Seeing that someone is active on LinkedIn can be useful for knowing when is a good time to message them. However, having your active status visible may not always be desirable. There are a few reasons why someone may want to turn off the active status indicator on LinkedIn.
Why Turn Off LinkedIn Active Status?
Here are some common reasons for wanting to turn off the active status on LinkedIn:
- Avoid looking like you are always online – If you tend to have LinkedIn open for long periods, it can look like you are online and available even when you are actually busy with other tasks.
- Reduce real-time messages – With active status off, you may get fewer incoming messages asking for an immediate response.
- Focus on work – During busy work hours you may want to limit notifications and visibility to focus.
- Personal preference for privacy – Some users simply prefer to control how and when they appear active online.
Essentially, turning your active status off gives you more control over your availability and visibility on LinkedIn. It can minimize disruptions and let you focus when needed. If you are concerned about appearing responsive at all times or simply want more privacy, disabling active status can help.
How to Turn Off Active Status on LinkedIn
LinkedIn currently makes it impossible to fully disable your active status. However, there are a couple of options to reduce the visibility of your active status and last seen time:
Option 1: Appear Offline
The easiest way to turn off active status is to use LinkedIn’s “Appear offline” setting. Here is how to do it:
- Click on your profile picture in the top right corner
- Select “Settings & Privacy”
- Go to the “Preferences” tab
- Under “Profile visibility”, toggle “Appear offline” to the on position
This will immediately make you appear offline in other people’s views. No active status or last seen time will display. You can toggle it off at any time to appear online again.
Option 2: Restrict Profile Viewing
Another option is to limit who can view your full LinkedIn profile. By default, anyone can see when you are active or last online. But you can change this visibility:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Preferences
- Under “Profile viewing options”, change “Your current activity and status” to be viewable only by your connections.
This means only people in your LinkedIn network will see details about when you are active or last online. Others will not get those status indicators.
Limitations of Turning Off Active Status
While the steps above can reduce visibility of your active status, there are some important limitations to note:
- Not fully hidden – Your connections will still be able to see when you are active/last online unless you appear offline.
- “Appear offline” must be manually toggled on each time – It will not persist across site visits or app restarts.
- Does not affect messages – Disabling active status does not prevent real-time chat or inbox messages.
- No effect on mobile – The LinkedIn mobile app does not have an “appear offline” setting yet. Your status there remains visible.
- No impact on ads – Advertisers can still collect activity data for ads regardless of your settings.
In summary, LinkedIn’s options are more limited compared to other platforms. You can reduce visibility of active status indicators but not remove them entirely in all contexts. There are trade-offs to evaluate when deciding whether to turn off active status.
Alternatives to Consider
In addition to the options above, here are a couple alternative approaches if you want more control over your availability:
Manage Notifications
LinkedIn allows you to disable certain real-time notifications, such as for new messages. Turning these off can limit disruptions without fully hiding your active status.
Set Working Hours
Displaying your typical working hours on your profile lets connections know when you are likely available for chatting or meetings. This provides a level of context without turning active status off entirely.
Use Do Not Disturb
LinkedIn’s mobile app has a Do Not Disturb option that mutes notifications for a period of time while still showing active status.
Professional Considerations
There are also some professional etiquette considerations around managing your active status on LinkedIn:
- Transparency vs. productivity – Be thoughtful about when reducing availability may be necessary for focus vs. when transparency is more professional.
- Relationships matter – Close colleagues may expect you to be available more readily than distant connections.
- Consider team expectations – If team chat is essential, appearing offline could be problematic.
- Communicate with key contacts – Directly setting expectations with important contacts is better than just disappearing offline.
Finding the right balance depends on your priorities. Focus time may necessitate reducing availability occasionally. But persistent “offline” status may not reflect well professionally in many contexts.
Summary
LinkedIn currently limits the ability to fully hide active status and last seen times. The options available include:
- Toggling “appear offline” mode on/off
- Limiting profile viewing to connections only
- Managing notifications
- Setting working hours
- Using Do Not Disturb in the mobile app
These options provide some control over your availability and visibility. However, none can completely prevent activity status from being seen. Evaluate whether the benefits are worth the limitations based on your priorities and professional environment.