LinkedIn Post URN Extractor

Instructions

1. Choose a LinkedIn post.
2. Copy its link. Click the ... menu at the top right of the post and select "Copy link to post".
3. Paste the URL above and click "Extract URN".

Three values come back — the full URN, the activity ID, and the numeric post ID — each with its own "Copy" button. Everything runs in your browser. The URL is never sent to a server, and no LinkedIn login is required.

How Does URN Extraction Work?

This tool extracts the LinkedIn post URN (Uniform Resource Name) from any LinkedIn post URL. The URN is the unique identifier LinkedIn uses internally to reference posts across its platform and APIs.

From a post URL containing 7138259296076619777, the tool extracts the URN urn:li:activity:7138259296076619777.

The URN format follows the pattern urn:li:activity:POST_ID, where the post ID is a 19-digit, 64-bit integer that uniquely identifies the post. Finding it is a matter of pattern matching: LinkedIn embeds that 19-digit run in every URL form a post can take, whether that's /posts/...-activity-ID-.../ from the share menu or /feed/update/urn:li:activity:ID/ from the address bar. The tool scans the URL for the first run of 19 consecutive digits and builds the URN around it.

This URN can be used for API integration, data analysis, tracking, and other technical applications that require unique post identification.

What Comes Back

The activity ID and the numeric post ID are the same value, surfaced under both names so you can copy whichever one your tooling asks for.

What Can You Do With LinkedIn Post URNs?

LinkedIn post URNs are essential for developers, data analysts, and technical professionals who need to work with LinkedIn data programmatically.

• API integration: Use URNs to interact with LinkedIn's APIs for programmatic access to post data, analytics, and engagement metrics.
• Data analysis: Track and analyze posts across different systems using their unique URN identifiers for consistent data management.
• Performance tracking: Monitor post performance over time using URNs to maintain consistent tracking across different tools and platforms.
• Cross-platform integration: Use URNs to link LinkedIn posts with external systems, CRMs, and marketing automation platforms.
• Automation scripts: Build automated workflows that process LinkedIn posts using their URN identifiers for reliable post identification.
• Content moderation: Use URNs to track and manage content across moderation systems and compliance tools.
• Research and studies: Academic researchers can use URNs to create consistent datasets for social media analysis and studies.
• Custom development: Build custom applications and tools that need to reference specific LinkedIn posts reliably.

Notes and Limits

The URL needs to be a LinkedIn URL and contain a 19-digit post ID. Anything else returns an error rather than a guess.

Two behaviors are worth understanding before you wire the output into something automated:

It always emits an activity URN. LinkedIn has more than one URN type — urn:li:activity: and urn:li:ugcPost: chief among them — and they are not interchangeable in every API. This tool builds an activity URN from whatever 19-digit ID it finds, regardless of which URN type appeared in the source URL. Paste a ugcPost URL and you'll get that ID back wrapped as an activity URN. If your API call is type-sensitive, check the type at the source rather than trusting the prefix here.

It takes the first 19-digit run it finds. The match isn't anchored to a particular position in the URL. For a normal post permalink that's unambiguous, since the only 19-digit number present is the post ID. For a hand-built URL carrying more than one long number, the leftmost one wins.

Because the whole thing is a pattern match on a string, there's no network request and nothing to rate-limit. It works on any post URL you can paste, including posts you can't open.

FAQ

What is a LinkedIn URN?

A Uniform Resource Name — the stable, unique identifier LinkedIn uses to refer to an entity across its platform and APIs. For posts it takes the form urn:li:activity: followed by the 19-digit post ID. Unlike a URL, which can be decorated with tracking parameters or reshaped by LinkedIn, the URN is the canonical handle for the post.

Is the activity ID the same as the post ID?

Yes. They're the same 19-digit integer, listed twice because different tools and docs ask for it under different names. Copy whichever label matches what you're pasting it into.

Do I need a LinkedIn login or an API key?

No. The URN is already in the URL — extracting it is string parsing, not a lookup. Nothing is fetched and no credentials are involved.

Is my URL sent anywhere?

No. This one runs entirely in your browser. The URL never leaves your machine, which also means it works offline and on posts you have no access to.

What's the difference between an activity URN and a ugcPost URN?

They're different entity types in LinkedIn's data model, and some API endpoints accept only one. The distinction matters because this tool always emits the activity form — see the note above — so verify the type at the source when your call depends on it.

Analyze a whole profile, not one post

These extractors decode one URL at a time. If what you actually want is to understand a whole profile — your own, a peer's, or a competitor's — I built Flux for exactly that: paste any public LinkedIn profile URL and get its full post history analyzed (engagement trends, top posts, formats, posting times), with no login and no Chrome extension, from $3/month. It's the automated version of the spreadsheet workflow these free tools were built to feed.