Ever wonder how you can browse through your Instagram feed without your friends and followers knowing you’re online?
If that idea’s appealing to you, learning the basics of how to appear offline on Instagram might be the answer you’re looking for.
So, if you’re eager to learn this not-so-secret trick, keep reading below.
How to Appear Offline on Instagram
- After launching Instagram, tap “Profile” at the bottom left of the “Home” screen.
- On the “Profile” page, tap the hamburger menu in the upper-right corner.
- Tap the “Settings” button in the menu appearing at the bottom of the screen.
- Press “Privacy” on the “Settings” page.
- Keep scrolling down and tap the “Activity Status” option.
- Tap the toggle for “Show Activity Status” until it turns gray.
Appearing Offline on Instagram Without A Trace — Key 6 Steps
Turning off your “online” status on Instagram isn’t as challenging a feat as it looks.
You only need to learn the right buttons to press for you to successfully see your liked posts on Instagram without anyone knowing you’re online.
Step 1: After you launch Instagram by tapping on the app icon on your phone’s home screen, press the “Profile” icon.
You’ll find this “Profile” button at the rightmost part of the bottom menu of the “Home” page.
Step 2: Now, you’ll be redirected to your “Profile” page.
On the upper right of the said page, press the hamburger (3-horizontal-line) menu.
Step 3: On the menu that appears at the page’s bottom, tap the “Settings” option.
Step 4: Under the “Settings” page, head to “Privacy” and tap it.
Step 5: Once you’re on the “Privacy” page, swipe up until the “Activity Status” option appears.
Once you find the said button, tap on it once for you to see the options available on the next page.
Step 6: Now, you’ll see 2 toggle options available on the “Activity Status” page: “Show Activity Status” and “Show When You’re Active Together.”
Since you’re aiming to appear offline on Instagram, tap the toggle of the “Show Activity Status” option.
You’ll know you’re successful in turning this option off when the toggle appears with a gray color from blue.
Curiously though, you’ll notice that the “Show When You’re Active Together” option also turns to gray after you switch the previous option off.
This means that you and the person you follow and chat with on Instagram’s messenger won’t know if they’re online or not.
And, with those 6 steps, you’ve successfully appeared offline on Instagram.
Don’t you worry though if you only want to appear offline for a few instances. You can always switch this feature back once you feel like it.
So, are you ready to try this cool Instagram feature?
Frequently Asked Questions about How to Appear Offline on Instagram
If I turn off the “Show Activity Status” toggle, will it permanently make me appear offline on Instagram?
Appearing offline on Instagram after tapping the “Show Activity Status” toggle is only a temporary feature. If you want to appear active or online on Instagram, just tap the same toggle to turn it on.
If I appear offline on Instagram, will the person I’m chatting with on Instagram know if I’m active or not on the platform?
Since turning off the “Show Activity Status” button switches the “Show When You’re Active Together” option off, the other party won’t know whether you’re active or not. But, doing so will not prevent you from messaging the said person on IG’s messenger.
Will I be able to see other people’s statuses when I turn off my “Active” status on Instagram?
Since you turned off your Instagram activity status, you won’t be able to see the activity status of the accounts you’re following as well as those who you’re conversing with. Hence, you won’t be able to check on the other accounts’ Active status.
How will you know if an Instagram user’s active or online?
You’ll know if a particular Instagram user’s online if you see a light green button appear beside his or her profile picture. You’ll also see a timestamp as to when the said user’s last active on the platform.

Hey guys! It’s me, Marcel, aka Maschi. On MaschiTuts, it’s all about tutorials! No matter the topic of the article, the goal always remains the same: Providing you guys with the most in-depth and helpful tutorials!