[2024] 110+ Hours of Free LinkedIn Learning Courses with Free Certification
LinkedIn Learning is offering some free courses and learning paths including free certificates.
LinkedIn Learning (previously Lynda.com) focuses on career skills. Most courses require a subscription, but in this Class Central article, we’ve compiled all the free LinkedIn Learning courses with certificates that we could find. These represent more than 110 hours of learning, including free certificates of completion.
How it Started
After the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Microsoft made 14 learning paths on LinkedIn Learning available for free. At the time, we shared the list of learning paths with free certificates, as well as a collection of free pandemic educational resources, which was viewed by close to 1M learners.
Since then, we’ve been keeping an eye on LinkedIn Learning, checking if there were more free LinkedIn Learning certificates available. I (Suparn) searched through their catalog of close to 12,000 courses and more than 600 learning paths and identified the courses available for free and that offer free certificates.
In 2022, I found 137 courses and 7 learning paths offering free certificates, as well as 378 free courses, for a total of about 1000 hours of free online learning. This was up from the initial 350 hours in 2020.
Since then, however, many of LinkedIn Learning’s courses are no longer free. The 1000 hours in 2022 has dropped to just over 110 hours in 2024. Microsoft still offers 4 free learning paths, plus there are 2 other free learning paths and 109 individual courses with free certificates.
How to Join Free Certificate Courses
When you join LinkedIn Learning, you are prompted to sign up for a 1-month free trial. To access the free courses, ignore the payment details screen after signing up (or signing in). Go back and select the course link in this article and you should now be able to go straight to the start of the course.
We’re not sure how long these courses will continue to offer free certificates. Courses seem to periodically swap from paid to free and back again.
If you find more free certificates or courses, or if you notice an error in the list, please tell us in the comments.
More Free Certificates
If you don’t find what you need here, browse Class Central’s catalog of 200K courses or visit our thematic collections:
- Massive List of Thousands of Free Certificates & Badges
- 1000 Open University Free Certificates
- 70+ FutureLearn Courses with Free Certificates
- Harvard Computer Science Courses with Free Certificate
- 1000+ Free Digital Marketing Certificates & Badges
- 1000+ Free Developer and IT Certifications
You can find all our free certificates articles here.
How to earn a LinkedIn Learning Free Certificate
To earn a certificate for an individual course, watch all the videos and pass the quizzes. In some courses, you’ll need to take an exam. Once you’re done, go to the “Related to this course” section below the video (on desktop) and click on “Show all”.
A window will pop up with certificates available for the course, as you can see above. Click on “Download” to get your LinkedIn Learning certificate. Some courses also offer Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits, in addition to the LinkedIn Learning certificate.
To earn a certificate for a learning path, you need to complete all the path’s courses. Then, you’ll be able to download the learning path certificate.
Here is the current list of free LinkedIn Learning Courses.
6 Free Certificate Learning Paths
- Career Essentials in Generative AI by Microsoft and LinkedIn (4-5 hours/6 items)
- Build Your Generative AI Productivity Skills with Microsoft and LinkedIn (4 hours/5 items)
- AI for Organizational Leaders by Microsoft and LinkedIn (4-5 hours/6 items)
- Microsoft Copilot for Productivity by Microsoft and LinkedIn (4-5 hours/8 items)
- Finding a Job during Challenging Economic Times (9-10 hours/10 items)
- Professional Soft Skills Learning Pathway (9 hours/12 items)
109 Free Certificate Courses
- Communication Foundations
- Microsoft Foundational Career Certificate in Data Analytics
- Project Management Foundations
- What Is Business Analysis?
