If you want to browse LinkedIn privately without showing when you’re online, turning off your active status is the way to go. This feature prevents others from seeing the green circle or last active timestamp on your profile. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to Settings: Open the LinkedIn app, tap your profile picture, and select Settings.
- Find Active Status: Navigate to Visibility > Manage Active Status.
- Choose "No One": Select this option to hide your online status from everyone.
Turning off your active status ensures privacy, reduces pressure for instant replies, and lets you manage your time better. However, note that you won’t see others’ active status either. Regularly review your LinkedIn settings to stay in control of your visibility and networking preferences.
How to Turn Off Your Active Status on LinkedIn 2025 | How to Hide Active Status on LinkedIn
Benefits of Turning Off Active Status
Choosing to disable your active status on LinkedIn gives you more control over how and when you engage with others on the platform. It’s a simple adjustment that can enhance your privacy, streamline your workflow, and help establish professional boundaries.
Privacy and Online Visibility Control
When you turn off your active status, no one can see when you’re online. This means you can browse profiles, research potential leads, or catch up on updates without signaling your activity to others [5-7].
This added layer of privacy allows you to check messages, explore opportunities, or review candidates without leaving a visible trail. It’s particularly useful for avoiding unnecessary assumptions about your availability, whether from colleagues, competitors, or clients [5-7].
Improved Workflow and Flexible Response Timing
Turning off active status removes the pressure to respond immediately. You can check LinkedIn at your convenience, free from the expectation of instant replies [1][2].
For professionals like recruiters and salespeople, this flexibility is invaluable. It allows you to review messages, research prospects, and plan outreach strategies during your downtime, ensuring your responses are thoughtful and well-crafted rather than rushed [1][2].
Establishing Professional Boundaries
Disabling active status also helps separate your online presence from your actual availability. This is particularly important for those who rely heavily on LinkedIn for networking or business development. By managing when and how you appear active, you can maintain a healthier balance between work and personal time [1][2].
How to Turn Off Active Status on LinkedIn Mobile
Turning off your active status on LinkedIn Mobile is straightforward. Here’s how you can adjust your privacy settings to maintain a bit more discretion while using the platform.
Accessing LinkedIn Settings
First, open the LinkedIn app on your mobile device. Tap on your profile photo, which is located either at the top of your homepage or in the navigation bar. This will open a menu where you can select Settings.
Within the Settings menu, you’ll find options for privacy, notifications, and visibility. To disable your active status, you’ll need to make adjustments in the visibility settings. This step is a simple yet effective way to maintain professional boundaries and enhance your privacy.
Locating Active Status Settings
In the Visibility section of the settings, you’ll find the controls for how your activity appears to others. Look for the Visibility of your LinkedIn activity subsection and tap Manage active status.
LinkedIn offers three options for controlling who can see your active status:
- Your Connections only
- All LinkedIn members
- No one
To completely hide your active status, select No one. Keep in mind that when you turn off your active status, you also lose the ability to see when others are active[3].
Confirming and Saving Changes
Once you select No one, your settings are saved automatically. To double-check, revisit the Manage active status section and ensure that No one is still selected.
This update will apply to all devices where you’re logged into LinkedIn, ensuring your privacy preferences stay consistent no matter where you access the platform.
sbb-itb-8725941
Tips for Managing LinkedIn Privacy Settings
Managing your LinkedIn privacy settings isn’t just about turning off your active status. It’s about taking a thoughtful approach to control your online presence while enhancing your professional networking experience.
Checking Privacy Settings Regularly
Your privacy settings should evolve as your professional goals shift. Regularly reviewing and updating them ensures you’re staying aligned with your current objectives and not unintentionally oversharing. A good rule of thumb? Check your settings monthly.
Why? LinkedIn frequently rolls out new features, often defaulting to more visible settings. By reviewing your privacy options, you can stay ahead of any changes and make sure your profile reflects your current networking priorities – whether that’s job hunting, building your personal brand, or connecting with clients. Each goal requires a different level of visibility, making these periodic audits essential.
