How To Appear Offline On Steam

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Steam has multiple settings for how you appear to other players, including a setting to appear offline even when you’re not. These settings can help you communicate to your Steam friends or Steam Family when you are online and ready to play a game, or if you’ve stepped away from the computer. Steam offers a few ways to change this status, both while in a game and just looking at the main page.

Whether you don’t want to be disturbed, or just don’t want your friends to know you’re still playing in 2025, there are plenty of reasons to appear offline on Steam. There are a few ways to access this setting, though it might not be readily apparent. Luckily, the actual process is pretty straightforward and will carry over from session to session, so once it’s done, you won’t have to constantly fiddle with it.

There are several situations when you might want to appear offline on Steam. For instance, if you want to just enjoy a solo gaming session, you can switch yourself to appear offline so you don’t have to worry about declining invites to play with friends. Perhaps you’re a creative using a productive app on Steam, in which case you might not want to be disturbed while working. Similarly, if you’re playing a competitive match in a game like , you probably don’t want chat notifications popping up.

While it hasn't been long since the Steam Deck's release, as more companies jump on the mobile gaming trend there are more options than ever before.

Appearing offline on Steam can also be helpful if you are friends with co-workers or even your boss, and you’ve taken a mental health day. While video games may be how you relax and recover, there is still a stigma attached to taking a sick day and then doing something like gaming. Whatever your reasons, there are plenty of times when it’s just easier to avoid being disturbed or observed while gaming. Luckily, Steam has a pretty easy solution for this.

There are a few ways to appear offline on Steam. When not in a game, you can click