How to see offline friends on facebook chat
How to Appear Offline and Invisible on Facebook and Messenger
By Dan Price
Updated
Want to be invisible on Facebook or Messenger? Learn how to appear offline on Facebook and Messenger!
Facebook Messenger is no longer just a way for you to share a few jokes with your friends. Depending on the platform you're using, it can read your SMS messages, make voice calls, and even make video calls.
If it's all become too much and you're fed up with being pestered every day, you might want to take a temporary break from Facebook. In other words, it's time to go invisible and appear offline on the platform.
But how? With so many versions of the app, it's easier said than done. In this article, we're going to show you how to appear offline on Facebook Messenger on some of the most popular operating systems.
Appear Offline on the Facebook Web App
In mid-2020, Facebook underwent one of its most radical design overhauls to date, as it ditched the home page format that had provided the basic design skeleton for almost a decade.
As part of the redesign, Facebook finally removed the confusing distinction between Facebook Chat and Facebook Messenger. Prior to the change, the two apps linked to the same set of messages in your inbox, but they had slightly different sets of options and worked in slightly different ways.
Thankfully, that is no longer the case; users only have to worry about Facebook Messenger.
If you want to make yourself invisible on Facebook and Messenger via the web app, you now need to click on the Messenger icon in the upper right-hand corner.
From this point, you have two options.
Either you can make the changes via the pop-up window by clicking on the three horizontal dots and selecting Turn off active status.
Or you can click on the Messenger icon and instead select See all in Messenger to jump to the main Messenger interface. Then click on the three dots in the upper left and choose Preferences from the menu.
Whichever approach you use, Facebook will provide you with some extra options to allow you to further customize your invisibility.
The three options available to you are:
- Turn off Active Status for all contacts
- Turn off Active Status for all contacts except
- Turn off Active Status for only some contacts
Using these options wisely will let you appear offline to some users (for example, employers) while still showing as online to specific friends or family members.
Appear Offline on the Facebook Windows Store Apps
There are two versions of Facebook in the Windows Store; a basic Facebook app and a Messenger-specific app.
If you use the main Facebook app, you can only appear invisible using the method described above.
If you only use the Messenger app without Facebook, click on your profile photo in the upper right-hand corner, then select Preferences and head to the Active Status tab in the panel on the left-hand side of the screen.
Slide the toggle to change the setting.
It's worth noting that both apps have poor reviews; we do not recommend them as the best way to access Facebook on your computer.
Appear Offline on the Facebook Messenger Android and iOS Apps
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Although the Android and iOS Messenger apps still have some very minor design differences, the functionality of the two apps is almost identical. The process for making yourself invisible while chatting is the same on both platforms.
It is no longer possible to make yourself appear offline through the main Facebook app; you need to have the Messenger app installed as well.
Once you do, tap on your profile picture and head to Active Status to make the change.
Note: The process is different if you want to deactivate Facebook Messenger completely.
Do You Stay Invisible on Facebook Messenger?
Although it is easy to appear offline since the 2020 update, it's still not as intuitive as a service like Skype or Zoom.
As such, it's easy to conclude that Facebook has ulterior motives.
Whether that's true or not, make sure you understand the process so you can always appear offline when needed.
How to Change Which Facebook Friends Can See You Online
Facebook is quite open about its goals: the company dreams of a world in which everyone is connected at all times. Perhaps that's why it's so difficult to appear offline on Facebook. The very idea of "offline" or "invisible" is the antithesis of everything the social network believes in.
However, being "invisible" isn't for everyone. Thankfully, it's possible to maintain a veil of privacy while still letting your closest friends and family know that you're available to talk.
Here's how to decide which Facebook friends see you online and which don't...
How Do People See Who's Online on Facebook?
When it comes to showing your online status on Facebook and Messenger, the company uses something called Active Status.
Active Status appears as a green dot next to your profile picture on Facebook and Messenger when you're online or have been recently active.
