Whether it’s for reasons of privacy, or to stop receiving so many unwanted messages when you’re online, just follow this tutorial to find out how to appear offline on Instagram.
For any additional queries, or any additional information, please direct your attention to the FAQs at the bottom of this article.
Table of Contents
How to appear offline on Instagram via the mobile app (Android/iOS)
- Open the Instagram app on your mobile, and if prompted sign in
- Next, tap your Profile icon in the bottom-right of the screen
- Now, tap the three horizontal lines symbolising the menu in the top-right of the screen
- At the bottom of the menu, tap ‘Settings’
- Now, locate ‘Privacy’ and tap on it
- From here, scroll down to and tap on ‘Activity status’
- We recommend reading the message below the toggle option, and once happy with this, confirm that you wish to ‘appear offline’ by toggling the ‘Show activity status’ option off
How to appear offline on Instagram via the desktop app (Windows/Mac/Linux)
- Open up your preferred web browser and navigate to the Instagram website. If prompted, sign in
- Click your Profile icon in the top-right of the screen, and then from the drop-down menu click ‘Settings’
- From the left-hand sidebar locate and click on ‘Privacy and Security’
- Locate the Activity Status section, and read the information there
- Once happy, untick the ‘Show Activity Status’ box to appear offline
And there you have it! It really is as simple as that. Just follow our quick step-by-step tutorials either for desktop or mobile app, and you can look after your privacy (and your sanity) by appearing offline at all times.
For any additional information or queries, see our FAQs below.
Frequently asked questions
What is Instagram?
Owned by Facebook, Instagram is inarguably one of the world’s leading, coolest, and most accessible social networking apps – specializing in the sharing of images and videos in posts and ‘Stories’, but now branching out into ‘Reels’ (short, TikTok-like videos) and its own TV channel, called ‘IGTV’. It’s one of the best ways to access millions of interesting, beautiful, or personal images, and connect with your friends through ‘Likes’, ‘Follows’, and ‘Comments’.
Why would I want/need to appear offline on Instagram?
You might want to appear offline on Instagram for any number of reasons, but perhaps the most obvious is so that your friends and family, or followers in general, don’t try and message you, and then get frustrated that you’re not messaging back. Essentially, when you are online, your followers and generally just other Instagram users are able to actually see that you are online Whether you don’t want them to be able to for reasons of privacy, or because you want to be able to use the app without people trying to contact you, ‘appearing offline’ is a good means of solving the issue.
What happens when I appear offline on Instagram?
When you toggle your activity status off, it simply means that followers and friends on Instagram will no longer be able to see whether you are on Instagram or not. You’ll likely see little change in your day-to-day usage of the app. The biggest difference is simply that for your own peace of mind you’ll know that no one else can tell anything to do with your availability.
