LinkedIn grey check mark meaning: sent, not read (yet)

A grey check mark on a LinkedIn message means Sent: it reached their inbox but isn't shown as read. Why it can stay that way, and what to do next.

By Amardeep Anand, founder of Bokka · Published 25 October 2026

The grey check mark next to a LinkedIn message means Sent. Your message reached the other person's inbox, but LinkedIn isn't showing it as read. That's either because they haven't opened it yet, or because read receipts are off for one of you.

Read receipts are LinkedIn's indicators that show when someone has read your message or is typing a reply. LinkedIn calls the setting Delivery and typing indicators. Bokka is an AI-first CRM for your LinkedIn inbox.

What each LinkedIn message status means

LinkedIn shows three statuses on a message you send (LinkedIn Help: message indicators, retrieved 24 October 2026):

On messages you receive, LinkedIn uses badges instead: a red badge on the Messaging icon counts new messages you haven't seen, and a blue badge on a conversation counts messages you haven't read.

Why a message stays at Sent

• They haven't opened it. The plainest reason, and the most common.
• Read receipts are off. If the other person turns off delivery and typing indicators, you won't see when they've read your message, and the status stays at Sent (LinkedIn Help: message indicators, retrieved 24 October 2026). If you turn it off, nobody in the conversation, including you, can see read status (LinkedIn Help: read receipts and typing indicators, retrieved 24 October 2026).
• It was an InMail. Read receipts and typing indicators don't appear to people who send InMail.
• It's a message request. For a message to someone you aren't connected to, read receipts appear only after they accept the request.

LinkedIn Help doesn't list any other meaning for the grey check mark. It doesn't say you've been blocked or ignored, only that the message was delivered.

How to turn read receipts on or off

You can change the setting yourself (LinkedIn Help: read receipts and typing indicators, retrieved 24 October 2026):

1. On a computer, click Me at the top of LinkedIn, then Settings & Privacy.
2. Click Data privacy in the left pane.
3. Under Messaging experience, click Delivery and typing indicators.
4. Use the toggle to turn it on or off.

On the phone app, tap your profile photo, then Settings & Privacy, Data privacy, and Delivery and typing indicators under Messaging experience. The setting works both ways: turning it off hides your read status and typing from others, and theirs from you.

What to do while a message sits at Sent

For example, if you message a prospect on Monday and it still shows Sent on Thursday, you've learned only that LinkedIn delivered it. They may have read it with read receipts off, or seen the preview without opening it. A check mark tells you what LinkedIn delivered, not what the person intends. The useful question is whose turn it is, and when you'll follow up if they don't reply.

• Pick a follow-up time when you send. A few days is common for sales and recruiting; a week for anything less urgent.
• Don't send a second message too soon. A quick nudge after a few hours rarely helps.
• Keep track of who's waiting on whom. With dozens of conversations, it's easy to lose the ones where the next move is theirs.

Bokka does the tracking for you. Its Waiting on them view lists every conversation where you wrote last, grouped by how long they've been quiet, and Remind me if they don't reply brings a conversation back only if they haven't answered by the time you pick. A new message from them cancels the reminder. See how to set a reminder on a LinkedIn message.

About Bokka

Bokka starts with a free 14-day trial, AI included and no credit card. After it, Starter is $25 and Pro is $35 per user a month ($19 and $30 for your first month). Team, at $50, is coming soon.