To send a connection request with a message, open the person's profile, choose Connect, then add the note before you send. On desktop you click "Add a note"; on mobile you tap More, then "Personalize Invite." LinkedIn's steps differ slightly by device, and the note field is not always available.
The steps below follow LinkedIn's own help page, with the cases that trip people up: the missing note field, the monthly note allowance, and the error you get when something else is wrong.
Before you start
Two prerequisites come from LinkedIn's Personalize invitations to connect (opens in a new tab) page: you need a primary email address on your account to send invitations, and the person must actually be someone you can send a request to. If you are not signed in to the current mobile app version, update it first — LinkedIn explicitly suggests updating if personalized invitations fail on mobile.
Desktop steps
- Open the profile of the member you want to connect with.
- Select Connect in the introduction section of their profile.
- Click Add a note.
- Type your message in the text field — up to 200 characters.
- Select Send invitation.
If the note field is offered, you have a note available. If it is not, see the section below.
Mobile steps
- Open the member's profile.
- Tap the More icon in the top section of the profile.
- Tap Personalize Invite.
- Enter your message.
- Tap Send Invitation.
When the note field is unavailable
LinkedIn's help page documents the allowance and two paths that do not offer a personalized note. It does not document a disappearing field, a reset clock, or how often each cause occurs. Treat anything beyond the page as a check, not a UI fact.
- Check the monthly allowance. Non-Premium members can add a personalized message to up to three connection requests per month. Premium members can send unlimited personalized invitations, though connection-request limits may still apply. The page does not say the field disappears after the third note, or when it returns. If the field is missing, the allowance is one thing to check, not a diagnosis.
- You are inviting from "People You May Know" on mobile. LinkedIn states that invitations sent from People You May Know in the mobile app cannot be personalized. Open the person's full profile instead.
- You selected "We don't know each other." LinkedIn says you may be prompted to send a message before the invitation is sent. That is a prompt, not a statement that the note field has been removed.
- Other profile options. Some members limit who can contact them. The note page does not say those settings remove this note field. If the screen does not match the documented path, check the current labels rather than assuming a recipient setting caused it.
Limit and error messages you may see
LinkedIn's page describes the outcomes rather than a catalogue of error codes:
- No "Add a note" option. Check the non-Premium allowance and whether you started from People You May Know on mobile. Do not treat a missing field as proof the allowance is spent.
- Invitation fails to send on mobile. Update the app, as LinkedIn advises.
- The invitation goes out without the note you wrote. On desktop, LinkedIn's documented path is Connect, then Add a note, then Send invitation. Selecting Connect is not documented as the final send. On mobile, the documented path is More, then Personalize Invite, then Send Invitation. Add the note before that final send. Do not treat "Connect" as a universal send button.
- The recipient replies without accepting. LinkedIn notes that if the recipient responds to your message, they can reply without accepting the invitation. The conversation then appears in your messages.
What happens after you send
If the recipient accepts, or replies to your note, the conversation lands in your messages, so there is no separate inbox to watch. That is also where your follow-up starts — the etiquette for that stage is covered in LinkedIn follow-up messages.
For the wording itself, including how to fit a useful note into 200 characters, see LinkedIn connection request messages.
A limitation
These steps are LinkedIn's published workflow as captured, and they can change with an app or desktop update. If your screen does not match, trust the current labels in the product — and note that the three-note allowance is a policy figure LinkedIn can revise.
If a vendor says it sends connection notes, ask how it behaves when Add a note is not on the documented path. Visit Clapa for an overview. This article does not test that case, and it does not claim vendors rarely handle it.
FAQ
How do I send a connection request with a message on mobile? Tap More on the profile, choose Personalize Invite, enter your message, and send. Do not start from People You May Know, because those invitations cannot be personalized.
Why can't I add a note to a connection request? Check the non-Premium allowance of three personalized notes, and check whether you started from People You May Know on mobile, where LinkedIn says invitations cannot be personalized. A missing field is not proof of either cause, and the note page does not tie it to the recipient's settings.
Do I need a note to send a request? No. You can send a plain request; you just lose the chance to give context before they decide.
Where do the messages go after I send? Into your LinkedIn messages. If the recipient replies without accepting, the conversation still appears there.
Sources
- LinkedIn Help, Personalize invitations to connect (opens in a new tab)
