Working in the side panel: Who is this, Take, recording a step

What the side panel shows on a LinkedIn profile, in a conversation and in people search, and how to record a step, a note, a follow-up or a profile PDF in it.

Checked against the app · 24 October 2026Open in the app

What it is for

The side panel brings Opener to LinkedIn. On a profile you can see whether the team knows the person and who is handling them, and you can record your step right away without switching to the app.

How to

On a profile

The Who is this card shows the name, company, phase, who is handling the contact, the last step and your follow-up.

  • My progress: five phase tiles. Clicking a phase that is not recorded yet records your step with today's date. Clicking a recorded step again removes it. This works only for your own step since the start of the running plan, or since Monday outside a plan.
  • Connecting: the side panel prepares the invitation text from your default template. Copy and record Connecting copies the text and records the step. You then send the invitation yourself on LinkedIn.
  • Connected: when LinkedIn shows that you are connected, the side panel offers Connected: record today's date.
  • Outside LinkedIn: the Call and Email buttons record an action, they do not move the phase.
  • Add note and Set follow-up save a note or your follow-up to the contact.
  • The Tasks card shows open tasks about the contact that you assigned or work on. Assign task assigns a task linked to the contact to you or a colleague.
  • Labels: adding and removing a label is saved immediately. A new name creates your private label.
  • Lists: below the labels are the lists the contact is in. + Add to list offers your personal and team lists, the last used one on top. A new name creates your personal list, × removes the contact from the list. It is saved immediately. A private card goes only to your personal lists.
  • Save profile (PDF): the side panel gets ready, then on LinkedIn click More and Save to PDF. The profile is saved to the contact's documents, and you can undo it within 10 seconds.

Unknown person

The side panel shows Not covered by the team yet and offers Take. This creates your shared relationship in the Looked up phase, and you will find the contact in My action plan among the contacts outside the plan. If the space allows private contacts, Take privately is offered too: it creates a private contact that only you can see.

Take and add to list does the same as Take and adds the contact to the chosen list right away. Pick a list, or type a new name to create a personal list. If the space allows private contacts, the Shared / Private switch chooses the card; a private one goes only to your personal lists.

Shared and private card

If you have a private card for the profile and the team also has a shared one, the side panel shows a Shared / Private switch at the top. The strip below it always tells you which card you are writing to; steps, notes, follow-ups, labels and the profile PDF go only to the selected card. From the shared card you can choose Create a private card, from the private one Add for the team. Colleagues cannot see your private card.

Other pages

  • Conversation: the side panel recognizes the other person and shows their card. It does not read the message text.
  • People search: go through the results and click Send to New contacts. You need permission from an admin for this.
  • Company page or company website: the company in Opener, its coverage score and people from the company, or Create company. A known company can be added to a company list the same way as a contact.

Good to know

  • Side panel tabs: On this page, My action plan, Follow-ups, Tasks (tasks waiting for you), Messages and AI (only with AI turned on). The AI tab answers in the language you use the app in.
  • Next from the plan opens the next profile from your batch. The server remembers where you stopped, even on another computer.
  • The number on the extension icon is the number of your overdue follow-ups.
  • Open in the app and the ↗ arrow in the badge open the contact in the app in the same tab. With the ⌘ or Ctrl key, they open it in a new tab.
  • You can save a profile PDF at most 50 times in 24 hours, and no sooner than 30 seconds after the previous one.

Frequently asked questions

A colleague is already handling the person. Can I take them too?

The side panel shows who is handling them, and you record your step directly in their contact. You take your own relationship only for a person Opener does not know yet.

Can I record a step on a colleague's contact?

Yes, on a shared contact. It is recorded as your step.

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