How to send a LinkedIn voice message from your desktop
By Tirth Shah, founder of Bub · Updated
LinkedIn only lets you record voice messages in its iPhone and Android apps. On linkedin.com there's no record button, so on a laptop or desktop you have three choices: record on your phone instead, send a video or audio file, or add a Chrome extension like Bub, which puts a record button in LinkedIn's message box and sends a real LinkedIn voice message from your computer. Bub is free.
Add Bub to Chrome, it's freeWhy there's no voice button on LinkedIn desktop
LinkedIn added voice messages to its mobile apps and never brought them to the website. Open any chat on linkedin.com from a Mac or Windows PC and you'll find buttons for files, photos, GIFs and emoji, but nothing to record with.
A LinkedIn voice message can be up to one minute long, and LinkedIn lets you send them to your 1st-degree connections and in group chats. It shows up in the chat as a voice bubble with a play button, and the other person can play it on their phone or their computer. Only recording it is limited to the app.
Every way to send a voice message from a computer
| Option | Arrives as a LinkedIn voice message | Works from your laptop | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record in the LinkedIn phone app | Yes | No, you switch to your phone | Free |
| Attach an audio file | No, it's a file they download | Yes | Free |
| Attach a short video | No, it's a video | Yes | Free |
| Paste a Loom link | No, it's a link to another site | Yes | Free or paid |
| Bub Chrome extension | Yes | Yes, a record button in LinkedIn | Free |
If you send one voice note a week, the phone app is fine. If voice notes are part of how you do outreach, switching to your phone for every note gets old fast, and that's the gap Bub fills. Other tools, like Kondo, also offer desktop voice notes as part of a paid LinkedIn inbox.
How to send a LinkedIn voice message from desktop with Bub
- Add Bub to Chrome. Install Bub from the Chrome Web Store. It's free and also works in Edge, Brave and Arc, on Mac and Windows.
- Sign in. Sign in with your email. Bub works through the LinkedIn you're already signed into, so it never asks for your LinkedIn password.
- Open a LinkedIn chat. Go to any conversation on linkedin.com, or start a new message.
- Record. Click the Bub button in the message box and pick Voice note, or press ⌘⇧V on Mac (Ctrl+Shift+V on Windows). Allow your microphone the first time, then talk.
- Listen and send. Play it back if you like, then send. It arrives as a native LinkedIn voice message, the same kind the phone app sends.
Bub never sends anything for you. There's no automation and no scraping: you record, you press send.
Tips for LinkedIn voice notes that get replies
- Keep it short. 20 to 40 seconds is plenty, well under LinkedIn's 60 second limit.
- Say their name in the first few seconds, so it's obviously not a recording you send to everyone.
- Mention one specific thing: their post, their company news, a mutual connection.
- Ask one easy question at the end instead of pitching.
- Use voice as a second or third touch, after a short text, rather than as a cold opener to someone who's never heard of you.
- Don't read a script. A natural, slightly imperfect note sounds like a person, which is the whole point.
Questions
Can you send voice messages on LinkedIn desktop?
Not with LinkedIn alone. LinkedIn only lets you record voice messages in its mobile app. To record from a laptop or desktop, add a Chrome extension like Bub, which adds a record button to LinkedIn's message box.
How long can a LinkedIn voice message be?
Up to 60 seconds. That's LinkedIn's limit for voice messages, whether you record on the phone app or with Bub on desktop. For anything longer, send a video instead.
Can I send a voice message to someone I'm not connected with?
LinkedIn allows voice messages to your 1st-degree connections and in group chats. To reach someone else, connect first, or start with a text message or InMail.
Will the other person know I sent it from my computer?
No. Bub sends a regular LinkedIn voice message, so it looks and plays exactly like one recorded in the LinkedIn app.
Is Bub free?
Yes. The Bub extension is free forever, with unlimited voice notes, videos and snippets. Bub Pro, an optional keyboard-first inbox for your LinkedIn messages, has a 14-day free trial.
Is it safe for my LinkedIn account?
Bub doesn't automate, scrape or send anything on its own. It works through the LinkedIn you're already signed into, in your own browser, and you press send on every message.
Does it work in Sales Navigator?
Not in Sales Navigator's own message box. Send from LinkedIn messaging on linkedin.com, or from the Bub inbox, instead.
Which browsers and computers does it work on?
Chrome, Edge, Brave and Arc, on Mac and Windows.
Checked October 6, 2026. LinkedIn changes its features and limits from time to time.