The information Meta gives on Active Status is a bit unclear, differing according to the device you use Facebook on.
On its help article for Active Status on computer, the company notes:
The settings you choose will be updated everywhere you use Meta products, including where you haven't yet changed your Active Status.
But for the same help article, switched to the Android app help, the company notes:
When you turn Active Status off, you'll still appear active or recently active from any other places where you're using Facebook or Messenger, unless you turn off Active Status in those places, too.
We assume that Active Status audience settings on computer apply to all computer sessions. However, your online status settings need to be changed individually for every device on the mobile app.
Read more: How to Hide "Typing" and "Seen" on Facebook Messenger
Active Status also has different settings on the desktop browser version of Facebook and the Facebook app. On the browser version, you can edit your Active Status settings to allow only specific people to see you online.
However, on the mobile app, you can only turn Active Status on or off—with no option to select specific people or lists.
Here's how to adjust your Active Status settings so that only certain people can see you online...
How to Change Who Can See You Online on Facebook
To alter the specific people who can see you online on Facebook, you should adjust your Active Status settings on the browser version of the platform.
However, it's unclear whether these settings will apply if you use the Facebook app to log into the social media site. So if you really don't want certain people to see you online, we recommend switching off your Active Status on the app (which we will show you later in this tutorial).
So how do you edit your active list?
To change your Active Status settings on Facebook, follow these steps...
- On the bar to the right, where your Contacts are shown, select the button with three horizontal dots for Options.
- In the dropdown menu, select Turn off Active Status.
- This will bring up a popup where you can select your options: Turn off Active Status for all contacts, Turn off active status for all contacts except, or Turn off Active Status for only some contacts.
- Select whichever setting you prefer, enter names or lists into the text box, and select OK to save the settings.
If you choose to Turn off active status for all contacts except, select the specific people or lists you want to see you online.
If you choose to Turn off Active Status for only some contacts, select the people or lists you don't want to see you online.
For example, you may want to add your restricted list here, as well as lists such as business contacts or people you have on your friends list just because you didn't want to offend them by rejecting their friend request.
So what if you don't want anyone to see you online on Facebook? You can appear offline or invisible on Facebook at all times if you want to.
You can switch off your Active Status completely on the browser version of Facebook by selecting Turn off Active Status for all contacts.
When it comes to the mobile app, you only have the option to turn your Active Status on or off—there are no edited or custom options available.
To change your active status on the Facebook mobile app, follow these steps:
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- Select the Messenger icon to the top right of your screen.
- Select your profile picture in the Chats menu.
- Tap on the Active Status tab.
- Toggle the options for Show when you're active and Show when you're active together to off.
- When Facebook asks you to confirm, select Turn Off.
Switching off your Active Status also prevents you from seeing when other people are online.
In our test, switching off Active Status on the mobile app did not carry over to the desktop browser version of Facebook.
You can also switch off your online status on the Windows Store app.
Read more: How to Use Messenger Without Facebook
How to Stop Someone Seeing Someone Seeing You Online on Facebook
If you're worried about Facebook not turning off Active Status for all your sessions and really don't want someone specific to see you online, a surefire way to prevent this is to block them from messaging you.
This is different to a full Facebook block.
As Facebook notes:
Blocking messages from someone is different from blocking them on Facebook.
If you block messages from someone, but you don't block them on Facebook, you'll still be able to see their Facebook profile.
If you block messages from someone on Facebook, they also can't see when you're online.
Related: How to Limit Who Can See Your Facebook Posts With a Restricted List
To block messages from a contact, and therefore prevent them from seeing whether you're online, follow these steps:
- Open a chat with the contact.
- Select their name to bring up a menu of settings.
- Select Block.
- Choose the option for Block messages and calls.
This will prevent the person from seeing your online status. It will also prevent them from messaging you and calling you on Facebook.
Control Who Sees You Online on Facebook
Online privacy and Facebook are far from synonymous. But there are ways you can gain more control over who can see you online on the platform—and whether you appear online at all.
