To appear offline on Messenger, turn off Active status in Messenger's settings. You may also need to turn it off in the Facebook app. Once both are off, people no longer see the green dot or the "active" time next to your name. The trade is that you stop seeing their status too.
What active status shows
Active status is the green dot on your profile picture and the short "active" timestamp that appears under your name in chats. Meta says it shows when you are active, when you are currently in the same chat as someone, or when you were recently active on Facebook or Messenger on that profile.
It is not visible to everyone. Meta says your active status shows to people you are connected to on Facebook and Messenger, and to people you have sent friend requests to. Strangers who message you through message requests do not get it.
That friend request detail catches people out. If you sent someone a request that is still pending, they can see when you are online, even though you are not yet connected.
Turn off active status on iPhone or iPad
- Open Messenger and tap Menu, then tap Settings.
- Tap Active status.
- Tap the toggle next to Show when you're active.
- Tap Turn off to confirm.
Turn off active status on Android
- Open Messenger and tap Menu, then tap Settings.
- Tap Active status.
- Tap the toggle next to Show when you're active.
- Choose how long you want it off, then tap Pause.
The Android version asks for a duration, which is useful if you only want a quiet evening. Check what you picked, because a timed pause will switch your status back on by itself when it runs out. If you want it off indefinitely, pick the longest option offered and check back on it.
Messenger's menus have been rearranged several times, and on some versions the settings entry sits behind your profile picture rather than a Menu button. If you do not see Active status where the steps say, open whichever screen holds Messenger's settings and look for the Active status heading there.
Turn it off in a browser
On a computer, Messenger runs in a browser since the desktop apps were discontinued. At messenger.com, Meta's steps are:
- Click your profile picture in the bottom left, then click Preferences.
- Click Active status: On or Active status: Off.
- Click the toggle to turn it off.
- Click Save.
If you use chat inside Facebook.com instead, click the Messenger icon at the top right, click the Options menu next to Chats, click Active Status: ON, switch the toggle off and click Save.
Turn it off in the Facebook app too
This is the step most guides leave out, and Meta states it plainly: if you turn off active status in one app, you might still appear active in a different app. Turning it off in Messenger does not stop the Facebook app from showing a green dot while you scroll your feed.
In the Facebook app on iPhone or Android:
- Tap Menu.
- Scroll down and tap Settings & privacy, then Settings.
- Under Audience and visibility, tap Active Status.
- Turn off the toggle next to Show when you're active.
Do this on every device and browser where you use Facebook or Messenger. The setting is tied to the app you change it in, so a tablet or a work laptop you forgot about can keep showing you as online.
What changes when it is off
- People you are connected to no longer see the green dot or a "last active" time for you.
- You stop seeing their active status as well. Meta applies this both ways, so there is no setting that hides you while letting you watch others.
- Your messages still send and arrive normally, calls still ring, and people can still message you.
- It does not hide read receipts. Seeing a message is a separate signal from being online. Meta has added a separate read receipt control; look for it in Messenger's privacy settings if you want that off as well.
Hide from one person instead of everyone
Messenger does not have a per-person active status list. If you want to disappear from one person without going dark for everyone, you have two tools, and both are stronger than a status switch.
Restrict. Meta says a restricted person cannot see when you are online or whether you have read their messages, their conversation moves out of your Chats list, and they are not told. You also cannot see when they are online, and you cannot call or message them while they are restricted. Open the chat, tap their name and tap Restrict.
Block. Meta lists blocking as a way to stop sharing your active status with someone. It also stops them messaging you, so it is the heavier choice.
Why you might still look active
The other app is still on. The most common cause by far. Check the Facebook app, and any other device where you are signed in.
A timed pause ran out. Your active status may have been turned back on if you previously changed the setting.
There is a delay. Meta says there may be a delay between someone becoming active and being shown as active. The reverse also holds: a change can take a little time to reach other people's screens.
You are looking at a Page. Facebook Pages get a green dot of their own if they have been online recently or reply quickly to messages. Meta notes this is different from a person's active status, which is why you may see a green dot on a Page even when your own status is off.
You have more than one profile. Meta describes active status per profile, so if you run additional Facebook profiles, check the setting on each.
If you cannot see someone else's status
Meta gives two reasons someone's active status may be missing for you: they turned theirs off, or they blocked you. Turning off your own status is a third, since it also hides everyone else's from you. Before reading anything into a missing green dot, check that your own setting is on.
If you want to go quiet without changing settings at all, muting a chat or switching on Do Not Disturb in Messenger's notification settings stops the interruptions but leaves your status as it was. For real privacy, turn active status off in both apps on every device, then check from a friend's phone that the green dot has gone.