- Developing Your Emotional Intelligence
- Entrepreneurship Foundations
- Administrative Professional Foundations
- Critical Thinking for Better Judgment and Decision-Making
- Understanding Business
- Administrative Professional Tips
- Cybersecurity Foundations
- Managing Project Stakeholders
- Project Management Foundations: Risk
- A Career Strategist’s Guide to Getting a Job
- Finding a Job on LinkedIn
- LinkedIn for Veterans
- Project Management Foundations: Communication
- Learning LinkedIn
- LinkedIn Quick Tips
- Writing in Plain Language
- Recession-Proof Career Strategies
- Business Benefits Realization Foundations
- Business Analysis Foundations
- Communicating about Culturally Sensitive Issues
- Difficult Conversations about Politics at Work
- Find a Job in the Hidden Job Market
- Note-Taking for Business Professionals
- Requirements Elicitation and Analysis
- Requirements Elicitation for Business Analysts: Interviews
- Small Business Marketing
- Banish Your Inner Critic to Unleash Creativity
- Closing the Green Skills Gap to Power a Greener Economy and Drive Sustainability
- Learning Data Analytics Part 2: Extending and Applying Core Knowledge
- Managing Your Job Seeker Mindset
- Navigating Your Career Through Restructuring, Layoffs, and Furloughs
- Connecting LinkedIn Learning with Your Organization’s Systems
- Live Streaming on LinkedIn
- LinkedIn Creator Posting Strategy
- Optimizing Your Work with Microsoft 365
- Managing Data with Microsoft 365
- LinkedIn Creator Mode
- Career Essentials in System Administration by Microsoft and LinkedIn
- Microsoft Foundational Career Certificate in Programming
- Excel with Copilot: AI-Driven Data Analysis
- What Is Generative AI?
- Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
- AI Productivity Hacks to Reimagine Your Workday and Career
- Leading Responsible AI in Organizations
- Copilot in PowerPoint: From Prompt to Presentation
- Introduction to Prompt Engineering for Generative AI
- Microsoft Copilot: The Art of Prompt Writing
- Ethics in the Age of Generative AI
- Learning Microsoft 365 Copilot
- LinkedIn Profiles for Technical Professionals
- Microsoft Copilot for Security
- Streamlining Your Work with Microsoft Copilot
- Generative AI for Business Leaders
- Generative AI: The Evolution of Thoughtful Online Search
- Copilot in Outlook: Maximize Your Workday Efficiency
- Copilot in Teams: AI-Powered Collaboration
- Copilot in Word: Create and Refine Documents with AI
- Generative AI Skills for Creative Content: Opportunities, Issues, and Ethics
- Sustainability Foundations: Core Concepts
- Including Sustainability in Your Cloud Strategy
- Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability: ESG and the Future of Business
- An Introduction to AI and Sustainability
- AI Challenges and Opportunities for Leadership
- Build AI Aptitude in Your Organization as a Leader
- Integrating Generative AI into Business Strategy
- How to Keep Your Team on the Bleeding Edge of AI Innovation
- Use Copilot AI for Secure Work Data in Your Organization
- Building Resilience
- Effective Listening
- How to Manage Feeling Overwhelmed
- Persuading Others
- Teamwork Foundations
- Digital Networking Strategies
- Embracing Unexpected Change
- Why Trust Matters with Rachel Botsman
- Working and Collaborating Online
- Expert Tips for Answering Common Interview Questions
- Unconscious Bias
- Communicating with Empathy
- Time Management Fundamentals
- Programming Foundations: Fundamentals
- Programming Foundations: Beyond the Fundamentals
- Tips for Writing Business Emails
- Writing a Resume
- Learning Data Analytics: 1 Foundations
- Learning Data Science: Understanding the Basics
- Business Analyst and Project Manager Collaboration
- Entrepreneurship: Raising Startup Capital
- Learning LinkedIn Premium Career and Premium Business
- Project Management Foundations: Teams
- Growing Your Small Business with LinkedIn
- Getting Started with Microsoft 365
- Business Analysis Foundations: Business Process Modeling
- Creating a Business Plan
- Employer Branding on LinkedIn
- Finance Essentials for Small Business
- Collaborating with Microsoft 365
- Developing Your LinkedIn Creator Brand
- Managing Projects with Microsoft 365
- Creating LinkedIn Newsletters
- The Cybersecurity Threat Landscape
- Graphic Design Careers: First Steps
- Skills for Inclusive Conversations
- Sustainability as an Innovation Opportunity
- Inclusive and Professional Conversations on LinkedIn: Tips for Success
Suparn Patra
Marwa
Heartfelt thanks. That’s genuinely amazing.
bich
not really because we students use to be able to get all the content free thru lynda, so really we get less with more. thanks microsoft, you corpnazis.
as
how to applythis
d. jenner
lynda.com wasn’t free. It’s not now as part of LinkedIn, but it wasn’t free before so not much has changed.
