIn growth for founders & corporate brands | We help founders and companies turn LinkedIn into their strongest business channel. At EXEED, we don’t “do social media.” We build LinkedIn ecosystems.. where content, community, and conversations lead to real business growth.