Matching Visibility with Campaign Timing
Timing is everything, even when it comes to your LinkedIn visibility. Aligning your active status with your outreach activities can make your networking efforts more effective.
When running high-volume outreach campaigns, consider turning off your active status during peak hours – like 9–11 AM or 2–4 PM EST. This prevents you from appearing overly available and allows you to engage on your own terms.
On the other hand, if you’re in a relationship-building phase, selectively enabling your active status can be helpful. Being visible encourages spontaneous conversations and strengthens existing connections. The trick is to adjust your visibility based on what’s most important to you at the moment – outreach or nurturing relationships.
Controlling Other LinkedIn Visibility Options
LinkedIn offers several other privacy settings that can help you fine-tune your online presence:
- Read receipts: These let others know when you’ve read their messages. If you prefer more discretion, you can disable this feature in your messaging settings.
- Profile viewing settings: Decide how much information others see when you view their profiles. Options range from showing your full name and headline to browsing anonymously. Anonymous browsing is especially useful for discreet research or exploring opportunities.
- Activity broadcasts: This setting controls whether your network gets notified about profile updates, new connections, or your engagement with content. Turning off activity broadcasts is a smart move during job searches or when frequently updating your profile.
- Connection visibility: This determines who can see your full list of connections. Keeping this private safeguards your network and prevents competitors from easily accessing your professional contacts.
For a cohesive approach, think about how these settings work together. For instance, if you’ve turned off your active status, it might make sense to browse profiles anonymously and disable read receipts. This creates a consistent level of privacy across your interactions and helps you maintain control over your online presence.
Key Takeaways
Why Disabling Your Active Status Makes Sense
Turning off your active status on mobile isn’t just about going “invisible” – it’s about reclaiming control. You get more privacy and can decide how visible you are online, which is a big deal in today’s hyper-connected world [4][6].
Another perk? It takes the pressure off. Just because you’re logged in doesn’t mean you need to be “on” all the time. This feature helps manage expectations, so your connections won’t assume you’re instantly available to reply [4][6]. Instead of feeling like you need to respond immediately, you can take your time and craft thoughtful responses, especially in professional settings.
And let’s not forget productivity. When you appear offline, you can focus on what matters without interruptions. You’re setting boundaries – letting others know when you’re available and when you’re not, which can prevent unwelcome distractions [4][5]. The best part? Your messaging still works as usual, so you won’t miss out on important conversations [5].
What to Do Next
Now that you know the benefits, it’s time to tweak your settings. Take a moment to review your privacy preferences regularly to ensure they align with your current networking goals [4]. As your career evolves, so should your approach to online visibility.
Think about your networking style when deciding whether to hide your active status. While staying “invisible” gives you more privacy, some connections might see it as being unapproachable [5]. The key is finding the right balance that works for your professional goals right now.
FAQs
What happens if I turn off my active status on LinkedIn?
When you turn off your active status on LinkedIn, your online presence becomes invisible to others. This means no one will know when you’re currently active on the platform. It’s a handy way to maintain privacy, cut down on interruptions, and decide on your own terms when to engage with your connections.
Even with this feature disabled, you can still send and receive messages without any restrictions. It’s especially helpful for professionals who want to stay productive or manage their interactions more deliberately while continuing to use LinkedIn.
How can I manage my LinkedIn visibility to stay private but still connect with others?
You can take control of your LinkedIn presence by tweaking your active status settings. Through the Privacy & Settings menu, you can decide who sees your active status – whether it’s everyone, just your connections, or no one at all. This gives you the flexibility to balance privacy with approachability for networking.
You also have the option to fine-tune your profile visibility and limit activity updates. These settings let you manage what others can view, so you can stay active on LinkedIn, protect your privacy, and still seize professional opportunities.
What happens if I turn off my active status on LinkedIn? Will I still see when others are online?
When you turn off your active status on LinkedIn, you lose the ability to see when others are online as well. This can make it trickier to have real-time conversations or respond promptly – something that’s often crucial in professional environments where quick communication matters. On the flip side, disabling this feature gives you more privacy and allows you to manage your availability for networking or outreach on your own terms.