Do you want to hide your active status from your parents, ex, or an annoying friend on Facebook Messenger? You can always turn off the active status of your Messenger account. But then, you can’t check others’ active status in the app or web. Thankfully, Messenger offers an option to hide active status from someone. Let’s check it in action.
Hide Active Status From One Person on Facebook Messenger
Although Facebook offers native Messenger apps on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac, the ability to hide active status from one person is available on the web app only. Step 1: Visit Messenger on your preferred browser on the desktop. Sign in with your Facebook account details. Visit Messenger Step 2: Select your profile picture at the bottom-left corner. Step 3: Open Preferences.
Step 4: Select Active Status.
Step 5: Click the radio button beside ‘Active Status: ON for some’. It should enable an option to turn off the active status for specific Facebook friends.
Step 6: Select the Edit button beside ‘Active Status: OFF for some’.
Step 7: Click the checkmark beside friends from whom you want to hide active status on Messenger. Step 8: Hit Save and confirm the same to update your preferences.
The selected contacts can’t see your active status on Facebook Messenger. Similarly, you can’t check their active status on Messenger either. You also have the option to enable Messenger active status for specific contacts only. Here’s how.
Enable Active Status for Selected Friends on Facebook Messenger
Sometimes, you may want to enable active status for selected friends only. For example, out of your 500 Facebook friends, you can turn off the active status for 480 ones. But it’s time-consuming to do so. Instead, you can keep the active status enabled for 20 contacts only. Go through the steps below to make changes to your Messenger account. Step 1: Open the Messenger in a web browser, sign in with your Facebook account details and select your profile picture at the bottom-left corner to open a pop-up to select Preferences. Visit Messenger Step 2: Select Active Status.
Step 3: Select the Edit button beside ‘Active Status: ON for some.’
Step 4: Messenger shows your top friends based on your frequent interactions. Step 5: Use the search bar to select relevant contacts and hit Save.
Only the friends you’ve selected can see your online status on Facebook Messenger.
Hide Active Status from Someone on Facebook
If you are browsing the Facebook web, the company shows your active status to all your friends. If you wish to tweak privacy settings from Facebook web, you can easily do so from the Facebook web app. Here’s how. Step 1: Open Facebook on your preferred web browser on the desktop and sign in with your account details. Visit Facebook Step 2: You can check your active contacts from the right sidebar. Step 3: Click the three horizontal dots menu at the top. It shall open Chat Settings.
Step 4: Select Active Status. Step 5: It shall open the same menu as we discussed above. Make the necessary changes, and you are good to go.
Reset Active Status Settings on Facebook Messenger
Check the steps below if you want to reset active status settings on Facebook Messenger. Step 1: Open Messenger Preferences online (check the steps above). Step 2: Select Active Status.
Step 3: Click Reset and confirm your decision.
Hide Active Status from All Friends on Messenger
You can simply disable the active status from Messenger mobile app or web to hide it from all friends.
Messenger Mobile
Step 1: Open Facebook Messenger on your phone. Step 2: Tap the hamburger menu in the top left corner and open Settings. Step 3: Select Active Status and disable the ‘Show when you’re active’ toggle.
Messenger Web
Step 1: Visit Messenger on your preferred browser on the desktop. Sign in with your Facebook account details. Visit Messenger Step 2: Select your profile picture at the bottom-left corner. Step 3: Open Preferences.
Step 4: Select Active Status.
Step 5: Disable the Active Status toggle.
Manage Your Privacy Settings on Messenger
The ability to hide an active status from one person on Messenger is a neat add-on. It helps you keep prying eyes away from your Messenger account. Go through the steps above and turn off the active status for your cousins, ex-girlfriend/boyfriend, and other annoying relatives. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
