Learn how to turn off your active status on Facebook and Messenger on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the web so your friends can’t tell you’re online.
Just because you’re catching up to friends on Facebook or rereading some conversations in Messenger doesn’t mean you want everyone to see you’re available. You can change your status on Facebook and Messenger to inactive so you can use them while others think you’re offline.
Keep in mind that turning off the Active Status setting will also stop you from seeing the online status of your Facebook friends and Messenger contacts.
Facebook app
1) Launch the Facebook app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone and tap the hamburger menu icon.
2) Scroll to the bottom and choose Settings & Privacy, then select Settings.
3) Scroll down to the Audience and Visibility heading and tap Active Status.
4) Turn off the switch for Show when you’re active and confirm by tapping Turn Off.
Facebook website
Facebook’s web interface allows you to turn off your online status with some granularity, disabling it for everyone or just for certain individuals.
1) Visit Facebook.com and log in if necessary, then click the three-dotted menu in the top-right, and select Active Status. You can now turn off the main Active Status switch to disable it for all your friends.
Alternatively, click the Edit button next to “Active Status: ON for some” or “Active Status: OFF for some” and then type the initials of a friend’s name, select them from suggestions, and click Save. After that, click the radio button next to either “Active Status: ON for some” or “Active Status: OFF for some” and hit Save again.
Messenger app
Messenger has a similar setup for managing your active status:
1) Open the Facebook Messenger app on your iPhone and iPad and tap the menu icon at the bottom.
2) Tap Settings, followed by Active Status.
3) Turn off the toggle for Show when you’re active and confirm.
Messenger website
1) Visit Messenger.com, log in with your account details, and click your profile picture in the bottom-left corner, then choose Preferences at the top of the menu.
2) Click Active Status.
3) Turn it off for everyone, certain people, or all people with exceptions.
Messenger app on desktop
If you use Facebook Messenger’s desktop app on your Mac or Windows PC, here’s how to turn off your online status for it.
1) Open the Messenger app on your desktop and click your profile picture, followed by Preferences.
2) Select Active Status from the left sidebar.
3) Turn off the toggle for Show Active Status.
When you feel it’s time to go online again, follow the same steps and enable the Active Status button. Are you going to turn off your Active Status on Facebook and Messenger? Let us know!
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