Steam is primarily a gaming platform, but it has many social components. It’s a platform where you can add friends, communicate with other gamers, and play games together. The Steam client even allows you to interact with friends while playing online games.

While interacting with friends while playing games can be impressive, this also means tons of notifications and pop-ups appearing on the screen when you are online. You might want to appear offline while playing games on Steam at times.

2 Ways to Appear Offline on Steam

Fortunately, Steam provides various status options you can set directly. Here’s what each Status option means on Steam:

Online: This is the default option. In this one, your friends will be able to see that you are online and playing a game.

Away (Orange): This option will let your Steam friends know you are away from your keyboard. Your friends can still send you messages.

Invisible: This option allows you to access the chats while appearing offline to your Steam friends.

Offline: This makes your profile status offline. If you set your Steam Status offline, you won’t get any new messages or notifications.

How to Appear Offline on Steam

If you don’t want to receive messages or notifications while playing games on Steam, use the Offline Status. Here’s how you can appear offline on Steam on PC.

1. First of all, open the Steam client on your PC. Next, click on the Friends tab on the top bar.

click on the Friends tab

2. From the list of options that appears in the drop-down list, select ‘Offline’

select 'Offline'

That’s it! This will set your Steam Status to offline. There’s another way to appear offline on Steam which we have discussed below.

Appear Offline on Steam via Friends & Chats

Well, this is another best way to appear offline on Steam. If you use the Friends & Chats window to communicate with your Steam friends, follow this method. Here’s how to appear offline on Steam via Friends & Chats.

1. First of all, open the Steam client on your desktop. Next, click on the Friends & Chat option at the bottom-right corner.

Friends & Chat

2. On the Friends & Chat panel, click on the drop-down arrow next to your Steam username.

drop-down arrow

3. From the drop-down list that appears, select Offline.

select Offline

4. Now, you will see the Signed out of Friends & Chat window. If you wish to appear online again, click the Sign-in button and start using the chat features.

click on the Sign-in button

That’s it! This is how you can appear offline on Steam via Friends & Chat.

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

Is there a way to appear offline on Steam?

Yes, the steps we have shared in both methods will make you offline on Steam. When your profile is set to offline, you won’t get any new messages or notifications.

How do I hide my Steam Gameplay Activity?

It’s pretty easy to hide Steam Gameplay activity. You just need to open the Friends Menu on your Steam and select ‘Offline’. In this way, your friends won’t see you online and won’t be able to see what game you’re playing.

Can you tell if someone appears offline on Steam?

No, if your friend has set their profile status to ‘Offline’ or ‘Invisible’, there isn’t much you can do to tell if your friend is playing a game.

What’s the difference between offline and invisible on Steam?

Offline and Invisible status has some difference. When you appear invisible, you can access the chats while appearing invisible to your friends. Selecting the Offline logs you out of the chat, and you won’t get any notifications or messages.

So, that’s all about appearing offline on Steam via Friends & Chat. Next, you must follow the same steps to change your Steam account status to Online, Away, or Invisible. If you have any doubts about this, let us know in the comments.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here