Facebook is quite open about its goals: the visitor dreams of a world in which anybody is connected at all times. Perhaps that'due south why it's so difficult to appear offline on Facebook. The very idea of "offline" or "invisible" is the antonym of everything the social network believes in.

Nevertheless, beingness "invisible" isn't for everyone. Thankfully, it's possible to maintain a veil of privacy while all the same letting your closest friends and family know that y'all're bachelor to talk.

Hither's how to decide which Facebook friends see you lot online and which don't...

How Do People See Who's Online on Facebook?

When it comes to showing your online condition on Facebook and Messenger, the company uses something called Active Status.

Active Condition appears equally a dark-green dot adjacent to your profile flick on Facebook and Messenger when you're online or have been recently agile.

The data Meta gives on Active Status is a bit unclear, differing according to the device you use Facebook on.

On its help article for Active Condition on computer, the visitor notes:

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

Merely for the same help commodity, switched to the Android app assist, the company notes:

When you plough Active Status off, you'll still appear active or recently active from any other places where you lot're using Facebook or Messenger, unless you turn off Active Status in those places, likewise.

Nosotros assume that Active Condition audience settings on reckoner utilise to all computer sessions. Notwithstanding, your online condition settings demand to exist changed individually for every device on the mobile app.

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

Nonetheless, on the mobile app, you lot can but turn Active Status on or off—with no option to select specific people or lists.

Hither'due south how to suit your Active Status settings so that only certain people can run across you online...

How to Change Who Can See Y'all Online on Facebook

To alter the specific people who can see you online on Facebook, you should adjust your Active Status settings on the browser version of the platform.

However, it's unclear whether these settings volition employ if you utilize the Facebook app to log into the social media site. So if you really don't want certain people to run into you online, we recommend switching off your Agile Status on the app (which nosotros volition show you later in this tutorial).

So how do you edit your active list?

To change your Active Status settings on Facebook, follow these steps...

  1. On the bar to the right, where your Contacts are shown, select the button with three horizontal dots for Options.
  2. In the dropdown menu, select Turn off Active Status.
  3. This will bring up a popup where y'all tin can select your options: Turn off Active Condition for all contacts, Plough off active status for all contacts except, or Plow off Agile Status for only some contacts.
  4. Select whichever setting y'all prefer, enter names or lists into the text box, and select OK to save the settings.

If y'all choose to Turn off active status for all contacts except, select the specific people or lists you want to run into you online.

If you choose to Turn off Active Condition for only some contacts, select the people or lists yous don't want to see y'all online. For example, you may want to add your restricted listing here, too as lists such as business contacts or people you have on your friends list just because you lot didn't want to offend them by rejecting their friend asking.

How to Switch Off Facebook Online Status Completely

And then what if you don't desire anyone to see you lot online on Facebook? Yous can appear offline or invisible on Facebook at all times if you want to.

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

When it comes to the mobile app, you only have the option to plough your Active Condition on or off—there are no edited or custom options bachelor.

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

  1. Select the Messenger icon to the top correct of your screen.
  2. Select your profile motion picture in the Chats menu.
  3. Tap on the Agile Condition tab.
  4. Toggle the options for Evidence when yous're agile and Show when you're agile together to off.
  5. When Facebook asks you lot to confirm, select Plough Off.

Switching off your Agile Status also prevents you from seeing when other people are online.

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

You can also switch off your online status on the Windows Store app.

How to Stop Someone Seeing Someone Seeing You Online on Facebook

If you're worried about Facebook non turning off Active Status for all your sessions and really don't desire someone specific to see y'all online, a surefire way to prevent this is to block them from messaging you.

This is dissimilar to a full Facebook block.

Every bit Facebook notes:

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

If you block letters from someone on Facebook, they also can't run across when you're online.

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

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

This volition prevent the person from seeing your online status. It will also prevent them from messaging you and calling you on Facebook.

Control Who Sees You Online on Facebook

Online privacy and Facebook are far from synonymous. But at that place are means you can gain more than control over who can see you online on the platform—and whether yous appear online at all.

Use the settings in this article to regain some privacy when it comes to whether or non your contact listing tin come across if yous're online.

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Virtually The Author

Megan Ellis (122 Manufactures Published)

Megan is a Junior Editor at MUO. In 2016, she decided to unite her qualification in New Media and lifetime of geekiness to pursue a career in tech and gaming journalism. You can usually find her writing most a variety of topics and drooling over new gadgets. She has a BA Honours in Linguistics and Practical Language Studies in addition to her Bachelor of Journalism.

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