Ever felt annoyed by Instagram’s constant need to broadcast when you’re online? You’re just peacefully scrolling, yet Instagram’s telling everyone you’re active or were online minutes ago. Honestly, who wants that pressure? Definitely not me.
If you’ve ever wondered how to appear offline on Instagram, you’re in luck. After some digging, I found quick settings that keep your online activity completely hidden. You can finally enjoy your feed in peace without anyone watching over your digital shoulder.
Here’s exactly how you do it—straightforward and to the point.
How to Appear Offline on Instagram
Instagram’s online status isn’t hard to manage. Here’s exactly how to disable it on your phone:
Open Instagram, then tap your profile icon in the bottom-right corner.
Tap the three-line menu (☰), then choose Settings and privacy.
Select Messages and story replies under “How others can interact with you.”
Tap Show activity status.
Switch it off
Just like that, you’ve successfully learned how to appear offline on Instagram. Now, nobody sees when you’re active. Fair warning: once you do this, you won’t see anyone else’s online status either.
Want Even More Privacy? Turn Off Read Receipts
Turning off your active status is just the first step. Instagram still shows when you’ve read messages—which, let’s be real, can be worse. Luckily, you can turn this off too.
For All Chats:
Open Instagram settings.
Tap Messages and story replies.
Choose Turn off read receipts.
Toggle the option off.
For Specific Chats:
Open the DM with the person you want to ghost (hey, no judgment).
Tap their username at the top.
Switch off the Read receipts toggle.
Done! Now you’re genuinely invisible in your Instagram chats. The pressure to respond immediately is gone. And if you want to still be up to date with what’s going on in your feed, you can always find out whether you can watch an Instagram LIVE anonymously. But, if you’re also trying to take a break from social media altogether, you can aim to fully disconnect from Instagram by logging out of your Instagram account.
Use Instagram’s "Restrict" Feature
Still need more privacy? Try Instagram’s restrict mode. It’s great for dealing with one particular user who’s getting a bit annoying.
When you restrict someone:
They won’t see if you’re online.
Their DMs go straight to Message Requests.
They can’t tell if you’ve read their messages.
This way, you get all the privacy benefits without outright blocking them.
What Happens When You Turn Off Active Status?
Turning off your active status on Instagram doesn’t break anything — but it does change how you and others interact visibility-wise.
Yes, 100%. Disabling your activity status does not stop DMs from coming in. You’ll still receive messages, notifications, and replies as usual.
The only thing that changes? People won’t see that green dot or the “Active now” or “Active X minutes ago” status next to your name.
No — once you turn off your active status, your last online time disappears from everyone’s view. But keep in mind: you won’t be able to see theirs either. Instagram makes this a two-way street.
No, it doesn’t. Turning off activity status does not hide whether you’ve read a message. For that, you’ll need to disable read receipts separately that we mentioned above.
✅ Your online status is hidden from everyone.
✅ You stop seeing other users’ online statuses.
❌ You’ll still show “Seen” in chats unless you turn off read receipts.
Conclusion
Instagram should be a fun space—not a constant source of anxiety. Knowing how to appear offline on Instagram hands control back to you. No more feeling pressured to respond immediately, and no more unwanted monitoring of your activity. And if you’re just looking to take a full break, you definitely can Taking a break from social media is beneficial sometimes, so there’s no judgement. Scroll freely, reply when you want, and enjoy Instagram your way.
I kicked off my blogging journey back in my university days as a marketing student and totally fell in love with writing. Now, I’m freelancing for several websites, including RedSocial. If you ever want to chat, give feedback, or collaborate, don’t hesitate to reach out!
