Have you ever shared a link on LinkedIn only to discover the preview looks completely wrong—missing image, outdated title, or a description you last used months ago? Poor link previews on LinkedIn can cut your comment rate in half, and in 2025 this matters more than ever. That’s exactly why the LinkedIn post inspector exists. This free tool helps you fix link preview issues before they hurt your engagement.
Below, you’ll find a complete guide that explains what the LinkedIn post inspector is, why link previews break, and how to use it step-by-step to ensure your content always looks professional.
What is LinkedIn post inspector?
The LinkedIn post inspector is a free diagnostic tool created by LinkedIn in 2018 to help users debug, optimize, and refresh link preview data. Think of it as a virtual fitting room for your content—it shows you exactly how your link will appear before you publish it.
Unlike general social media debuggers, the LinkedIn post inspector focuses solely on LinkedIn. This makes it uniquely accurate because it reflects precisely what LinkedIn’s algorithm sees when scanning your page.
Why should you use the tool?
The LinkedIn post inspector helps fix three crucial preview issues:
- Preview visualization: You can view the image, title, and description exactly as your audience will see them.
- Error identification: The tool highlights missing or incorrect metadata so you can fix problems quickly.
For content creators, marketers, and businesses, this tool is a must-use step before publishing links. A clean preview boosts clicks, improves engagement, and helps your content look polished and intentional.
Why link previews break on LinkedIn
Before learning how to use the LinkedIn post inspector, it’s important to understand why previews break in the first place. Three main problems cause most issues.
Outdated cache displaying old content
LinkedIn stores link information for up to a week. Even if you change your blog’s title or featured image, LinkedIn may continue showing the old data. This happens because LinkedIn relies on cached snapshots instead of re-scraping your website automatically. If you frequently update your content, this can lead to endless frustration—unless you know how to refresh the cache using the LinkedIn post inspector.
Missing or wrong Open Graph tags
Open Graph (OG) tags control how shared content appears on social platforms. Missing or incorrect tags lead to broken or incomplete previews. LinkedIn relies on essential OG metadata such as:
- og:title
- og:image
- og:description
- og:type
- og:url
- og:locale
Without these properly configured tags, LinkedIn cannot display your content correctly. Some platforms—like WordPress—don’t include OG tags by default, so additional plugins may be necessary.
Image or title that doesn’t meet LinkedIn requirements
LinkedIn uses strict specs for images and text. Issues appear when:
- Images aren’t 1200×627 pixels
- Aspect ratio isn’t 1.91:1
- Titles exceed 150 characters
- Images load slowly
- Files use unsupported formats like WebP
Failing to meet these guidelines often results in tiny thumbnails, cropped images, or missing previews.
How to Use LinkedIn Post Inspector (Step-by-Step)
Now let’s walk through exactly how to use the LinkedIn post inspector to fix broken previews and ensure your link displays beautifully.
Step 1: Go to the LinkedIn post inspector
You can access the tool directly in your browser at: linkedin.com/post-inspector
You can also search “LinkedIn post inspector” on Google. No login is required—anyone can use it.
Step 2: Paste your URL and click “Inspect”
Once the tool opens, you’ll see a simple input box at the top.
- Copy the full URL you want to share
- Paste it into the input bar
- Click the Inspect button
The tool will now scan your page, fetch metadata, and display a complete preview analysis.
Step 3: Review the preview and metadata
After inspecting, the tool will display:
Preview image
You’ll see exactly how your thumbnail will appear, helping you detect sizing or cropping issues.
URL information
This includes:
- The fetched URL
- Canonical URL
- Redirects
- Last time LinkedIn scraped your page
If the date looks old, your preview is likely outdated.
Metadata details
This includes:
- Title
- Description
- Content type
- Author
- Publication date
Each metadata element also shows any alternate values LinkedIn considered.
Ingestion feedback
This section identifies problems, such as missing OG tags or incorrect image formats.
Best Practices for Clean Link Previews
To get the best results from the LinkedIn post inspector, follow these tips:
Update your metadata before sharing
Optimize:
- Image (1200×627 pixels)
- Title (under 150 characters)
- Description (2–3 sentences)
Set proper Open Graph tags
Ensure at minimum:
og:titleog:imageog:description
Test links regularly
Running your URL through the LinkedIn post inspector before publishing prevents embarrassing preview errors.
Key takeaways
- The LinkedIn post inspector is a free, official LinkedIn tool that previews and fixes link display issues.
- It refreshes cached data, which can otherwise stay outdated for up to 7 days.
- It checks critical Open Graph metadata and highlights missing elements.
- It ensures your images, titles, and descriptions meet LinkedIn’s display requirements.
- Always inspect your links before sharing to avoid engagement-killing preview errors.
With the LinkedIn post inspector, every link you publish can look clean, professional, and optimized for maximum engagement.
