How to Bypass the LinkedIn Sales Navigator 2,500 Search Result Limit Using Custom URLs (2026 Practical Guide)
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LinkedIn Sales Navigator limits each search to 2,500 results, even on paid plans. The most effective workaround is building custom search URLs that segment results by geography (states, metro areas), industry, company size, and other filters. By running dozens of segmented searches instead of one broad query, you can collect tens of thousands of targeted leads without hitting the cap — a technique still working reliably in 2026.
Many sales professionals and lead-generation specialists hit the same frustrating wall every week:
You know thousands of ideal prospects exist in the United States… yet Sales Navigator stubbornly stops showing results after page 100 (2,500 people).
The usual reactions are:
-
Adding more restrictive keywords -
Manually switching industries one by one -
Running dozens of almost-identical searches -
Or simply accepting the limit and moving on
There’s a cleaner, more scalable approach that’s been quietly used by advanced users for years: crafting custom Sales Navigator search URLs that let you segment massive audiences into manageable 2,500-result chunks.
This method turns the 2,500-result restriction into a non-issue — without third-party scrapers, browser extensions, or risky automation that could flag your account.
Let’s walk through exactly how it works.
The Core Logic: Every Sales Navigator Search Is Just a URL
Open any filtered search in Sales Navigator and look at the browser address bar. You’ll see something like this (heavily encoded):
https://www.linkedin.com/sales/search/people?query=(spellCorrectionEnabled:true,filters:List(…))
That long string inside the query= parameter contains every filter you selected in the UI — encoded as structured data.
Key facts you need to know:
-
Every search must start with spellCorrectionEnabled:true -
All conditions live inside a filters:List(…)array -
Each individual filter follows roughly this pattern:
(type:FILTER_TYPE,values:List((id:ID_OR_URN,text:DISPLAY_TEXT,selectionType:INCLUDED)))
Once you understand this structure, you can manually write (or copy-paste-modify) URLs that combine filters in ways the normal interface makes tedious or impossible.
Essential Filter Types You’ll Use Most Often
Here are the filter categories that appear most frequently in high-volume lead-generation projects:
| Filter Type Code | What It Controls | Needs ID/URN? | Most Common Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| REGION | Geography (country / state / metro / city) | Yes | Primary way to segment large countries |
| INDUSTRY | Industry vertical | Yes | Target specific sectors |
| COMPANY_HEADCOUNT | Company employee range | Yes (letter codes) | Focus on SMBs, mid-market, enterprises |
| CURRENT_TITLE | Exact/current job title | No — text only | Precise persona targeting |
| POSTED_ON_LINKEDIN | People who have recently posted | Yes (usually RPOL) | Find active, engaged users |
| SENIORITY_LEVEL | Executive / Director / Manager etc. | Yes | Filter decision-maker level |
Company Size Codes (Quick Reference)
LinkedIn uses single-letter codes for headcount ranges:
| Code | Employee Range |
|---|---|
| A | Self-employed |
| B | 1–10 |
| C | 11–50 |
| D | 51–200 |
| E | 201–500 |
| F | 501–1,000 |
| G | 1,001–5,000 |
| H | 5,001–10,000 |
| I | 10,001+ |
Pro tip: Mid-market sweet spot is often D + E together (51–500 employees).
Geography: The #1 Way to Break Through the 2,500 Limit
Searching the entire “United States” (geo ID 103644278) almost always hits the cap immediately.
Instead, split by state (or even metro area). Each smaller geography still returns up to the full 2,500 results.
Selected U.S. State Geography IDs
| State | Geo ID |
|---|---|
| California | 102095887 |
| Texas | 102571732 |
| Florida | 102513019 |
| New York | 101165590 |
| Pennsylvania | 100430514 |
| Illinois | 101630962 |
| Ohio | 101833144 |
| Georgia | 105765268 |
| North Carolina | 100323839 |
| Michigan | 101509413 |
Running the same filters across 10–15 high-population states easily yields 25,000–37,500 results.
