How to appear offline on an Xbox One, and adjust who can see your online status

Chrissy Montelli

Sep 30, 2020, 22:38 IST

How to appear offline on an Xbox One, and adjust who can see your online status

It's possible to appear offline on your Xbox One if you don't want anyone to know your online status.Photo by Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance via Getty Images

You can appear offline on an Xbox One, even if you're currently online, by making a small adjustment to your Xbox Live privacy settings.
You can also customize your Xbox One's privacy settings so only certain friends can see you online, while you'll appear offline to everyone else.

Social interaction has always been a part of gaming, and it's arguably the biggest appeal of online gaming.

But sometimes, whether you're invested in a single-player game or just aren't in the mood for multiplayer, you might not want others to know that you're online.

Fortunately, the Xbox One's privacy settings allow you to control who can see when you're online. Here's what you need to know to do it.

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How to appear offline on an Xbox One

If you want to make your profile appear offline to everyone, the process is quick and easy.

1. From your Xbox One's Home screen, press the Xbox button on your controller. This will open a menu.

2. Navigate to the far left of the menu to the "Sign in" tab. Select your profile and press the A button.

3. At the bottom of the next menu, there is a dropdown menu under "Appear online." Navigate to the dropdown menu and press A.

4. On the dropdown menu, select "Appear offline" and press A. Your profile should now appear offline to both friends and strangers.

How to appear offline on an Xbox One for everyone except your friends

If you'd like to hide your online status from people you don't know, but still let your friends know when you're online, you'll need to adjust your security and privacy settings.

1. From your Xbox One's Home screen, press the Xbox button on your controller, and navigate to the "System" tab on the far right of the menu. Select "Settings" and press the A button.

2. On the next menu, in the "Account" tab, there is a button labeled "Privacy & online safety." Navigate to this button and press A.

3. Select "Xbox Live privacy" and press A.

4. On the next menu, navigate to "View details & customize" and press A.

5. Select "Online status & history" and press A.

6. The next menu has a series of categories and corresponding dropdown menus, with options for "Everybody," "Friends," and "Block." To make your profile's online status visible to your friends, but not others, select "Friends" in the first drop-down menu and press A.