How to convert Sales Navigator URLs to LinkedIn Profile URLs (Step by Step Guide)

The first thing that you should do after scraping Sales Navigator is to convert the Sales Navigator Lead URLs into LinkedIn Profile URLs.

The reason why I am saying that is because it will help you when you want to use third party apps that require a Normal LinkedIn URL.

These apps use the Regular LinkedIn URL to scrape the LinkedIn profile of your prospect to help you personalize your cold outreach and get more leads.

In this article, I'll talk about:

How to convert a list of Sales Navigator URLs into LinkedIn Profile URLs (in bulk)
The difference between Sales Navigator URLs and LinkedIn URLs
How to convert a Sales Navigator URL into a Normal LinkedIn Profile URL manually

⚠️ Important: To convert LinkedIn Sales Navigator Company URLs, check our Convert LinkedIn Sales Navigator URLs to LinkedIn Company Page URLs article.

How to convert Sales Navigator URLs to LinkedIn Profile URLs (in Bulk)

Let's get directly into the best way to convert Sales Navigator URLs into LinkedIn URLs.

First Step: Import your CSV in Datablist.

Datablist is a GTM co-pilot that helps Marketing, Sales, and RevOps teams combine data and AI to execute growth workflows and grow pipeline effortlessly.

My file contains only the Sales Navigator URLs, but you can upload a file with more columns and it will work in the same way.

Those URLs come from the LinkedIn Sales Navigator lead pages. They have the following format: https://www.linkedin.com/sales/lead/XXXXXX,NAME_SEARCH,VBt4?_ntb=f8HG0fiQRli0uIQgLSh0Rg%3D%3D&....

Example of Sales Navigator URL

Second Step: Use the LinkedIn Profile Scraper.

Click on “Enrich” button in the collection "Header".

Select the “LinkedIn People Profile Scraper”.

The LinkedIn Profile Scraper in Datablist

Configure your Sales Navigator URLs as input and click on the button below it to select your outputs.

The Sales Navigator URLs configured as inputs

For this quick demonstration, I chose to select only the LinkedIn profile URL and the prospect's name.

Configured outputs of the Linked Profile scaper

Here is a list of the data points that you can choose from when using the LinkedIn People Profile Scraper:

LinkedIn Profile URL Normalized: 👈 This is the Regular LinkedIn Profile URL
First Name
Last Name
Full Name
Headline
Summary
Current (or last) experience start date
Last experience end date
Current (or last) experience company name
Current (or last) experience company page URL
Current (or last) experience title
Current (or last) experience description
Current (or last) experience location
City
State
Country
Country Name
Languages
Connections

Once you have configured your outputs, you can then:

Choose how many items you want to run the enrichment on. This is especially useful for larger lists and limited budgets.
Run your enrichment to convert your Sales Navigator URLs into LinkedIn URLs.

Costs: The LinkedIn Profile Scraper costs 25 credits per profile. With an investment of $20 in top-up credits, you'll get 20,000 credits, which will enable you to convert 800 Sales Navigator URLs into LinkedIn URLs. Check Datablist Credit System.

Here is how it looks once you've converted the Sales Navigator URLs into LinkedIn URLs.

Sales Navigator URLs converted in to LinkedIn URLs

Note: The LinkedIn Profile Scraper doesn't use your LinkedIn account. Unlike other tools, it has no limit on the number of profiles you can scrape or convert.

The difference between the Sales Navigator URL and the Normal LinkedIn URL.

1. Public LinkedIn URL

A Public LinkedIn URL (or Normal LinkedIn URL) is the one you see when you visit a profile from a Google search or LinkedIn’s free version.

It usually follows this format : www.linkedin.com/in/first-name-last-name

This URL is static and easy to share, making it ideal for manual prospecting or referencing profiles.
However, public URLs can be changed by the page owner at any time, which can create inconsistencies when tracking prospects. If the page owner updates their LinkedIn link, the old public URL will no longer work, leading to 404 errors in your CRM.

