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How to Export Sales Navigator Leads

Last updated December 13, 2025

For most optimal results we recommend to use Sales Navigator workflows as your leads and their data will be most up to date then any other tool that lets you generate leads.

To use Scale Pad AI's Sales Navigator workflow, you first need to export your leads from LinkedIn Sales Navigator. This guide shows you how to do this for free using Phantom Buster.

What You'll Need

  • A LinkedIn Sales Navigator account
  • A Sales Navigator search with your target leads
  • Chrome browser (for the Phantom Buster extension)
  • About 10-15 minutes for setup

Overview: What is Phantom Buster?

Phantom Buster is an automation tool that can extract data from LinkedIn Sales Navigator searches. While it's normally a paid service, there's a free method we'll show you that lets you export unlimited leads by creating new accounts.

Important Limits to Know:

  • Sales Navigator only shows the first 2,500 results for people searches per run
  • Only 1,000 results for company/account searches
  • Phantom Buster won't be able to access more than these limits
  • To get more leads, create multiple searches with different filters

Before you can export leads, you need to create a search in Sales Navigator.

  1. Log into LinkedIn Sales Navigator
  2. Click on "Lead Search" or "Account Search"
  3. Add your search criteria:
  • Keywords (job titles, skills, interests)
  • Location filters
  • Industry filters
  • Company size
  • Seniority level
  • Any other relevant filters
  1. Review your results to make sure they match your target audience
  2. Keep the browser tab open - you'll need the URL in the next step

Pro Tips for Better Searches

  • Be specific with your filters to get higher-quality leads
  • Start with a smaller, more targeted list (100-500 leads) to maximize your credits
  • Save your search in Sales Navigator so you can reuse it later
  • If you need more than 2,500 leads, create multiple variations of your search

Step 2: Sign Up for Phantom Buster (The Free Method)

Here's the trick to using Phantom Buster for free every time:

Create Your Account

  1. Go to Phantom Buster
  2. Click "Sign Up" or "Start Free Trial"
  3. Enter your email address and create a password
  4. CRITICAL: Do NOT confirm your email

Why This Works

  • Phantom Buster deletes unconfirmed accounts after 72 hours
  • By never confirming your email, your account gets deleted automatically
  • You can sign up again with the same email address
  • This gives you a fresh set of free credits each time

Note: You can use this method repeatedly, but you'll need to set up the Phantom each time you create a new account.

Step 3: Set Up the Sales Navigator Export Phantom

Find the Phantom

  1. After signing up, you'll be on the Phantom Buster dashboard
  2. Click "Browse Phantoms" in the left sidebar
  3. Scroll down to the "All Phantoms" section
  4. Look for the Phantom called: "Sales Navigator Search Export"
  5. Click "Use Now"

Configure the Phantom

  1. You'll see a configuration page with several fields
  2. Go back to your Sales Navigator tab
  3. Copy the entire URL from the address bar
  • It should look something like: https://www.linkedin.com/sales/search/people?query=...
  1. Go back to Phantom Buster
  2. Paste the URL into the Sales Navigator URL field
  3. Click "Save"

Step 4: Connect Your LinkedIn Account

Install the Chrome Extension

  1. Phantom Buster will prompt you to install their Chrome extension
  2. Click the link to "Download the Phantom Buster Chrome Extension"
  3. Add the extension to Chrome
  4. The extension icon will appear in your Chrome toolbar

Connect Your LinkedIn Account

  1. Click the Phantom Buster extension icon in Chrome
  2. Follow the prompts to "Connect LinkedIn"
  3. You may be asked to log into LinkedIn again
  4. Grant the necessary permissions

Connect Sales Navigator

  1. Back in the Phantom Buster dashboard
  2. Find the option to "Connect Sales Navigator"
  3. Click "Connect" and follow the prompts
  4. Click "Save" once connected

Step 5: Configure Phantom Settings

Behaviour Settings

  1. In the Phantom configuration, find the "Behaviour" section
  2. Leave all settings as default - don't change anything here
  3. Click "Save"

Launch Frequency Settings

  1. Find the "Launch Frequency" section
  2. Set it to "Once" (not repeat)
  3. Under "Launch Options", select "Launch Manually"
  4. Click "Save"

Why these settings?

  • "Once" means it runs one time and stops
  • "Launch Manually" means you control when it starts
  • This prevents wasting credits on automatic runs

Step 6: Launch the Phantom

Start the Export

  1. Look for the blue "Launch" button
  2. Click "Launch"
  3. In the popup, click "Launch the Phantom" again to confirm
  4. The Phantom will start running in the cloud

Wait for Completion

  • The Phantom will run in the background (you can close the browser)
  • Depending on the number of leads, this can take 5-30 minutes
  • You'll see a progress indicator showing how many leads have been processed
  • When it's done, you'll see a "Completed" status

Important: Don't close the Phantom Buster tab completely until you've downloaded your file.

