Although Facebook was the first to coin the term "social media," there are times when you don't want - or don't have time - to interact with your friends.

You may quickly turn off your "active status" to appear offline if you want to connect to Facebook without your friends knowing you're online.

You may change your active status in three places: on Facebook in a web browser, in the Facebook mobile app, and in the Facebook Messenger mobile app.

How do I deactivate Facebook's active status in a web browser?

Log in to Facebook in a browser if you haven't already.
In the top-right corner, click the circular Messenger symbol.
Select the three-dot icon at the top of the Messenger drop-down menu.
In the drop-down option, select Turn off Active Status.
A pop-up will display, asking if you want to turn off Active Status for all contacts, all contacts except for, or only some contacts. When you choose one of the last two options, a box will open where you can type in the names of specific people.
Finally, click OK.

How do I deactivate Facebook's active status in the mobile app?

On your phone, open the Facebook app.
On Android, tap the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner. On the iPhone, tap the three horizontal lines in the bottom-right corner.
Select Settings & Privacy, followed by Settings.
In the Privacy section, tap Active Status.
Move the slider to the left to turn off the show when you're active, then confirm it by touching the Turn Off button on the pop-up button.

How to turn off the active status in the Facebook Messenger mobile app?

Go to your phone's app store and download the Facebook Messenger app.
From the main Chats page, tap your profile's avatar in the top-left corner of the screen.
Select Active Status from the menu.
Move the slider to the left to turn off the show when you're active, then confirm it by touching the Turn Off button on the pop-up button.