Major U.S. Metro Areas (Even Finer Segmentation)
When a single state still exceeds 2,500, drop to metro level:
| Metro Area | Geo ID |
|---|---|
| New York City Area | 90000070 |
| San Francisco Bay Area | 90000084 |
| Los Angeles Area | 90000049 |
| Chicago Area | 90000023 |
| Boston Area | 90000010 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth Area | 90000014 |
| Atlanta Area | 90000006 |
| Seattle Area | 90000078 |
High-Demand Industry IDs (Still Accurate in 2026)
A few evergreen verticals and their codes:
| Industry | ID |
|---|---|
| Software Development | 4 |
| Technology, Information & Internet | 6 |
| IT Services & IT Consulting | 96 |
| Financial Services | 43 |
| Banking | 41 |
| Hospitals & Health Care | 14 |
| Retail | 27 |
| Advertising Services | 80 |
| Marketing Services | 1862 |
(For the complete current taxonomy, refer to LinkedIn’s official industry reference tables maintained by Microsoft.)
Real-World Example: “Marketing Directors at 51–500 Employee Tech Companies in California Who Recently Posted”
Copy-paste this full URL into your browser while logged into Sales Navigator:
https://www.linkedin.com/sales/search/people?query=(spellCorrectionEnabled:true,filters:List((type:REGION,values:List((id:102095887,text:California,selectionType:INCLUDED))),(type:INDUSTRY,values:List((id:4,text:Software%2520Development,selectionType:INCLUDED))),(type:COMPANY_HEADCOUNT,values:List((id:D,text:51-200,selectionType:INCLUDED),(id:E,text:201-500,selectionType:INCLUDED))),(type:CURRENT_TITLE,values:List((text:Marketing%2520Director,selectionType:INCLUDED))),(type:POSTED_ON_LINKEDIN,values:List((id:RPOL,text:Posted%2520on%2520LinkedIn,selectionType:INCLUDED)))))
This single query delivers up to 2,500 fresh, active marketing decision-makers — and because it’s already tightly segmented, you rarely hit the cap.
Four Proven Segmentation Strategies That Eliminate the Limit
-
Geography-first split
→ Country → State → Metro area → City (most powerful for U.S./large markets) -
Industry-first split
→ Broad vertical → Sub-verticals (SaaS vs AI vs Cybersecurity vs Fintech) -
Company-size buckets
→ Run separate searches for D only, E only, F only, etc. -
Title variations
→ Marketing Director → Head of Marketing → VP Marketing → CMO
Combine any two or three of these approaches and you can realistically build 50,000–200,000+ lead pools over a few hours of work.
Quick-Start Custom URL Template (Copy & Modify)
Use this skeleton — replace bracketed parts with your values:
https://www.linkedin.com/sales/search/people?query=(spellCorrectionEnabled:true,filters:List(
(type:REGION,values:List((id:[GEO_ID],text:[STATE_OR_CITY_NAME],selectionType:INCLUDED))),
(type:INDUSTRY,values:List((id:[INDUSTRY_ID],text:[INDUSTRY_NAME_ENCODED],selectionType:INCLUDED))),
(type:COMPANY_HEADCOUNT,values:List((id:D,text:51-200,selectionType:INCLUDED),(id:E,text:201-500,selectionType:INCLUDED))),
(type:CURRENT_TITLE,values:List((text:[JOB_TITLE_1_ENCODED],selectionType:INCLUDED))),
(type:POSTED_ON_LINKEDIN,values:List((id:RPOL,text:Posted%2520on%2520LinkedIn,selectionType:INCLUDED)))
))
Encoding reminder: Spaces become %20 → double-encoded as %2520 in the final URL.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this technique still work in 2026?
Yes — the underlying URL structure and 2,500-result cap per individual search remain unchanged.
Why include spellCorrectionEnabled:true every time?
Omitting it can silently break certain filters or return incomplete results.
Can I add multiple job titles?
Yes — just repeat the (text:...,selectionType:INCLUDED) block inside the CURRENT_TITLE values list.
What about time-based filters (last 30 days posted)?
The POSTED_ON_LINKEDIN filter with RPOL shows people who have ever posted. For recency, combine with other activity signals visible in results.
Is building these URLs against LinkedIn’s rules?
Manually constructing and using search URLs that mirror what the UI can produce is generally accepted. Aggressive scraping or automation is what typically triggers restrictions.
The 2,500-result wall is no longer a hard ceiling — it’s just a per-search quota you can multiply by segmenting intelligently.
Start with one high-value persona, split by the top 10–15 U.S. states (or your target countries’ equivalent regions), and watch your reachable audience grow exponentially.
Happy prospecting — and may your pipeline never see a “no more results” message again.
