Facebook is quite open up nigh its goals: the visitor dreams of a world in which everyone is connected at all times. Perhaps that's why it'due south and then 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'due south possible to maintain a veil of privacy while yet letting your closest friends and family know that y'all're available to talk.

Here'southward how to decide which Facebook friends run into yous online and which don't...

How Do People See Who's Online on Facebook?

facebook online dot active status

When information technology comes to showing your online status on Facebook and Messenger, the company uses something called Active Status.

Agile Condition appears as a green dot adjacent to your contour moving-picture show on Facebook and Messenger when you're online or have been recently agile.

The information Meta gives on Agile Status is a chip unclear, differing according to the device you apply Facebook on.

On its help article for Active Status on figurer, the company notes:

The settings you cull will be updated everywhere yous apply Meta products, including where you haven't yet inverse your Active Condition.

Only for the same help article, switched to the Android app aid, the company notes:

When yous turn Active Status off, you'll still announced active or recently agile from whatever other places where you're using Facebook or Messenger, unless you turn off Active Status in those places, too.

We assume that Agile Status audition settings on computer employ to all computer sessions. Withal, your online status settings demand to be changed individually for every device on the mobile app.

Active Status also has different settings on the desktop browser version of Facebook and the Facebook app. On the browser version, you tin can edit your Agile Status settings to let only specific people to see you online.

However, on the mobile app, you lot tin simply turn Agile Status on or off—with no option to select specific people or lists.

Here'south how to conform your Active Status settings and so that merely certain people can see you online...

How to Alter Who Can See You Online on Facebook

To alter the specific people who can run into y'all online on Facebook, you should adjust your Active Status settings on the browser version of the platform.

All the same, information technology's unclear whether these settings will apply if you lot 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 Condition on the app (which we volition show you after in this tutorial).

So how do you edit your active list?

To modify your Agile Condition settings on Facebook, follow these steps...

  1. On the bar to the right, where your Contacts are shown, select the button with iii horizontal dots for Options.
  2. In the dropdown card, select Turn off Active Condition.
    facebook browser turn off active status
  3. This will bring up a popup where yous can select your options: Plow off Active Status for all contacts, Turn off active status for all contacts except, or Turn off Agile Status for only some contacts.
    active status settings facebook
  4. Select whichever setting yous adopt, 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 desire to see you online.

If y'all cull to Turn off Active Status for simply some contacts, select the people or lists yous 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 concern contacts or people you lot take on your friends list just because you lot didn't want to offend them by rejecting their friend request.

How to Switch Off Facebook Online Status Completely

Then what if yous don't want anyone to see you online on Facebook? You tin can appear offline or invisible on Facebook at all times if you desire to.

You can switch off your Agile Status completely on the browser version of Facebook by selecting Turn off Active Status for all contacts.

When information technology comes to the mobile app, you only have the option to turn your Active Condition on or off—there are no edited or custom options available.

To change your active condition on the Facebook mobile app, follow these steps:

  1. Select the Messenger icon to the summit correct of your screen.
  2. Select your profile picture in the Chats carte.
  3. Tap on the Active Status tab.
  4. Toggle the options for Testify when you're active and Prove when you're active together to off.
  5. When Facebook asks yous to confirm, select Turn Off.

Switching off your Active Status too prevents you from seeing when other people are online.

In our test, switching off Active Condition on the mobile app did not carry over to the desktop browser version of Facebook.

Y'all can also switch off your online status on the Windows Store app.

How to Cease Someone Seeing Someone Seeing You lot Online on Facebook

If you lot're worried about Facebook not turning off Active Status for all your sessions and really don't want someone specific to come across y'all online, a surefire way to forbid this is to block them from messaging you.

This is dissimilar to a full Facebook block.

Equally Facebook notes:

Blocking messages from someone is unlike from blocking them on Facebook. If you block letters from someone, but you don't cake them on Facebook, you'll still be able to encounter their Facebook profile.

If you block messages from someone on Facebook, they besides can't see when y'all're online.

To cake messages from a contact, and therefore prevent them from seeing whether you lot're online, follow these steps:

  1. Open a chat with the contact.
  2. Select their name to bring up a menu of settings.
  3. Select Block.
    facebook menu block messages
  4. Cull the option for Block letters and calls.
    block messages facebook

This will prevent the person from seeing your online condition. Information technology will besides prevent them from messaging yous and calling you on Facebook.

Command Who Sees You Online on Facebook

Online privacy and Facebook are far from synonymous. But there are ways you can proceeds more than control over who can come across you online on the platform—and whether you announced online at all.

Utilise the settings in this article to regain some privacy when information technology comes to whether or not your contact list can see if yous're online.