How to Find Drafts on LinkedIn (and Why Yours Seems to Have Vanished)

That's why so many people think their draft has disappeared. They go looking for a drafts tab, find nothing, and assume LinkedIn lost it. It's sitting in the post box, waiting for you to open it.

Here's how saving, finding and deleting drafts works, according to LinkedIn's help centre, plus the one catch that trips people up.

Save a post as a draft on a computer

1. Click Start a post at the top of your homepage.
2. Type your post in the Share your thoughts field.
3. Click Cancel in the top right. A pop-up asks if you want to save it as a draft.
4. Click Save as draft. LinkedIn confirms it's been saved.

Save a draft in the app

1. Tap Post in the navigation bar.
2. Type your post.
3. Tap Cancel in the top left. A pop-up asks if you want to save it for later.
4. Tap Save draft or Save. LinkedIn confirms it's been saved.

Where your draft lives

On desktop, your saved draft opens for editing the next time you start a post. In the app, it fills the post page the next time you open it. LinkedIn also syncs drafts across supported devices where you're signed in, so you can start on your phone and finish on your laptop.

Delete a draft

• On desktop, open the post box and click Discard.
• In the app, tap Delete draft or Discard.

The photo and video catch

This is the bit nobody expects. Once photos or videos are saved in a draft, you can't edit them. If you want to change an image or swap a video, you have to delete it from the draft and upload it again.

The same applies if you change who can see the post. LinkedIn says you'll need to upload any attachments again to change a draft's visibility. So pick your audience before you add images, not after.

Post drafts versus article drafts

Articles work differently. They're long-form pieces written in LinkedIn's article editor, and they have their own drafts you can manage, share or duplicate from the publishing tools. If you're looking for a half-written article rather than a short post, that's where it'll be. Here's how to post an article on LinkedIn if you're not sure which one you've written.

What LinkedIn doesn't say

The help page doesn't say how many post drafts you can keep at once. In practice, because a draft reopens every time you start a post, treat it as one working draft at a time, and keep longer-term ideas somewhere else, like your notes app.

Drafts and scheduled posts aren't the same thing

A draft is a post you haven't finished. A scheduled post is finished and set to publish later. If you plan your posts in advance, a scheduler is a better home than the drafts box. I've compared options in my guide to LinkedIn post schedulers.

When a draft is the right tool

• You're halfway through a post and need to step away for a meeting.
• You want to come back with fresh eyes before you publish.
• You've started on your phone and want to finish on a bigger screen.

For anything longer term, like a list of post ideas or a series you're planning, keep it outside LinkedIn. One open draft at a time is easy to manage; a backlog of ideas isn't.

A safer way to write long posts

Because there's only one draft waiting in the post box, a long post you've been polishing can be lost with a single tap on Discard. Writing it in a notes app or document first, then pasting it in, means you've always got a copy. It also makes it easier to edit at your own pace, check for typos and get a second opinion before it goes live.

Does anyone else see your draft?

No. A draft isn't published, so it isn't visible to your connections or followers until you post it. That makes it a safe place to leave a half-written post for a few hours, as long as you remember that starting a new post will bring the draft back up instead of giving you a blank box. If you want a fresh start, discard the draft first, or paste your draft text somewhere safe before you clear it.

Lost a draft? Check these first

• Are you signed in to the same LinkedIn account on this device?
• Did you tap Cancel and then Save, or did you tap Discard by mistake?
• Is it an article draft rather than a post draft?
• Have you opened the post box itself? The draft only shows there.

If none of those find it, it's most likely been discarded, and there's no recycle bin for post drafts mentioned in LinkedIn's help.

My advice

Write long posts somewhere else first, then paste them into LinkedIn when you're ready. Use the drafts box for short pauses, not storage. And add images last, after you've settled on the audience, so you don't end up uploading them twice. If you're stuck for what to write in the first place, a short list of post ideas kept outside LinkedIn will serve you far better than a pile of half-finished drafts.

Frequently asked questions

Where are my drafts on LinkedIn?

Your saved post draft opens automatically the next time you click Start a post on desktop or open the post page in the app.

Is there a drafts folder on LinkedIn?

Not for posts. A saved draft reappears in the post box instead.

How do I save a LinkedIn post as a draft?

Click or tap Cancel while writing the post, then choose Save as draft, Save draft or Save.

How do I delete a draft on LinkedIn?

Click Discard on desktop, or tap Delete draft or Discard in the app.

Can I edit photos in a LinkedIn draft?

No. Photos and videos can't be edited once saved in a draft. Delete them and upload them again.

Do LinkedIn drafts sync between phone and computer?

Yes. LinkedIn says drafts sync across supported devices where you're signed in.