How to Appear Offline in Steam

Steam is an excellent resource for most gamers. Constant notifications and chats can be distracting considering the Steam client keeps running in the background of your computer. Fortunately, the platform does a great job meeting users needs.

Keep reading to learn how to appear offline in Steam. We’ll also teach you other helpful tips as we move through our tutorials.

How to Appear Offline on PC

With so many people on Steam at any given moment, chances are some of your friends will see you’re online and hit you up to see if you want to play. If you don’t want to be bothered, you can change your status to Away, Invisible, Busy, or Offline.

To change your online status on Steam, do this:

1. Open Steam on your computer and login if required.
2. Click the “Friends” tab from the top menu.
   
3. Next, select the appropriate option from the drop-down menu.
   

You will now appear offline to everybody on Steam. If you still want to chat, however, you’ll need to tap on Invisible instead of Offline.

When you’re ready to communicate with your friends again, click on the Friends & Chat box again. Then, click the down arrow. Select the option that suits your needs.

When the Steam main window is not visible, you can make yourself appear offline using this shortcut as well:

1. In the chat window, click the downward-pointing arrow next to your profile image.
2. Select the “Invisible” option from the drop-down menu that appears to continue talking to friends. Select “Offline” to go offline.
   

How to Appear Offline on a Mac

Mac users can also appear offline, but the steps are a little different from those for PC users. If you’re a Mac user, do this:

1. Open Steam and sign in if you aren’t already.
2. Click on Friends in the Mac menu bar at the top.
   
3. Click on Offline in the menu.
   

If you want to continue chatting with friends, select Invisible instead of Offline.

To switch your offline status back to Online or one of the other options, do this:

1. Open the Friends & Chat window. Tap on the down arrow icon at the top.
   
2. Click the appropriate status in the menu.
   

How to Appear Offline on Mobile

You probably have the Steam app installed on your mobile device. But, the native Steam app doesn’t offer the option to appear Offline, nor does the status change on the mobile app if you set it on a PC or Mac. But, you can change your online status using the Steam Chat app. Here’s how:

Note: The Steam Chat app only lets users switch to Invisible or Online.

1. Install the Steam Chat app from the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store.
   
2. Sign into your Steam account. Then, tap on the menu icon in the upper left corner.
   
3. Tap on Invisible or Online.
   

If you’re using the mobile version of Steam, you can’t change your online status. But, the Steam Chat app does let you go Invisible. It’s also a simpler interface making it easier to chat with friends.

Frequently Asked Questions

Steam is a great resource for gamers. If you have more questions about the Offline status, keep reading.

What does Invisible mean?

Invisible is similar to the Offline status, but with one key difference; you can still chat with your friends. If you don’t want anyone bothering, swap over to Offline. But, if you only want to communicate with some of your Steam friends, select Invisible.

Will I receive notifications if I’m offline?

No. When you select the Offline option you won’t receive any notifications.

Staying Below Radar

Thanks to the “Invisible” and “Offline” features of Steam’s chat, you can now get your work done without distractions. Of course, this will also help you focus while playing your favorite games.

Have you managed to make yourself appear offline on Steam? In which situations do you do that? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.