How to Export Contacts from LinkedIn Sales Navigator to Excel
LinkedIn Sales Navigator is one of the most powerful tools for B2B prospecting, but its built-in export features are limited. If you need to move your leads into a CRM, spreadsheet, or email outreach tool, learning how to export contacts from LinkedIn Sales Navigator to Excel is essential.
Can You Export Contacts Directly from LinkedIn Sales Navigator?
Yes, but with limitations. LinkedIn Sales Navigator does allow you to export leads, but only in CSV format and only from certain sections like your Saved Leads or Account Lists. There is no direct "Export to Excel" button for all search results.
Method 1: Export Saved Leads to CSV
The simplest way to export Sales Navigator contacts to Excel:
1. Go to Sales Navigator and click Lead Search. 2. Apply your filters (title, industry, location, company size). 3. Click Save search or save individual leads to a list. 4. Navigate to Saved leads or Lead lists. 5. Click the Export icon (down arrow) at the top right. 6. Select Export to CSV. 7. Open the CSV file in Excel or Google Sheets.
Method 2: Export Account Lists
To extract contacts from company accounts:
1. Go to Account Search in Sales Navigator. 2. Filter and save accounts to a list. 3. Open the list and click Export. 4. Choose CSV. 5. The download includes account names, domains, and sometimes employee contacts.
Method 3: Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator + Phantombuster / Evaboot
For bulk exports beyond the native limits, use third-party tools:
- Phantomburst LinkedIn Search Exporter: Automates scraping and exports directly to Excel/Google Sheets. - Evaboot: Specifically built for Sales Navigator exports. Detects emails, enriches data, and downloads clean CSVs. - Skrapp / Apollo: Browser extensions that capture emails and export contact lists.
Limitations of Native Sales Navigator Export
- No personal emails: Only LinkedIn profile URLs and public info. - Lead limits: May cap at a few hundred per search. - No enrichment: Missing phone numbers, verified emails, or tech stack data.
How to Open CSV in Excel Without Formatting Issues
1. Open Excel. 2. Go to Data → Get Data → From Text/CSV. 3. Select your Sales Navigator CSV. 4. Set delimiter to comma and encoding to UTF-8. 5. Click Load.
Bulk Export Workflow for Sales Teams
1. Save 1,000 leads to a lead list in Sales Navigator. 2. Export the CSV. 3. Use Evaboot to verify emails and clean duplicates. 4. Import the final list into your CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive).
Best Practices for Sales Navigator Exports
- Always respect LinkedIn's Terms of Service. - Segment lead lists before exporting to avoid data overload. - Clean and deduplicate CSVs before importing. - Use email verification tools to reduce bounce rates.
Conclusion
Learning how to export contacts from LinkedIn Sales Navigator to Excel unlocks powerful prospecting workflows. Use native exports for small lists and trusted third-party tools like Phantombuster or Evaboot for bulk, enriched data suitable for CRM import and cold outreach.