We all have that need of going incognito and just browsing without being disturbed by friends or random messages. Here are tips on how to appear offline on Facebook that might just help you get that anonymity you really want.Â
These tips are conditional though, in order for you to go dark (as they say in spy movies), you will also have to forfeit the feature that allows you to see other active users. This wonât matter much to you if what youâre trying to do is avoid conversations, to begin with.Â
This article also helps explain some privacy and security tips about your Facebook usage.Â
We will be explaining how to appear offline on Facebook using a PC, the Facebook app, and using the Facebook Messenger App. This covers all the versions users will likely use to access Facebook and surf anonymously.Â
How To Appear Offline On Facebook Using A PC (or Web Version)
Accessing Facebook through your PC is pretty much straight forward. All you have to do is launch your preferred browser and navigate to facebook.com.Â
Usually, if youâve logged in before and you did not log out, you should immediately be shown your home Facebook page. If you logged out after your last session, you will have to log back in.Â
Assuming youâre logged in properly, navigate to the chat icon usually located at the bottom right corner of your screen and click on it. When the chat icon opens up, check the chat bar just beneath your conversations and click on an icon that looks like the normal Settings icon.Â
Find and click on Turn Off Your Active Status There will be three options available to you.Â
1. Turn off Active Status For All ContactsÂ
This feature is perfect for users who just want to appear offline to everybody, contacts, or not.Â
2. Turn Off Active Status For All Contacts ExceptÂ
This feature helps users who want to still appear online to another user maybe because of business or other reasons. This makes it possible to block other peopleâs interruptions and just focus on browsing anonymously while still visible to that special person.Â
3. Turn Off Active Status For Only Some Contacts
This is a targeted feature. If a bunch of users disturbs you regularly and youâre trying to avoid them, you can use this feature to target them and make you offline only to these contacts. Quite important for people who donât want to totally go offline but still need anonymity from some certain contacts.Â
Choose whichever option and confirm your choice. According to the feature you used, youâll be offline to all, most or a few of your contacts. However, your Last Seen (which is when you activated the feature) will still be seen by all contacts.Â
How To Appear Offline On Facebook If Youâre Using The Facebook AppÂ
This is as straightforward as doing it on your browser, if not easier. Of course, weâre assuming you already have the Facebook app installed.Â
Launch the Facebook app and log in if youâre not already logged in. At the right-hand corner of the top of your screen, you will notice an icon with three horizontal lines.Â
Click on this icon and search for Settings & Privacy. Click on it and then click on Settings in the menu that appears.Â
Find the Active Status feature in the Privacy part of the Settings menu you just opened.
Click on Active Status and turn off the feature, or the âshow when youâre activeâ switch, if you want to be completely anonymous while surfing Facebook.Â
However, your Last Seen (which is when you activated the feature) will still be seen by all contacts.Â
How To Appear Offline On Facebook Using The Messenger App
The Facebook messenger app is a totally dedicated app for messages. It is optimal for fast texts, sharing audios, and voice calls. It is also quite possible to turn off your Active Status and completely go offline on Facebook using the Facebook Messenger app.Â
Hereâs how to do that easily:
Open the messenger app and log in if youâve not already logged in.Â
Navigate to your Home Profile and tap on your Profile Picture which is at the top left-hand corner of your screen.Â
In the menu that shows, you will see an Active Status feature. Disable it to turn it off.Â
Now youâre basically a ghost on the messenger app and you can avoid talking to some contacts while still messaging others.Â
You should also know though that just like in other methods, you wonât be able to see who else is online either and your Last Seen can still be seen by other contacts.Â
Note: These processes made in different platforms do not affect each other. So, you might have chosen a different feature on your PC. Unless you change your Facebook app settings also to mirror the changes made on your PC, you will have different privacy settings on the different platforms.Â
This also works as well for changes made on the Facebook messenger app in relation to changes made on other platforms.Â
Also, note that you can always block contacts though instead of having to avoid them by ghosting everybody but the anonymity feature works just as well too as long as it is what you want.Â
Tips On How To Maintain Privacy On Facebook
Users who want anonymity usually just want a little bit of privacy and the tips outlined below will help make that possible. In this day and age where information is key, it might be important to limit just how much information about ourselves can be accessed by others.Â
Here are some tips about logins, profiles, and other information that you will find useful in trying to keep your Facebook account private.Â
Logging Out Of All Devices Youâve Ever Used To Log InÂ
We change mobile devices regularly or sometimes lose the devices, this tip can help you maintain the safety of your account by ensuring that you keep an eye out for logins from unauthorized sources.Â
1. For Mobile DevicesÂ
Launch the Facebook app and navigate to the three horizontal lines that indicate the app Settings. Search for Account Settings and click on it.Â
When the menu opens, look for the Security and Login option.Â
Open the Security and Login option and click on the Where Youâre Logged In feature.Â
This will enable you to see a list of the devices youâve logged in from starting with the two most used devices.Â
To see a complete list, you will usually have to press See More for the complete list to appear.Â
You can either log out of all of the devices used in one fell swoop or you can choose to log out on specific devices.Â
2. Using A PCÂ
Navigate to Settings in your Facebook home and look for the Security and Login option.Â
Open the Security and Login option and click on the Where Youâre Logged In feature.Â
This will enable you to see a list of the devices youâve logged in from starting with the two most used devices.Â
To see a complete list, you will usually have to press See More for the complete list to appear.Â
You can also choose either to log out of all of the devices used in one fell swoop or you can choose to log out on specific devices.Â
Managing People Who Can View Your Facebook Posts On Your Timeline
Social media is for interaction but we can still choose who we interact with especially in a time where the threat of fraud or identity theft is high. You can manage your settings so that only a select group of people will be able to view the posts on your timeline.Â
Navigate to and click on Privacy Settings in the Settings general menu. (Settings are usually located at the top right corner of your screen).Â
When Privacy Settings opens up, search for Custom Tab.Â
Youâll be given the option of adding friends to a list of people who you want your posts hidden from.Â
This is also a great way to be anonymously posting on Facebook, you would be anonymous to the people on that list.Â
Enable The Login Approvals Feature
This is a very important feature for users who would like to keep their accounts secure.Â
What login approvals do is that whenever you want to login to your account, Facebook sends a random security code to your mobile phone and it is only by inputting that security code into the space provided in the process of logging in that your attempt to log in will be successful.Â
This feature can be found in Facebook Settings > Account Settings > Security > Login Approvals.Â
A test run will be carried out immediately for you to understand how it works. This should ensure that unauthorized access to your account is blocked.Â
At the time of our research on How To Appear Offline On Facebook, we found a video about â10 Things You Should Never Share on Facebookâ which is worth watching. đ
ConclusionÂ
Sometimes we might just want to be online without being overwhelmed with messages and requests which when ignored can make us look rude. Appearing offline on Facebook can really help us surf in anonymity, discarding the attention but enjoying the browsing experience.Â
Have you ever used the anonymity feature? Tell us all about it in the comment section. We hope you had a great read.