What Is Instagram Active Status?
Instagram's active status shows a green dot or "Active X minutes ago" next to your profile photo in DMs. When active status is on, people you've messaged can see when you're currently online or when you were last active.
Turning it off hides this information from others — useful when you want to use Instagram privately.
How to Turn Off Active Status on Instagram (Mobile)
On iOS and Android:
- Open Instagram and go to your Profile
- Tap the ☰ (menu icon) in the top right
- Tap Settings and privacy
- Tap Messages and story replies
- Tap Show activity status
- Toggle it OFF
Your active status is now hidden from everyone you message.
How to Turn Off Active Status on Instagram (Desktop)
- Go to instagram.com and log in
- Click your profile photo in the top right → Settings
- Click Privacy and security (or search "activity status")
- Under Activity Status, uncheck Show activity status
What Happens When You Turn Off Active Status?
- People you've messaged will no longer see a green dot or "Active X ago" next to your name
- You also won't be able to see other people's active status — it's a mutual setting
- Your messages still send and receive normally — nothing else changes
- You can still see when messages are delivered and read (unless you also turn off read receipts)
How to Turn Off Read Receipts on Instagram (Separate Setting)
Active status and read receipts are different:
- Active status = whether others see you're online
- Read receipts = whether others see you've read their message ("Seen" indicator)
Instagram does not allow you to turn off read receipts for regular DMs — once you open a message, the sender sees "Seen." You can avoid this by not opening the message, or by reading it in your notification shade without opening the app.
Summary
To turn off active status on Instagram:
Mobile: Profile → ☰ → Settings and privacy → Messages and story replies → Show activity status → OFF
Desktop: Settings → Privacy and security → Activity Status → uncheck
Takes 30 seconds and hides your online status immediately. The trade-off: you won't be able to see other people's active status either.
