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LinkedIn Post Date Extractor – Reveal Hidden Post Dates in Seconds!

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How to Calculate LinkedIn Post Date: A Step-by-Step Guide

Have you ever wondered when exactly a LinkedIn post was published? While LinkedIn doesn’t always display the exact timestamp prominently, there’s actually a way to extract this information manually. Let me walk you through the entire process, step by step.

Understanding LinkedIn Post URLs

First, let’s understand what we’re working with. Every LinkedIn post has a unique URL that looks something like this:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/username_activity-1234567890123456789-AbCd

The key to unlocking the post date lies within that long 19-digit number (in this example: 1234567890123456789). This is called the Post ID, and it contains encoded timestamp information.

Step 1: Extract the Post ID from the URL

The first step is to locate and extract that 19-digit number from the LinkedIn post URL. This number is unique to each post and contains all the information we need.

What to look for: A continuous sequence of exactly 19 digits within the URL.

Example: In this URL:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/john-doe_activity-7123456789012345678-XyZw

the Post ID is 7123456789012345678.

Step 2: Convert the Post ID to Binary

Now comes the technical part. We need to convert this 19-digit decimal number into binary format (a series of 1s and 0s).

Why binary? LinkedIn encodes timestamp information in a binary format within the Post ID. To extract it, we must first convert the entire number to binary.

How it works: Each decimal digit gets converted to its binary equivalent. For example:

  • Decimal 10 = Binary 1010
  • Decimal 255 = Binary 11111111

For our Post ID, which is a very large number, this conversion results in a long string of 1s and 0s.

Example: The Post ID 7123456789012345678 converts to a binary string like:

110001011001110101001001000111011101010110100101110101010001110

Step 3: Extract the First 41 Bits

Here’s where it gets interesting. LinkedIn uses a specific encoding scheme where the first 41 bits of the binary representation contain the timestamp information.

What are bits? Each 1 or 0 in the binary string is called a “bit.” So we need to take the first 41 characters from our binary string.

Example: From our binary string above, we’d take:

11000101100111010100100100011101110101011

(These are the first 41 bits)

Why 41 bits? This is LinkedIn’s chosen format. 41 bits can store a timestamp with millisecond precision for many years, which is perfect for their needs.

Step 4: Convert the 41 Bits Back to Decimal

Now we need to convert these 41 bits back into a decimal number. This decimal number represents the timestamp.

How it works: Binary to decimal conversion follows a specific mathematical process where each bit position has a value based on powers of 2.

Example: Our 41-bit binary

11000101100111010100100100011101110101011

might convert to something like 1728568234567 in decimal.

Step 5: Interpret as a Unix Timestamp

The number we just calculated is a Unix timestamp in milliseconds.

What is a Unix timestamp? It’s the number of milliseconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970, at 00:00:00 UTC. This is a standard way computers store date and time information.

Example: The timestamp 1728568234567 means 1,728,568,234,567 milliseconds have passed since January 1, 1970.

Step 6: Convert Milliseconds to a Readable Date

Finally, we need to convert this timestamp into a human-readable date and time format.

The conversion process involves:

  1. Dividing by 1000 to convert milliseconds to seconds
  2. Calculating the date by determining how many days have passed since January 1, 1970
  3. Accounting for leap years and varying month lengths
  4. Calculating the time by determining hours, minutes, and seconds from the remaining value
  5. Formatting the result in a readable format like “Monday, October 7, 2024, 3:45:30 PM UTC”

Step 7: Adjust for Your Timezone (Optional)

The timestamp from LinkedIn is always in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). If you want to see the post time in your local timezone, you need to:

  1. Determine your timezone offset from UTC (e.g., EST is UTC-5, PST is UTC-8, PKT is UTC+5)
  2. Apply the offset to the UTC time
  3. Account for Daylight Saving Time if applicable in your region

Example: If the post was published at 3:45:30 PM UTC and you’re in New York City (UTC-5 or UTC-4 during daylight saving), the local time would be 10:45:30 AM EST (or 11:45:30 AM EDT during daylight saving time).

Additional Information You Can Extract

Once you have the basic date and time, you can format it in various ways:

ISO 8601 Format

This is an international standard format that looks like: 2024-10-07T15:45:30.567Z

  • Useful for programming and data storage
  • The “Z” indicates UTC timezone

Unix Timestamp (in seconds)

The original millisecond timestamp divided by 1000: 1728568234

  • Useful for calculations and comparisons
  • Universal across all programming languages

Date Only

Just the calendar date: 2024-10-07 (Useful when you only need to know which day)

Time Only

Just the time portion: 15:45:30 UTC (Useful for comparing post times across different days)

Why This Process Is So Complicated

As you can see, calculating a LinkedIn post date manually involves:

  • Extracting a 19-digit number from a URL
  • Converting large numbers to binary (64+ bits)
  • Isolating specific bit positions (the first 41)
  • Converting binary back to decimal
  • Interpreting Unix timestamps
  • Complex date calculations with leap years
  • Timezone conversions
  • Multiple formatting options

Each step requires precision, and a single mistake anywhere in the process will give you an incorrect date. You’d also need programming knowledge or specialized calculators to perform these conversions, especially for such large numbers.

The reality is: This process is extremely technical, time-consuming, and error-prone. It can easily take 10-15 minutes to do manually, and you’d need tools like a programming language (Python, JavaScript) or scientific calculator to handle the large number conversions.

That’s Why I Created This Tool

Instead of going through all these complex steps every time you need to find a LinkedIn post date, I built a simple tool that does everything automatically in one click.

Just paste your LinkedIn post URL, click the button, and instantly get:

  • The exact post date and time in UTC
  • The date and time in YOUR timezone (no manual conversion needed)
  • Multiple format options (ISO 8601, Unix timestamp, date only, time only)
  • The Post ID for reference

FAQS

Can I rely on the accuracy of the timestamp?

Yes, absolutely. The timestamp is extracted directly from LinkedIn’s Post ID using their official encoding format. It’s not an estimate; it’s the exact millisecond when the post was created in LinkedIn’s system. The same method LinkedIn uses internally to track post creation times.

Does the tool save my data?

No. Everything happens directly in your browser. The tool processes the URL locally on your device and never sends any data to a server. Once you close or refresh the page, nothing is saved or stored anywhere.

Is there a limit to how many posts I can check?

No limits whatsoever. You can check as many LinkedIn posts as you want, as many times as you want. Since everything runs in your browser, there are no server costs or restrictions on usage.

Thanks for using my tool :D, hope it helps.