Step 7: Download Your CSV File (The Tricky Part)

This is the most technical step, but follow carefully:

Open Chrome Developer Tools

  1. Right-click anywhere on the Phantom Buster page
  2. Select "Inspect" from the menu (or press F12)
  3. A developer panel will open at the bottom or side of your browser

  1. In the developer panel, find the tabs at the top
  2. Click on "Network"
  3. Within the Network tab, click on "Fetch/XHR"

Refresh to Populate Data

  1. Refresh the page (F5 or Ctrl+R / Cmd+R)
  2. You'll see a list of network requests appear
  3. This list shows all the data being loaded on the page

Find the CSV File

  1. Look through the list of requests
  2. Find one that says "results.csv" or something similar
  3. It might also be called "output.csv" or just "csv" or whatever you named your phantom ".csv"
  4. Double-click on the "results.csv" entry
  5. Your CSV file will download automatically

Troubleshooting:

  • If you don't see "results.csv", try refreshing again
  • Look for any file name containing "csv"
  • Make sure you're in the Fetch/XHR tab, not "All"
  • If still stuck, look for a download button in the Phantom interface itself

Step 8: Import to Scale Pad AI

Now you have your Sales Navigator export! You can import it in two ways:

  1. Go to your Scale Pad AI dashboard
  2. Click "New Campaign"
  3. Select "Sales Navigator" workflow
  4. Choose "Upload CSV"
  5. Select the file you just downloaded
  6. The file will be processed automatically (no header mapping needed!)
  7. Click "Run Workflow"

Option 2: Via Google Sheets

  1. Open Google Sheets
  2. Create a new blank sheet
  3. Go to File → Import
  4. Upload your CSV file
  5. Copy the Google Sheets URL
  6. In Scale Pad AI, click "New Campaign"
  7. Select "Sales Navigator"
  8. Choose "Google Sheets"
  9. Paste the Google Sheets link
  10. Click "Run Workflow"

Step 9: Important Credit Considerations

Check Your Credits First

Before running your campaign, make sure you have enough openers:

  • Sales Navigator exports can contain up to 2,500 leads
  • Each lead = 1 credit
  • Check your credit balance in the top left of your dashboard

Recommendations for Managing Credits

Start Small:

  • Test with a smaller list first (50-100 leads)
  • Verify the quality of generated openers
  • Scale up once you're satisfied

Edit Your CSV:

  • Open the downloaded CSV in Excel or Google Sheets
  • Delete rows for leads you don't want to contact
  • Keep only your highest-priority prospects
  • This saves credits and improves targeting

Create Targeted Searches:

  • Instead of one huge 2,500-person list, create several smaller, more focused searches
  • Better targeting = higher quality openers = better response rates

Upgrade if Needed:

  • Free plan: 50 openers
  • Starter: 500 openers
  • Growth: 1,000 openers
  • Business: 2,500+ openers
  • See pricing page for more options

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Phantom Buster Issues

"Not enough credits"

  • Create a new account (remember not to confirm email)
  • Wait 72 hours for account deletion
  • Sign up again with the same email

"Can't connect LinkedIn"

  • Make sure you're logged into LinkedIn in the same browser
  • Try disconnecting and reconnecting
  • Clear browser cookies and try again

"Phantom stuck/not finishing"

  • Wait longer - large lists take time
  • Check if you hit the 2,500 lead limit
  • Try relaunching the Phantom

Can't Find results.csv

  • Make sure the Phantom completed successfully
  • Try refreshing the page multiple times
  • Look in the Network tab for ANY file with "csv" in the name
  • Check your Downloads folder - it might have downloaded automatically

Sales Navigator Limits

"Not getting enough results"

  • LinkedIn limits to 2,500 people or 1,000 companies
  • Create multiple searches with different filters
  • Try variations of your search keywords
  • Be more specific with your targeting

Scale Pad AI Upload Issues

"Invalid file format"

  • Make sure you're uploading the CSV file, not a screenshot
  • Don't edit the column headers in the CSV
  • Sales Navigator CSVs are standardized and should work automatically

"Not enough credits"

  • Check your balance before uploading
  • Delete rows from the CSV to reduce the count
  • Upgrade your plan if needed

Best Practices

For Better Search Results

✅ Use specific job titles instead of broad roles

✅ Combine multiple filters for precision targeting

✅ Focus on active LinkedIn users (posted in last 30 days)

✅ Target decision-makers in your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)

✅ Save successful searches for future use

For Efficient Credit Usage

✅ Start with 50-100 leads to test quality

✅ Remove duplicates before uploading

✅ Focus on your highest-priority prospects

✅ Use Sales Navigator's lead recommendations

✅ Review profiles before adding to your list

For Maintaining Free Phantom Buster Access

✅ Never confirm your email

✅ Set a reminder to re-signup every 3 days

✅ Save your search URLs for quick re-setup

✅ Use the same email address each time

✅ Complete exports within 72 hours

Summary: Quick Reference

  1. Create Sales Navigator search → Add filters and find your target leads
  2. Sign up for Phantom Buster → Don't confirm email (free method)
  3. Find "Sales Navigator Search Export" Phantom → Click "Use Now"
  4. Paste Sales Navigator URL → Copy from address bar
  5. Install Chrome extension → Connect LinkedIn account
  6. Configure settings → Leave behavior as default, launch manually
  7. Launch Phantom → Wait for completion (5-30 minutes)
  8. Download CSV → Right-click → Inspect → Network → Fetch/XHR → Refresh → Find results.csv
  9. Upload to Scale Pad AI → New Campaign → Sales Navigator → Upload CSV
  10. Run Workflow → Generate personalized openers!

Next Steps: Once you've uploaded your Sales Navigator leads, check out the Creating Your First Campaign guide to learn how to run the workflow and generate your openers.

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