Use the settings in this article to regain some privacy when it comes to whether or not your contact list can see if you're online.
How Facebook Online works
Help Center
We're updating the mobile version of Facebook.com. More
Online status shows your friends and contacts that you are online on this profile or were recently online on Facebook or Messenger.
Find out how to show you are online or recently online.
When Online is on
Your friends and contacts see an icon or the time you were last online next to your profile picture and elsewhere on Facebook and Messenger. nine0003
You will see if your friends are online and when they were last online.
If Online status is off
Online status must be turned off separately on each platform where you use Facebook or Messenger, otherwise your friends and contacts will still be able to see that you are online or recently online.
If you turn Online status off, you won't see anywhere in the app that your friends and contacts are online or recently online.
Note. The status of a person may be displayed with a delay.
What does the green dot mean on Facebook Pages?
Facebook pages that have been online recently or respond quickly to messages on Facebook, Messenger, or WhatsApp receive the icon.
This is different from the icon that is shown when the person is online. You can see it on your Facebook Page even if your Online status is turned off.
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How to find out when a person was online on Facebook: all methods
Learn when he was in Facebook is possible through the Messenger application.
The original version lacks a detailed view of user information.
Contents
- Last seen time on Facebook
- View on your page
- Find out when a friend was online
- Online status from a computer on Facebook
- Not showing "online" on Facebook
9084 Facebook - through publications and photos. If the person you are looking for often posted information about himself, his time can be tracked by posts;
- through the Messenger app.
- Go to the application - select: "My profile".
- In the main menu: Online Status - Off.
- Restart Messenger to check.
- Log in to Facebook - go to Settings.
- Select: Online - move the toggle switch to inactive mode.
- contacts. Information available for the last few hours;
- Messenger. If the profile owner has indicated the status: "Online" as active.
- Log in to Facebook - scroll through the side tab: "Contacts". nine0072
- An icon showing the time will appear next to the avatar.
- From the bottom click on the icon: "Contacts".
- You will see: "Send message" - select a user from the list.
- View the latest activity time.
- Open the site - go to the top of the label: "Messenger".
- The application window will appear - click on the top three dots.
- Select: "Turn off online status" - choose who can watch.
- Save settings.
- clear for everyone. None of the friends will be able to see the latest activity;
- only for certain contacts. Select users who should not see the status: "Online";
- select those who can view.
Information when a person was on Facebook is considered confidential and inaccessible to other users. The only thing you can see using the Facebook mobile app is whether the right person is currently on the site. To do this, there is a button in the settings: "Network indicator", which displays information for friends and subscribers. nine0003
Ways to find out the last visit:
The second option is suitable if there is a correspondence with this user and he often visits Messenger.
Otherwise, you can use only the first option.
Facebook does not allow other users to view personal information such as recent comments, subscriptions or visit times. nine0003
View on your page
In your profile, to hide the Online indicator, you need to go to the mobile application and edit the main settings. If removed, friends will not be able to see if the user is in the Messenger.
How to hide information about yourself:
The second section where you can see when the user was online:
Facebook also displays: "Online", before the invitation to the general chat room or in the section: "Recent notifications". From the computer version, if the user has an indicator connected, the information will be visible only for the first few hours and to friends in Messenger, the "Contacts" section.
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Find out when a friend was online
Visiting time on Facebook with friends can be viewed through two sections:
By adding information about the activity from the mobile version, they will also be displayed on the computer.
View friend's activity status:
Via Messenger:
But if a friend has hidden his Offline status, you won't be able to see the information. To solve the problem, you can go to the page and check the latest posts.
Online status from PC on Facebook
It is possible to remove the activity status from the computer version or enable it through the chat settings. "Online" will also be disabled in the mobile version.
How to turn it off:
When editing from the browser version, the page owner can specify:
Choosing the last and second options, the owner must enter the names of people from the section: "Mutual subscription". You can restrict access to such information permanently or temporarily by hiding the identifier information: "Online".
