Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 3: On a Smartphone or Tablet
• Part 2 of 3: On the computer
• Part 3 of 3: How to hide the list of online users
• Tips
• Warnings

In this article, we'll show you how to hide your online contacts in Facebook Messenger, and also how to hide your online contacts. Keep in mind that the mark showing when you were last online always appears the moment you disconnect, so this cannot be kept secret. To hide your Online status, you need to turn it off in both the Messenger app and Facebook. However, you will also not be able to see who from your contact list is online.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: On a Smartphone or Tablet

1. 1 Launch the Messenger app. Tap the lightning blue speech cloud icon. The Messenger home page will open if you are already signed in to your account.
   • If you haven't logged in yet, enter your phone number, tap Continue and enter your password.
2. 2 Tap your profile photo. It's in the upper left corner of Messenger.Your account menu will appear.
3. 3 Tap Online status. It's a menu item next to a white speech cloud on a green background.
4. 4 Tap the switch next to Show that you are online. A warning will appear that you will not see when your friends and contacts are online.
5. 5 Tap Switch off to confirm. It's the right button in the alert popup. Your Online status will no longer be displayed on Facebook Messenger.

Part 2 of 3: On the computer

1. 1 Go to the page https://www.facebook.com/ in the browser. Your news feed will open if you are already signed in to your account.
   • If you are not logged in yet, enter your email address (or phone number) and password.
2. 2 Click on the Messenger icon. It looks like a blue speech cloud with lightning bolt and sits on the top right side of your Facebook page. A menu will open.
3. 3 Click on Open Messenger. It's in the lower-left corner of the menu.
4. 4 Click on "Settings" . This gear-shaped icon is in the upper-left side of the Messenger window. A menu will open.
5. 5 Click on Settings. It's near the top of the menu.
6. 6 Click on the green slider . It's at the top of the page next to your name. The slider turns white , that is, your profile will not be on the "Online" tab on your friends' devices.
   • The mark showing when you were last online will show the moment when you clicked on the slider.

Part 3 of 3: How to hide the list of online users

1. 1 Go to the page https://www.facebook.com/ in the browser. Your news feed will open if you are already signed in to your account.
   • If you are not logged in yet, enter your email address (or phone number) and password.
   • This method can only be used on the Facebook site. You cannot hide the Online list in the Messenger mobile app.
2. 2 Make sure the side panel is open. If there is no list of online contacts on the right, the Online list is already hidden.
3. 3 Click on "Settings" . This gear-shaped icon is located at the bottom of the chat sidebar. A menu will appear.
4. 4 Click on Hide sidebar. It's in the middle of the sidebar. The Facebook chat bar will disappear from the screen and all green dots and associated names will be hidden.
   • Click on the Chat bar in the lower-right corner of the Facebook window to reopen the sidebar.

Tips

• The Online list sometimes reappears when a new contact joins the network.

Warnings

• You cannot hide the "Online" section on your computer unless you turn off chat.
• You cannot get rid of the "Online [time]" mark that appears when you go offline.