[2021] 350+ Hours of Free LinkedIn Learning Courses with Free Certification
LinkedIn joins the ranks of course providers offering free online courses in response to the pandemic.
Early last year, in response to the global pandemic, many providers offered free online learning resources which Class Central compiled into a list and updated regularly. Our list grew to ~100 resources and has been viewed by one million learners.
LinkedIn Learning was one of these resources. In June 2020, Microsoft joined the ranks and made 14 learning paths on LinkedIn Learning available for free. We shared the list of learning paths with Class Central’s learners, which again proved to be very popular.
So, I decided to find out if there are more free learning resources available. I looked through LinkedIn Learning’s catalog of 9,000+ courses and 425 learning paths (which consist of a set of bundled courses) and identified the ones which are available for free and offer a free certificate.
Here is what I found: 156 courses and 11 learning paths offer free certificates. A total of 350+ hours of free online learning resources. You can find the comprehensive lists below.
(You may also want to have a look at our Massive List of Thousands of Free Certificates and Badges offered by MOOC platforms, universities, companies, and nonprofits worldwide.)
Ace the Basics: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro is a new free learning path, added since we compiled the original list. One learning path has been removed: Become a Software Developer. Some courses that are part of this path are still open and offer a free certificate. You can find them in the overview of courses listed below.
We are not sure how long these courses (and certificates) will be available for free. However, we plan to keep an eye on LinkedIn Learning and update the list continuously. So, stay tuned! And if you find more free resources or notice an error in the list, please leave us a note.
How to earn a Free LinkedIn Learning Certificate
To earn a certificate for an individual course, watch all videos and take the quizzes. For some courses, you will need to take an exam to complete the course. Once you are done, go to the “Related to this course” section below the video (on the desktop) and click on “Show all”.
A window will pop up with possible certificates for the course (see an example 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 the individual courses. Then, you will be able to download the learning path certificate.
LinkedIn Learning Paths with Free Certificates
- Become a Customer Service Specialist
- Become a Data Analyst
- Become a Digital Marketing Specialist
- Become a Financial Analyst
- Become a Graphic Designer
- Become a Project Manager
- Become a Sales Representative
- Digital Transformation in Practice: Virtual Collaboration Tools
- Master In-Demand Professional Soft Skills
- Prepare for the CompTIA A+ Certification (220-1001 and 220-1002)
- Prepare for the CompTIA Network+ (N10-007) Certification
LinkedIn Learning Courses with Free Certificates
These courses are organized in alphabetical order.
- 10 Ways to Stay Motivated While Job Hunting
- A Career Strategist’s Guide to Getting a Job
- Asking Great Sales Questions
- Banish Your Inner Critic to Unleash Creativity
- Building Rapport with Customers
- Building Resilience
- Color for Design and Art
- Color Trends
- Communication Foundations
- CompTIA A+ (220-1001 and 220-1002) Cert Prep: The Basics
- CompTIA A+ (220-1001) Cert Prep 1: The Basics
- CompTIA A+ (220-1001) Cert Prep 10: Printers
- CompTIA A+ (220-1001) Cert Prep 2: Microprocessing and RAM
- CompTIA A+ (220-1001) Cert Prep 3: Core Hardware
- CompTIA A+ (220-1001) Cert Prep 4: Storage and Peripherals
- CompTIA A+ (220-1001) Cert Prep 5: Display Technologies
- CompTIA A+ (220-1001) Cert Prep 6: Physical Networking
- CompTIA A+ (220-1001) Cert Prep 7: Understanding Networking
- CompTIA A+ (220-1001) Cert Prep 8: Internet and the Cloud
- CompTIA A+ (220-1001) Cert Prep 9: Portable Computing
- CompTIA A+ (220-1002) Cert Prep 1: Getting Started
- CompTIA A+ (220-1002): Cert Prep 3 Windows and More
- CompTIA A+ (220-1002) Cert Prep 4: Command-Line Interface and Scripting Languages
- CompTIA A+ (220-1002): Cert Prep 5 Troubleshooting Operating Systems
- CompTIA A+ (220-1002) Cert Prep 6: Networking, Security, and More
- CompTIA A+ (220-1002) Cert Prep 7: Portable Computing
- CompTIA A+ (220-1002) Cert Prep 8: Security and Organization
- CompTIA Network+ (N10-007) Cert Prep: 1 Understanding Networks
- CompTIA Network+ (N10-007) Cert Prep: 2 The Physical Network
- CompTIA Network+ (N10-007) Cert Prep: 3 The World of TCP/IP
- CompTIA Network+ (N10-007) Cert Prep: 4 Making TCP/IP Work
- CompTIA Network+ (N10-007) Cert Prep: 5 Securing TCP/IP