2. Unique LinkedIn ID URL (Sales Navigator URL)

A Unique LinkedIn ID URL is different from a public URL because it includes a unique identifier assigned by LinkedIn.

This ID never changes, even if the page owner updates the public LinkedIn URL.
Sales Navigator and LinkedIn’s API use this ID-based URL for internal tracking, making it the best option for integrating LinkedIn data into CRM systems.

Why Does This Matter?

When exporting leads from Sales Navigator, you’ll typically get the Unique ID URL, not the public URL.

If you’re enriching LinkedIn data outside of LinkedIn (using third-party tools e.g. Octave), you need to convert Unique IDs into Public URLs for better usability.

Pro Tip: Always store Unique ID URLs in your CRM for long-term tracking. Since public LinkedIn URLs can change, relying on them may result in accounts and broken links.

Store sales navigator IDs rather than LinkedIn URLs for better tracking

Use Cases

Sales Navigator ID URLs:

Lead Tracking - For monitoring prospect engagement over time.
CRM Integration - For reliable data syncing and automation.
Account Mapping - For complex organizational relationships.
Analytics Dashboards - For consistent reporting and metrics.
Long term ABM Campaigns. - For always up to date data.
Lead Magnet Sharing - For ongoing effectiveness.

Public LinkedIn URLs:

Social Media Sharing - More user-friendly and recognizable.
Client Presentations - More professional appearance.
Personal Websites - For personal branding purposes.
Marketing Materials - For better brand visibility.

Tools that require a LinkedIn URL.

Octave — uses LinkedIn URLs but doesn't accept Sales Navigator URLs.
Persana — has LinkedIn enrichment but doesn't allow Sales Navigator URLs for enrichment.
Databar — doesn't have LinkedIn enrichment but relies on third-party tools like PDL to enrich profiles from social links.
Clay — doesn't have its own enrichment capabilities but relies on Datagma, MixRank, Snov, LeadMagic, Apollo, Clearbit, and People Data Labs.

Why These Tools don’t Allow Sales Navigator URLs.

LinkedIn is a public site, while Sales Navigator isn't. Sales Navigator also has more strict security mechanisms, which makes it difficult to scrape.

To scrape LinkedIn Sales Navigator, most tools require your LI cookie to scrape it with their software using your account, as creating multiple accounts wouldn't be profitable for them in the long term.

Key Takeaways

Converting Sales Navigator URLs to LinkedIn URLs is essential for using third-party prospecting tools
The process can be automated using tools like Datablist
Always maintain both URL types for different use cases - Sales Navigator URLs for tracking and LinkedIn URLs for sharing

How to convert manually a Sales Navigator URL into a Normal LinkedIn Profile URL

If you don’t want to use automation tools, you can manually convert a Sales Navigator URL into a public LinkedIn profile URL. This method is simple but requires a few steps.

Step 1: Extract the LinkedIn Profile Identifier

Every LinkedIn Sales Navigator URL contains a unique identifier that links directly to a person’s profile. To find this identifier, look at the structure of a Sales Navigator URL.

It's a 40 characters long identifier that comes after the /lead/ part and stops with the comma.

The Sales Navigator URL follows this format:

https://www.linkedin.com/sales/lead/UNIQUE_IDENTIFIER,NAME_SEARCH,VBt4?...

Extract LinkedIn Identifier from LinkedIn Sales Navigator

For example, in the following URL:

https://www.linkedin.com/sales/lead/ACwAAAIJflYBqX9OalB0Q4oq13hUS3Mp8HRkvJ0,NAME_SEARCH,VBt4?_ntb=f8HG0fiQRli0uIQgLSh0Rg%3D%3D&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_sales2_search_people%3B4%2BFmUHgXTuqrAd9hJgIy1Q%3D%3D&licu=urn%3Ali%3Acontrol%3Ad_sales2_search_people-view_lead_panel_via_search_lead_name&snfl=VNen6dNEQ%2F2jdViFC4dEGQ%3D%3D

The LinkedIn Identifier is ACwAAAIJflYBqX9OalB0Q4oq13hUS3Mp8HRkvJ0.