Xander Vaughn
Yes, you could get it free through most large libraries, now you can’t. I won’t be paying for a subscription anymore and I will stop recommending it to people. In this time of people needing to train for employment, this is just gouging.
Poor morals and poor business practices.
Gharieb
Totally agree with you
Machele
yes, you can still get it for free through the library. I do.
Rohini R Reddy
I hope that it will be very helpful for students especially for the students who are at poor background
Lazarus Jamison
what courses are offered free with certificate on LinkedIn
? .because of majority of them they do ask to pay something .
hanane ouhammouch
Many thanks for the sharing
Olumide Ojelabi
Glad I found this. Thanks
Mohammad A Khan
Thanks for offering great service to everyone with out borders
God bless you
Prathyusha
Thank you so much for sharing.
Daniel
very helpfull thanks a lot.
zzz
where? it just says 1 month free trial.
Dhawal Shah
You can ignore the notification and directly click on the videos to access it. You might have to be logged in first.
Amna
It would be great if we could have a list of free courses with certificates from Linkedin Learning as it is really difficult to find out by opening each course manually o ly to see that either we need to buy the course or to download the certificate we need to have Linkedin Premium.
Sifiso Dhlamini
Thank you so much for your generosity. This goes a long way for someone like me in Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland)
ZZZ
The problem with these courses is that all of them appear to be partially functional.
That you do not have access to the ability to ask a question, you may reply is all. Also unknown is if the certificates will be available. I’ve not gotten that far.
Suparn Patra
They don’t send certificate. You may need to download it manually.
Click on certificates from course page (Given you’re logged in) and click on download.
Alexandra Goicoechea
When I click on the courses I get to the course page, but it says “click here for free month”. How do you get it free until next summer? Want to do the Graphic Design path
Suparn Patra
You will get free certificate once you finish the course. But you need to manually download it.
You need not to start free trial for free course, free certificate courses/paths.
Muhammad Fakrul Islam
Alexandra Goicoechea, first sign up on linkedin.com, then click on ‘Become a Graphic Designer’ link.
Tarun S. Kuckian
Hi,
I am am assistant professor teaching in an undergrad college in Mumbai, India. I want to recommend some of these free courses to my students. I wanted to confirm whether the students will get certificate on completing the course? Also will there be any examinations?
Reagards,
Tarun S. Kuckian
Suparn Patra
Yes, They offer free certificate of completion after finishing individual course (Need to manually download it) and for paths, all courses needs to be finished.
For some courses, student needs to give exam in order to get another certificate of completion with mentioned “continuing professional education credit” in it.
Note: Apart from this, there are many courses for which watching content is free but in order to download certificate premium subscription is needed or free trial. And of course there are many courses for which watching video content also requires paid subscription or free trial one (initial a few preview videos are available for free)
Muhammad Fakrul Islam
‘Become a Software Developer’ learning path is still working. Thank you so much for your help.
Dhawal Shah
Great. But seems like it might be based on the region you are in.
For me, the first course of “Become a Software Developer” learning path doesn’t offer a free certificate even though all the course videos are free.
Aliaa
I am already enrolling in Become a Software Developer learning path , but now I don’t have time for it. Will it remain free for me after March?
Dhawal Shah
Unfortunately, I am not really sure how long these will be free.
Michelle
Dhawal, maybe you should give it another go. I’ve come across a few errors when accessing the courses.