- CompTIA Network+ (N10-007) Cert Prep: 6 Advanced IP Networking
- CompTIA Network+ (N10-007) Cert Prep: 7 Wireless, Virtual, Cloud, and Mobile Networking
- CompTIA Network+ (N10-007) Cert Prep: 8 Building a Real-World Network
- CompTIA Network+ (N10-007) Cert Prep: 9 Managing the Network
- Computer Literacy for Mac
- Computer Literacy for Windows 10
- Content Marketing Foundations
- Corporate Financial Statement Analysis
- Creating Positive Conversations with Challenging Customers
- Creative Collaboration
- Critical Thinking for Better Judgment and Decision-Making
- CSS Essential Training
- Customer Service: Call Control Strategies
- Customer Service Foundations
- Customer Service: Handling Abusive Customers
- Customer Service: Problem Solving and Troubleshooting
- Customer Service: Serving Customers Through Chat and Text
- Data Fluency: Exploring and Describing Data
- De-Escalating Intense Situations
- Developing Resourcefulness
- Developing Your Emotional Intelligence
- Digital Body Language
- Digital Networking Strategies
- Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
- Effective Listening
- Email and Newsletter Marketing Foundations
- Embracing Unexpected Change
- Engage the Likability Effect in the Job Search
- Excel: Analyzing and Visualizing Cash Flows
- Excel: Economic Analysis and Data Analytics
- Excel Statistics Essential Training: 1
- Excel: Tracking Data Easily and Efficiently
- Financial Accounting Foundations
- Financial Modeling and Forecasting Financial Statements
- Financial Modeling Foundations
- Finding a Job
- Google Ads Essential Training
- Google Analytics Essential Training
- Google Drive Essential Training
- Graphic Design Careers: First Steps
- Graphic Design Foundations: Layout and Composition (2013)
- Graphic Design Foundations: Typography
- How to Manage Feeling Overwhelmed
- HTML Essential Training
- Illustrator 2021 Essential Training
- InDesign 2020 Essential Training
- InDesign 2021 Essential Training
- Introduction to Graphic Design
- JavaScript Essential Training (2017)
- Learning C#
- Learning Data Analytics
- Learning Data Visualization
- Learning Excel: Data Analysis
- Learning Excel for the web (Office 365/Microsoft 365)
- Learning Java
- Learning PowerPoint for the web (Office 365/Microsoft 365)
- Learning Python
- Learning Webex Meetings
- Learning Word for the web (Office 365/Microsoft 365)
- Learning Zoom
- Managerial Economics
- Managing Project Stakeholders
- Managing Your Emotions at Work
- Marketing on Facebook
- Marketing on Instagram
- Microsoft Collaboration: SharePoint, Teams, Groups, and Yammer
- Microsoft Project 2019 and Project Online Desktop Essential Training
- Microsoft Project Quick Tips
- Microsoft Teams Essential Training
- Computer Literacy for Windows 10
- Google Drive Essential Training
- Online Marketing Foundations
- Outlook on the web Essential Training
- Persuading Others
- Photoshop 2021 Essential Training: The Basics
- Power BI Essential Training
- Prepare Yourself for a Career in Sales
- Programming Foundations: Databases
- Programming Foundations: Fundamentals
- Programming Foundations: Web Security
- Project Management Foundations
- Project Management Foundations: Budgets
- Project Management Foundations: Communication
- Project Management Foundations: Ethics
- Project Management Foundations: Requirements
- Project Management Foundations: Risk
- Project Management Foundations: Schedules
- Project Management Foundations: Teams
- Recession-Proof Career Strategies
- Recovering from a Layoff
- Remote Work Foundations
- Running a Profitable Business: Understanding Financial Ratios
- Sales: Closing Strategies
- Sales Foundations
- Sales: Handling Objections
- Sales Negotiation
- Selling with Stories, Part 2: Stories Great Sales People Tell
- SEO Foundations
- Shane Snow on Storytelling
- Social Media Marketing Foundations
- Social Media Marketing: Strategy and Optimization
- Social Media Marketing: ROI
- Social Media Marketing: Strategy and Optimization
- Soft Skills for Sales Professionals
- SQL: Data Reporting and Analysis
- Statistics Foundations: 1
- Strategic Planning Foundations
- Succeeding in Web Development: Full Stack and Front End
- Tableau Essential Training (2020.1)
- Teaching Technical Skills Through Video
- Team Collaboration in G Suite
- Teamwork Foundations
- A Career Strategist’s Guide to Getting a Job
- Time Management: Working from Home
- Graphic Design Foundations: Typography
- Unconscious Bias
- Video Interview Tips
- What is Graphic Design?
- Why Trust Matters with Rachel Botsman
- Working and Collaborating Online
- Remote Work Foundations
- Working with Computers and Devices
- Writing a Resume
- Writing in Plain Language
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.
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