LinkedIn doesn't have a preview button, so the easiest way to preview a LinkedIn post is to paste it into a free post preview tool, which shows where LinkedIn will cut it off with "...more", how line breaks and formatting look, and how your images will be laid out. To check a link's preview card, use LinkedIn's own Post Inspector. Then post or schedule it with confidence.
Here's what to check, and how, before a post goes live. Written on 10 November 2026.
What to check before you publish a LinkedIn post
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Where "...more" falls | LinkedIn shows the first few lines, roughly 200 characters on desktop and less on a phone. Your hook has to land before it |
| Line breaks and spacing | Blank lines and single-line paragraphs change how long the visible part is |
| Bold and italic text | LinkedIn has no formatting buttons for posts; styled text is made of special Unicode characters that look different on some devices |
| Length | Posts can be up to 3,000 characters |
| Images | Several images are arranged in a grid and cropped. Your key detail may be cut off |
| Link preview | The card's title and image come from the linked page, not from your post |
| Mentions and hashtags | They only link if LinkedIn recognises them as you type |
Option 1: use a free LinkedIn post preview tool
Our free social media post preview tool shows your post the way LinkedIn lays it out in the feed: where the text folds behind "...more", how your images sit, and the character count, next to how the same post would look on X, Bluesky and other networks. Your text and images stay in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
- Paste your post.
- Add your images, if any.
- Look at the LinkedIn preview. If the first lines before "...more" don't make you want to click, rewrite them.
If you're adding bold, italic or lists, our LinkedIn text formatter does that and shows the fold at the same time. Copy the result and paste it into LinkedIn.
Option 2: check the link card with Post Inspector
If your post includes a link, LinkedIn builds a preview card from the page's Open Graph tags. Paste the URL into LinkedIn Post Inspector to see the card's title, description and image before you share it. If they're wrong or out of date, our guide to LinkedIn Post Inspector explains how to fix and refresh them.
Option 3: preview it in LinkedIn itself
LinkedIn's post box shows your text as you type it, but not how it will look in the feed. Two workarounds:
- Schedule it and read it back. Schedule the post a day ahead, then open it from the clock icon under View all scheduled posts. Reading it again later, out of the editor, is a good final check, and you can still edit it. Here's how to see and edit scheduled posts on LinkedIn.
- Check on your phone. Most LinkedIn reading happens on phones, where fewer lines show before "...more". If you write on a computer, read the scheduled post in the app before it goes out.
LinkedIn has no "only me" visibility for posts, so you can't publish privately to see the result.
How to write a LinkedIn post that previews well
- Put the point in the first line. Not "I've been thinking about…" but the conclusion, the number or the surprise.
- Keep the first two lines short. One-line paragraphs at the top make more of your hook visible before the fold.
- Use formatting sparingly. A few bold words help; whole bold paragraphs are hard to read and some screen readers read styled letters one at a time.
- Size images for the feed. LinkedIn recommends images 1080 pixels wide, in any ratio from 3:1 to 4:5; a 1080 × 1350 portrait image takes up the most room in the feed. Our guide to LinkedIn image sizes has every size.
- Decide where the link goes. In the post, it creates a preview card; many people put it in the first comment instead. Our guide to the link in the first comment weighs it up.
Preview and schedule in one place
In Postbase, the composer shows a live preview of each network as you write, including LinkedIn's fold, so you see the LinkedIn version and the X version side by side before you schedule them. It can also post the link as a first comment after the post goes out. Postbase posts to LinkedIn personal profiles, with text and images.
Available channels
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Frequently asked questions
Can you preview a LinkedIn post before posting?
Not with a preview button in LinkedIn. Use a post preview tool to see how it will look in the feed, or schedule the post and read it back from your scheduled posts before it goes out.
Where does LinkedIn cut off a post?
After the first few lines, roughly 200 characters on desktop and fewer on a phone, LinkedIn shows "...more". Everything important should be before that point.
How do I see how my LinkedIn link preview will look?
Paste the URL into LinkedIn Post Inspector at linkedin.com/post-inspector. It shows the title, description and image LinkedIn will use, and refreshes them if the page has changed.
How do I preview a LinkedIn post on mobile?
Schedule the post, then open it from your scheduled posts in the LinkedIn app, or use a preview tool that shows the mobile fold. Phones show fewer lines before "...more" than desktop.
Can I post on LinkedIn privately to test it?
No. LinkedIn posts can be public or limited to connections, but there's no "only me" option. Use a preview tool or a scheduled post instead.
Does LinkedIn have a post preview generator?
LinkedIn doesn't, but free tools do. Our post preview tool shows LinkedIn alongside X, Bluesky, Instagram and other networks, without uploading anything.
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