Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

This wikiHow teaches you how to hide your online status on Facebook Messenger, as well as how to hide your online contacts. Note that the "Last Active" timestamp will reflect when you started offline and cannot be hidden. You must go offline on both the Messenger app and the Facebook website for your profile to be visible offline.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Hidden on phone

1. 

   to the right of your name at the top of the screen; The switch will turn white

   

   
   
   . Other Facebook users will now see that you are offline.
   • On Android, this switch will be blue or blue instead of green.
   • The "Last Active" timestamp that appears next to your name when you started offline reflects when you pressed the switch.
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Part 2 of 3: Hidden on the computer

1. 

   . The gear option is in the upper left of the Messenger window. Another drop-down menu will appear.

2. 

   
   
   at the top of the page next to your name. The switch will turn white

   

   also hides your profile from your friends' "Active Now" lists.
   • The "Last Active" timestamp that appears next to your name when you started offline reflects when you clicked the switch.
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Part 3 of 3: Hide the Active Now list

1. 

   
   
   . The gear-shaped option is at the bottom of the sidebar. A menu will pop up.

2. 

   Click Hide Sidebar (Hide sidebar). Options are in the middle of the menu. The Facebook chat bar will disappear from the left side of the screen with all the green "Active Now" dots and associated username.
   • If you want to reopen the sidebar, click the bar Chat in the bottom-right corner of the Facebook window.
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Advice

• The "Active Now" section will reappear from time to time if a contact has just started online.

Warning

• You cannot remove the word "Last Active" that shows up when you start offline.

• You cannot hide the "Active Now" item without disabling the Chat box on Messenger desktop version.