This string of characters is the key to accessing the public LinkedIn profile.

Step 2: Build the Public LinkedIn Profile URL

Once you have extracted the LinkedIn identifier, the next step is to use it to make a LinkedIn Profile URL.

Simply insert the identifier at the end of the following base URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/UNIQUE_IDENTIFIER

Using our example, the final LinkedIn profile URL would be: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACwAAAIJflYBqX9OalB0Q4oq13hUS3Mp8HRkvJ0

When you paste this URL into your browser while logged into LinkedIn, LinkedIn will automatically recognize the identifier and redirect you to the person’s public LinkedIn profile.

For instance, if the actual profile URL is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florianpoullin/. LinkedIn will take you there instantly.

Convert LinkedIn Sales Navigator Manually

Important Notes

You must be logged into LinkedIn for the redirection to work. A free LinkedIn account is enough—you don’t need a Sales Navigator subscription.
The redirection only works for profiles that still exist. If the LinkedIn user has deleted their account or changed privacy settings, the link might not work.

Additional Tips for Manual Conversion

Keep Both URLs – For better CRM tracking, store both the Sales Navigator URL and the public LinkedIn URL. The Sales Navigator URL will remain stable even if the public URL changes.
Verify Redirections – If LinkedIn doesn’t redirect you, double-check the extracted identifier to make sure it’s correct.

Why Manual Conversion Might Not Be Ideal

Manually converting Sales Navigator URLs is possible but inefficient for large datasets. If you need to process hundreds or thousands of URLs, use the automated method to convert LinkedIn Sales Navigator URLs at scale.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can LinkedIn Block My Account if I Convert Too Many Profiles?

No, LinkedIn will not block your account when converting Sales Navigator URLs into LinkedIn profile URLs using Datablist. Unlike browser extensions or scrapers that rely on your LinkedIn session, Datablist does not require your LinkedIn login or cookies.

This means:

✅ No LinkedIn account activity – The tool does not visit profiles on your behalf.
✅ No risk of detection – Since LinkedIn’s security measures track user activity, not external lookups, you remain undetectable.
✅ Safe for bulk conversions – You can process hundreds or thousands of URLs without worrying about LinkedIn restrictions.

With Datablist, your LinkedIn account stays completely separate, ensuring zero risk of being blocked or restricted while still getting accurate LinkedIn profile URLs. 🚀

How do I convert a Sales Navigator URL to a Normal LinkedIn URL?

You can convert Sales Navigator URLs to LinkedIn URLs by using Datablist's LinkedIn Profile Scraper. Simply import your CSV file containing Sales Navigator URLs, use the enrichment feature, and select the LinkedIn Profile URL as your desired output.

Can I convert multiple Sales Navigator URLs at once?

Yes, you can convert multiple Sales Navigator URLs simultaneously using Datablist's bulk enrichment feature. You can choose how many profiles to process based on your credit budget.

How much does it cost to convert Sales Navigator URLs?

Converting URLs costs 25 credits per profile on Datablist. With a $20 investment in top-up credits (20,000 credits), you can convert approximately 800 Sales Navigator URLs to LinkedIn URLs.

Why won't my Sales Navigator URL work in third-party tools?

Most third-party tools don't accept Sales Navigator URLs because Sales Navigator is a premium platform with stricter security measures, while these tools are designed to work with public LinkedIn URLs.

Which URL should I store in my CRM - Sales Navigator or LinkedIn URL?

It's recommended to store Sales Navigator URLs (Unique ID URLs) in your CRM for long-term tracking, as public LinkedIn URLs can change when users update their profiles, potentially causing broken links.

How can I tell the difference between a Sales Navigator URL and a LinkedIn URL?

Public LinkedIn URLs typically follow the format www.linkedin.com/in/first-name-last-name, while Sales Navigator URLs contain a unique identifier and are longer in format.