How to Turn Off Active Status on Instagram (2025 Guide)

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Key Takeaways:

Instagram’s Active Status explained: Active Status shows when you’re online or recently active, marked by a green dot or “Active now” tag in Direct Messages.
Who can see your Active Status: Only people you follow or have messaged can view it, not all your followers or random users.
Implications of turning off Active Status: Turning it off hides your online status from everyone, but also stops you from seeing others’ activity; it’s a universal setting.
How to disable Active Status: On mobile, open your profile menu, choose “Messages and story replies,” and toggle off “Show activity status.” On desktop, do this under Settings.

Instagram’s Active Status shows your friends and contacts when you’re online or were last active. While this feature helps make conversations feel more instant, it can also feel intrusive or lead to unwanted messages.

The good news is, you’re in full control. Instagram lets you choose whether or not people can see when you’re online. In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to turn off your Active Status on Instagram, what it means, who can see it, and what limitations to keep in mind, so you can browse Instagram privately and stress-free.

Table of Contents

What Does "Active Status" Mean on Instagram?
- Who Can See Your Active Status?
Before Turning Off Active Status: Things to Know
How to Turn Off Active Status on Instagram
- On iPhone and Android
- On Desktop (Web Browser)
How Quickly Does the Change Take Effect?
What Happens When You Turn Off Active Status on Instagram?
Can You Hide Your Active Status from Certain People?
What's Still Visible After Turning Off Active Status?
Keep Your Instagram Activity Truly Private

What Does “Active Status” Mean on Instagram?

The Active Status feature displays your online presence or the last time you were active in the app. You might notice it in places like:

A green dot on your profile photo in the Direct Messages (DM) section.
Labels like “Active now” or “Active X minutes ago” in your chats.
A green dot next to your name in your message list.

This makes it easy for friends to see when you’re around—but not everyone likes that level of visibility.

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Who Can See Your Active Status?

Your Active Status is visible only to people you follow or those you’ve messaged. It’s not public and isn’t shown to everyone.

For example, if you and your friend Sam follow each other and have exchanged DMs, you’ll both be able to see when the other is online. But if someone follows you and you haven’t followed them back or chatted with them, they won’t see your activity.

Before Turning Off Active Status: Things to Know

All-or-Nothing Privacy Setting: When you turn off your Active Status, it applies to everyone. You can’t hide it from just one person. Once disabled, you’ll also lose the ability to see when others are online.
Feature Availability: Instagram’s settings menus occasionally change with updates. If you can’t find a setting mentioned here, update your app first—it might just not have rolled out to your version yet.

How to Turn Off Active Status on Instagram

Want to browse in peace without anyone knowing you’re online? Here’s how to do it.

On iPhone and Android

Open the Instagram app.
Tap your profile picture in the bottom right corner.
Tap the three-line menu (☰) in the top right.
Go to Messages and story replies.
Tap Show activity status.
Toggle off Show your active status.

Note: The steps above are nearly identical on Android devices.

On Desktop (Web Browser)

Visit instagram.com and log in.
Click the three-line “More” menu at the bottom left.
Select Settings.
Go to Messages and story replies.
Click Show activity status.
Toggle off Show active status.

How Quickly Does the Change Take Effect?

It’s instant. As soon as you turn off your Active Status, Instagram immediately hides your visibility.

However, you might still appear online briefly due to:

Sync delays (Instagram may need a few minutes to update)
App cache issues (clearing your cache can help)

What Happens When You Turn Off Active Status on Instagram?

When your Active Status is disabled:

Others won’t see the green dot showing you’re online
Your last active time disappears
You also won’t see anyone else’s status

It’s a clean trade-off for a quieter, more private experience.

Can You Hide Your Active Status from Certain People?

Unfortunately, no. The Active Status toggle affects everyone.

If you want to hide your activity from a specific person, the only workaround is to restrict them. Restricted users can’t see your active status or when you’ve read their messages, and their comments on your posts require your approval. But restricting someone also limits other interactions, so use it carefully.

What’s Still Visible After Turning Off Active Status?

Turning off Active Status only hides when you’re online or last active. It doesn’t hide your:

Likes
Comments
Story views

These remain visible to your followers (or to everyone if your account is public). If you want deeper privacy, check your overall account privacy settings too.

Keep Your Instagram Activity Truly Private

Disabling your Active Status on Instagram is a simple but powerful privacy move. It lets you browse freely without pressure or constant visibility. While you’ll lose the ability to see others’ statuses, you’ll gain more peace of mind and control over your digital space.

If you have questions or run into issues, feel free to drop a comment below. I’m happy to help.

FAQs

Can you see others’ activity if yours is off?

No. Once you hide your Active Status, you also lose the ability to see others’.

Can you turn off Active Status temporarily?

Yes. You can toggle it back on anytime.

How quickly does it update?

It takes effect instantly once you turn it off.

Does this hide my likes or comments?

No. Likes, comments, and story interactions remain visible based on your privacy settings.

Can I turn off read receipts on Instagram?

Not yet. Instagram doesn’t allow users to disable read receipts in DMs. Once you open a message, the sender can see you’ve read it.