To launch a Phantom in PhantomBuster, go to the Solutions page, select the automation that matches your goal, then complete the setup steps: provide your input data (links, a spreadsheet, or keywords), connect your social media account if needed, configure behavior settings like results per launch, and choose a launch frequency. Click Save & close, then launch manually or let it run on a schedule. This guide walks you through each step from start to finish.
Step 1: Choose your Phantom
Every automation starts by selecting the right Phantom for your goal. You'll find all available automations on the Solutions page, where you can filter by platform or strategy.
- Log in to your PhantomBuster workspace and go to the Solutions page.
- Use filters to narrow by platform or strategy, for example: Extract leads on LinkedIn.
- Click Use now to open the setup page and start configuring the Phantom.
Step 2: Add the data your Phantom will use
Every Phantom needs data to start working, this could be links, keywords, or a lead list.
Here are the most common formats:
A single link, like a LinkedIn profile or search results URL.
A spreadsheet of links, if you want to process multiple at once.
A LinkedIn Leads List, created in your workspace.
Keywords, for Phantoms that run searches (like Google Maps or LinkedIn Search Export).
Results from another Phantom, if you're building a custom multi-step sequence manually (known as chaining).
For example, here's what the input step looks like in the LinkedIn Search Export Phantom:
Learn more in How to Add Input Data to your PhantomBuster Automation.
Step 3: Connect your account
If the Phantom interacts with a platform like LinkedIn, it will need temporary access to your session. You can connect automatically using the PhantomBuster Chrome extension.
- If prompted, click Connect and use the PhantomBuster browser extension to securely link your account. Make sure you're logged into the correct platform in your browser before starting.
- If no Connect step appears, the Phantom doesn't require login, this is the case for automations like Google Maps Phantoms.
For example, here's what the Connect to LinkedIn step looks like in the LinkedIn Search Export Phantom, with the extension installed and your LinkedIn session already active:
→ For a full explanation of how account connections work, see: Before you start: How account connections work in PhantomBuster
Step 4: Adjust the behavior
Here, you define how the Phantom should behave: such as how many results it collects and how often it runs.
You can configure:
- Results to export per launch: how many total results the Phantom should collect at once each time you run it.
- Results to export per search: how many results to export from each link or keyword.
These features allow you to break your results into smaller batches or run your Phantom over time.
For example, if you have 2 LinkedIn search URLs and want 20 results from each, set Results to export per search to 20. If you only want 10 results per run, set Results to export per launch to 10. The Phantom will continue launching until all results are collected.
Here's what the Behavior settings step looks like in the LinkedIn Search Export Phantom:
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Optional features, if available:
Watcher Mode:
Automatically re-run the input each time you launch the Phantom to collect new results that weren't there before. Ideal for ongoing searches or staying updated with fresh profiles.
→ This only collects new results near the top of the search; it won't pull older ones further down the list.Duplicate removal:
Prevents the Phantom from collecting the same profiles more than once across multiple searches or launches. Helpful when you're running similar inputs repeatedly.Custom file settings:
Configure the output file by naming it and selecting which fields to include, helping you customize how your results are organized.
Most platforms have automation limits. Pushing too hard can get your account restricted. Learn how to stay within safe automation limits.
Step 5: Choose launch frequency
Set how often and under what conditions the Phantom should run:
- Launch manually: The Phantom will only run when you click Launch.
- Repeatedly: It will run automatically several times per day.
- After another Phantom: It will run automatically after the selected Phantom completes (chain automations).
- Advanced: Launch at specific days, times, or patterns.
In this example, we selected the Repeatedly option and set it to run once per day, based on our Behavior setup, to stay within recommended rate limits:
Step 6: Use advanced settings (optional)
If you need more control over how your Phantom behaves, you can adjust advanced settings before launch.
These settings are optional and include features like: Execution time limits, retry behavior, proxies, webhooks, file handling, and email notifications.
→ Learn more in the full guide: Control advanced behavior and settings for your Phantoms
Step 7: Save and launch
Once your setup is complete, you need to save it before launching.
Save your Phantom
Click Save & close in the top-right corner of the setup page.
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You'll be redirected to the Phantom console. Here you can see:
The Phantom name.
Its current status (for example: Inactive).
The Launch button.
Activate your Phantom
What happens next depends on the launch option you selected in Step 5.
If you selected Launch manually
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Click Launch on the Phantom console page to start the Phantom.
If you selected a scheduled option
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Your Phantom will run automatically based on the schedule or trigger you configured, so you don't need to click Launch if you selected:
Repeatedly
Launch at a specific time
After another Phantom
Advanced
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To confirm your schedule:
Click Back to dashboard.
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On the Phantom card, you'll see:
The selected launch pattern (for example: "Launch once per day" or "Launch after LinkedIn Profile Visitor").
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The next run timing (for time-based schedules).
Step 8: What to expect while your Phantom runs
Once your Phantom is running, you'll see status messages on your dashboard. Here's what they mean:
- "Updating Phantom" - Appears after a step has completed. The Phantom is saving the data it just collected and refreshing your dashboard with the latest results. No action needed; this is part of the normal automation cycle. Once the update is complete, the dashboard will show the next scheduled step or your final results.
- "Next: [Action] in [Time]" - Appears between steps and tells you what the Phantom will do next and when (for example, "Next: Send messages in 10 minutes"). The built-in pauses simulate natural human behavior and keep your automation within safe rate limits. The next step launches automatically.
If the status seems stuck - if "Updating Phantom" stays on screen for an unusually long time, refresh your browser. If it persists, open your Phantom's logs and check our How to Troubleshoot Phantoms Using Logs guide.
→ For how to tell when your Phantom has finished, see How to know when your Phantom or Workflow has finished running.
Looking to automate multiple steps in one go? See What Are Workflows in PhantomBuster and How Do They Work to learn about prebuilt multi-step automations.
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Frequently asked questions
What do I need before setting up a Phantom?
You need a PhantomBuster account with an active Workspace, the data your Phantom will process (like a LinkedIn search URL or a spreadsheet of links), and, if the Phantom interacts with a social platform, a connected account via the PhantomBuster browser extension.
How do I provide input data to a Phantom?
In the setup's input step, you can paste a single link, upload a spreadsheet of links, select a LinkedIn Leads list from your Workspace, enter keywords, or use results from another Phantom. The exact options depend on the Phantom you're setting up. See How to Add Input Data to your PhantomBuster Automation for details.
How do I schedule a Phantom to run automatically?
In the Launch settings step during setup, choose Repeatedly to run multiple times per day, After another Phantom to chain automations, or Advanced for specific days and times. Once saved, the Phantom runs on that schedule without needing to click Launch. See Schedule your Phantoms to Run Automatically for a full guide.
What are safe automation limits for Phantoms?
Each platform has daily limits to avoid account restrictions. For example, LinkedIn allows up to 1,000 profile extractions per day per account. Always configure your Behavior settings (results per launch, results per search) to stay within these limits. See Automation Rate Limits by Platform for the full reference.
What's the difference between launching a Phantom manually and on a schedule?
When set to Launch manually, the Phantom only runs when you click Launch. Scheduled options (Repeatedly, Advanced, After another Phantom) run automatically based on your configuration, no manual action needed after saving.
What does "Updating Phantom" mean?
It means a step of your Phantom has just completed and the Phantom is saving the data it collected before moving on. No action needed, this is part of the normal automation cycle.
Why does my Phantom say "Next: Send messages in 10 minutes"?
This appears between steps and tells you what the Phantom will do next and when. The pauses help simulate natural human behavior and keep your automation within safe rate limits. The next step will launch automatically.