I had to switch browsers sometimes. There were some videos I couldn’t watch in Firefox that I could access in Chrome.
Occasionally, the videos wouldn’t be marked as complete.
There was also a course on Google Ads that seemed to have some problems with links, so I had to access the videos manually, and gave it a few tries. I’m still working on it, actually.
For me, the course on SQL in the Software Developer track was archived while I was taking the learning path and I had to click on the videos directly to go around the one-month trial (they weren’t actually locked).
Dr Aejaz Husain
Thanks a lot for sharing so useful resources
Rujin
Thank you thank you!!!
Aliaa
I am already enrolling in Become a Software Developer learning path , but now I don’t have time for it. Will it remain free for me after March?
Elçin
I have spent all my day by analyzing this page reading and clicking every page. This work is amazing.The Question is I am in search of Certificates in German Language.
How can I find finance or economy related certificates but I need it for Germany.And Want to have the courses in German Language.
This is my first time in your web site.So sorry for this perhaps it is a stupid question.
Hector
Hello Suparn: Thank you for compiling the list, I do appreciate it. However, I cannot get around the ‘Start my free month’ to do any of the free courses you identified. Like Alexandra, how can I get around this issue to not activate the free month and saving it for course (s) that are for pay? Cheers
Michelle
This might be a bit late, but Hector, for SOME of these courses you can get around activating the free month. For example, for the SQL course in the Software Developer track, you just click on the first video while logged in. It simply starts and it’s marked as completed after you watch it.
However, if you see a lock next to the video, it means you can’t access it without starting the free month, which means that you won’t be able to get a free certificate.
Rig Ved
The leadership course doesn’t seem to be free any longer
Rig Ved
Also People Analytics
Suparn Patra
Thanks for letting us know.
I’ve removed the courses that are no longer completely free.
Rowan Randle
Good Morning / Evening where you may find yourself self in the world. I completed some courses for free without registration for the month to test whether I could before signing up for the free month.
I know after covid we all need to study more to upgrade our skills to be relevant in the work environment. To earn a salary. I in my humble opinion I think we need a radical tactical shift in our thinking and our modus operandi.
The world as we knew it has completely done a 360 degree , so we need to adapt accordingly.
I am upgrading my skillset with a strategy that would enable me to be more relevant to current market’s.
Chandu
It looks like they are extending these free courses till end of 2021
this i learn from today media updates
Chandu
Source:
https://opportunity.linkedin.com/skills-for-in-demand-jobs
*Offer available until December 31, 2021
Jude Gaal
Thank you Suparn for this information. I know it will help a lot of people strengthen their skills!
Samyak sharma
This is very useful and great post!
Arbab Ahmed
Great work !
Appreciated
Benji
Hey, thanks for the (huge) list of free courses. I’ll definitely look into them.
My question is, what are they worth in the eyes of employers?
More specifically the Microsoft certificates. I can imagine employers won’t value these LinkedIn certificates at the same level as actual MS Certificates?
Tawra Lundy
Suparn, thank you SO MUCH for this!!!
Moro John Alex
Thank you very much
Faiz
Some courses within the following path are locked.https://www.linkedin.com/learning/paths/become-a-data-analyst
B. L. Ethridge, PhD, M.P.Adm.
This is such an awesome resource! I have a Ph.D. and M.P.Adm./M.P.A., but feel I need a project management certification and training to expand the industries I can apply in. Also, I have been a research and program/project manager, but never in title; this information made it possible for me to get a much-needed LinkedIn certification to announce to potential employers and collaborators that my project management skills are more broadly applicable and demonstrably rooted in both education and experience. Thank you!
Amy
The Linkin learning courses with free certification mentions the Time Management Fundamentals twice.
Manoel Cortes Mendez
Thank you. Fixed.
Nguyen Trung Nhan
Very valuable, thanks the author. I hope you can always update this list :3
Saahil Saadath
I have found Class central to be an invaluable recourses for discovering high quality online courses , and that a good educational platform for many students. I hope this is very useful to collage students