LinkedIn Post Date Extractor
This LinkedIn post date extractor turns a post link into the exact date and time it was published, where LinkedIn often shows only 2w or 3mo. It also decodes X and Bluesky post links, and works in bulk.
How to see when a LinkedIn post was published
Take the 19-digit number in the post link (after activity-, share: or ugcPost:), write it in binary and keep the first 41 bits. That value is the Unix time in milliseconds. Paste the link below and this tool does the math in your browser.
How each platform hides the time in its post IDs
LinkedIn, X and Bluesky all build post IDs so they sort by time. That means the publish time can be read back out of the ID with simple bit math, without calling any API.
id >> 22The first 41 bits of the 64-bit post ID are the Unix time in milliseconds. Shifting the ID right by 22 bits leaves exactly those bits.
X
(id >> 22) + 1288834974657X post IDs are Snowflake IDs. The top bits count milliseconds since Twitter's own epoch, 1288834974657 (4 November 2010), so you add it back.
Bluesky
base32 TID >> 10, in microsecondsThe record key is a 13-character TID. After the top bit, 53 bits count microseconds since the Unix epoch and the last 10 bits are a random clock identifier.
The LinkedIn method is not documented by LinkedIn
It was worked out by the community. We tested it against the sample post IDs in LinkedIn's Posts API docs, which list each post's createdAt time. Every one decoded to within 0.25 seconds of it.Bluesky times are written by the client
Per the AT Protocol TID spec, the TID is generated by the software that writes the record, and because atproto is an open network anyone can create records with any TID, even one reused from another post. Posts imported from elsewhere or made by uncommon clients can show a time that does not match when they appeared.The X epoch comes from Twitter's open-source Snowflake ID generator. X posts from before November 2010 use older sequential IDs that carry no time.
LinkedIn URN to URL: the forms this tool accepts
Every row in the results shows the normalized URN, the canonical feed URL built from it, and the URL-encoded URN you need in an API path. The same post often has an activity URN in its share link and a different share or ugcPost URN in the API. Each one decodes on its own.
| What you paste | URN it becomes |
|---|---|
| linkedin.com/posts/name_topic-activity-<id>-AbCd | urn:li:activity:<id> |
| linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:<id>/ | urn:li:activity:<id> |
| urn:li:share:<id> | urn:li:share:<id> |
| urn:li:ugcPost:<id> | urn:li:ugcPost:<id> |
| urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A<id> | urn:li:ugcPost:<id> |
| <id> on its own | urn:li:activity:<id> |
The canonical URL is https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/<urn>/. LinkedIn's Posts API reads share and ugcPost URNs and expects them URL-encoded in the request path, for example urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A12345.
Schedule to LinkedIn, X and Bluesky from one composer
Write once, and OpenTweet publishes to your LinkedIn profile, X and Bluesky on schedule, checking each platform's own character limit. Use the composer, the REST API or the MCP server.
7-day free trial, then from $11.99/mo. See the LinkedIn scheduler.
LinkedIn Post Date Extractor FAQ
How do I find the exact date of a LinkedIn post?
Copy the post link (the three-dot menu on the post, then Copy link to post) and paste it into the LinkedIn post date extractor above. The 19-digit number in the link holds the time the post was created, so the tool shows the full date and time down to the millisecond, in UTC and in your own time zone, instead of a relative age like 2w or 3mo.
How accurate is the LinkedIn post date?
It is the moment LinkedIn created the ID, which is when the post was published. We checked the method against the sample post IDs and createdAt values in LinkedIn's own Posts API documentation, and every one decoded to within a quarter of a second of the documented time. Editing a post keeps its ID, so the date is the original publish time, not the last edit.
Is this an official LinkedIn method?
No. LinkedIn does not document how its post IDs are built. Taking the first 41 bits of the ID as a Unix time in milliseconds is a method worked out by the community, and it matches the IDs and timestamps LinkedIn publishes in its API docs. If LinkedIn ever changes its ID format, new posts could stop decoding correctly.
Why does the same LinkedIn post have two different numbers?
A post can be addressed by an activity URN (urn:li:activity:..., the one in most feed and share links) and by a share or ugcPost URN (the one the Posts API returns). They are different numbers for the same post. Each is a time-based ID, so paste whichever one you have and the tool decodes the time that ID was created.
How do I convert a LinkedIn URN to a URL?
Put the URN inside https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/<urn>/. For example urn:li:share:6844785523593134080 becomes https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:6844785523593134080/. To use a URN in a Posts API request path, URL-encode it, so urn:li:ugcPost:12345 becomes urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A12345, as LinkedIn's Posts API docs specify. The tool gives you all three forms.
How do I convert a tweet ID to a timestamp?
Shift the tweet ID right by 22 bits and add 1288834974657, the epoch from Twitter's open-source Snowflake ID generator. The result is the Unix time in milliseconds. Paste an x.com or twitter.com status link above, or pick X for bare IDs, and the tool does it for you. Posts from before November 2010 use older sequential IDs that carry no time.
How do I find the date of a Bluesky post?
The last part of a bsky.app post link is a TID: 13 characters that encode microseconds since the Unix epoch, as defined in the AT Protocol TID spec. The tool decodes it. The TID is written by the software that created the post, so a record made by an import tool or unusual client can carry a time that differs from when it actually appeared.
Does this tool contact LinkedIn, X or Bluesky?
No. Everything runs in your browser by decoding the number in the link. Nothing is fetched from LinkedIn, X or Bluesky, so it works for private and deleted posts too, as long as you have the link. You can paste up to 500 links at once and download the results as CSV.
Can OpenTweet post to LinkedIn, X and Bluesky?
Yes. OpenTweet schedules posts to a LinkedIn personal profile, X and Bluesky from one composer or one API call, counted against each platform's own limits. Plans start at $11.99/month with a 7-day free trial.
Related tools and guides
LinkedIn Post Preview
See where the see more cut lands before you publish.
LinkedIn Character Counter
Count characters against the LinkedIn post limit.
X Post Preview
Preview how a post will look on X before it goes out.
Bluesky Handle Checker
Find out why a custom domain handle shows as invalid.
LinkedIn Scheduler
Schedule posts to your LinkedIn personal profile.
Cross-Posting
One draft to X, Bluesky and LinkedIn, counted per platform.