Yes, there are a few different ways to use Facebook but still appear offline or invisible to other users. The main options are to turn on Facebook’s “Inactive Account Manager” feature, use Facebook’s “App Settings” to control which apps can indicate you’re active, or use a third-party app or browser extension to hide your online status.
Using Facebook’s “Inactive Account Manager”
Facebook’s built-in “Inactive Account Manager” allows you to preset a length of inactivity that will trigger certain actions on your account. For example, you can set it to notify specific friends if you haven’t logged in for a certain number of days. Or you can have it deactivate your Facebook account if you haven’t used it after a set period of time.
To access the Inactive Account Manager on desktop:
- Click on the down arrow in the top right and choose “Settings”
- On the left sidebar, click “Your Facebook Information”
- Click “Deactivation and Deletion”
- Click “Manage Account” under “Manage Your Account While Inactive”
On mobile:
- Tap the three horizontal lines menu icon
- Scroll down and tap “Settings & Privacy”
- Tap “Settings”
- Tap “Your Facebook Information”
- Tap “Deactivation and Deletion”
- Tap “Manage Account” under “Manage Your Account While Inactive”
From here you can choose a length of inactivity (from 6 months up to 5 years) that will trigger certain actions like notifying chosen friends or deactivating your account. This can essentially make you appear “offline” indefinitely, or until you log back in.
Pros
- Lets you take a true break from Facebook without fully deleting account
- Can notify close friends if you go inactive, so they don’t think you’re ignoring them
- Automatically deactivates account after chosen period of inactivity
Cons
- Length of inactive period required is quite long (minimum 6 months)
- Still shows past activity, friends, photos, etc. – not fully invisible
- You have to remember to log back in after inactive period ends
Using Facebook “App Settings”
You can control which third-party apps and games are allowed to indicate your online/active status on Facebook. This prevents some apps from showing when you’re actively using them to other friends on Facebook.
To manage these settings on desktop:
- Click the down arrow in the top right and choose “Settings”
- On the left sidebar, click “Apps and Websites”
- Under “App Settings”, click “Edit” next to “Apps, Games and Websites you use”
On mobile:
- Tap the three horizontal lines menu icon
- Scroll down and tap “Settings & Privacy”
- Tap “Settings”
- Tap “Apps and Websites”
- Under “App Settings”, tap “Edit” next to “Apps, Games and Websites you use”
This will show you all the third-party apps you’ve connected to Facebook. For each app, you can turn “Active Status” on or off. Switching this to “Off” for an app will prevent it from being able to show your Facebook friends when you’re actively using that app.
Pros
- Can selectively prevent specific apps from showing your active/online status
- Relatively simple to toggle on/off for each app
Cons
- Only works for third-party apps, not for Facebook itself
- You have to remember to update settings for every new app you add
- Past activity can still show up in feeds, even if app can’t indicate you’re currently online
Using a Third-Party App or Browser Extension
There are various third-party apps and browser extensions that can help hide your active/online status on Facebook:
- Social Fixer – Browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that lets you appear offline
- Hide My Status – App for iOS and Android devices to hide your active status
- Who Unfollowed Me – App for iOS and Android that can hide your active status
These tools work by using various methods like regularly clearing your active status, removing the “active” indicator next to your name, or spoofing your online status to always show you as offline.
Pros
- Works for Facebook app itself, not just third-party apps
- Lets you appear offline whenever you want with a simple toggle
- Option to only hide from specific friends/groups
Cons
- Need to install additional software or extension
- Features may change as Facebook updates its platform
- Usually a paid subscription for full functionality
Other Options
A few other options to appear offline or anonymous include:
- Using Facebook’s View As feature to see what your profile looks like to the public or specific friends
- Restricting profile visibility settings so only certain friends can see your active status at all
- Using Facebook’s Audience Selector when posting to exclude certain friends/groups
- Turning off push notifications from the Facebook app on your mobile device
But none of these fully prevent your active status showing up to determined friends or completely hide your online presence. The options in the sections above are your best choices to appear offline while still using Facebook.
Conclusion
Appearing offline on Facebook while still using it comes down to:
- Leveraging Facebook’s own inactive account feature – lets you hide indefinitely but requires 6+ months inactive.
- Controlling active status access for third-party apps – selective hiding of activity.
- Using a specialized app or browser extension – most effective constant hiding for Facebook itself.
Each approach has pros and cons, but used together they can allow you to selectively control what activity is visible and which friends can see your active status. With the right settings and tools, you can find a balance between staying active on Facebook while appearing offline or anonymous as needed.