The profile page on the Xbox app on an iPhone, with the "Appear Offline" button visible on screen.

If you'd rather not let your friends see whether you're online on the Xbox Series X|S, then you should hide your online status. To help you with that, we'll show you how to appear offline on your Xbox.

Once you decide to appear offline on your Xbox, your friends won't be able to see the green dot next to your profile picture. In other words, they won't know whether you're online or not. You should know that appearing offline doesn't affect your ability to play games online using your Xbox Series X|S. You can continue to enjoy online gaming just as well as you would otherwise.

You can hide your online status directly through the Xbox Series X|S, or you can use the Xbox app on your smartphone. We'll show you how to get the job done using both of these methods.

RELATED: Xbox Series X vs. Xbox Series S: Which Should You Buy?

How to Use Your Console to Appear Offline on Xbox Series X|S

To appear offline on your Xbox Series X|S, you'll have to switch on the console and make sure that you're on the home page. This is the screen that lists the games and apps that are available on your Xbox.

Once you're on the home screen on your Xbox, press the up arrow on your Xbox controller's D-Pad to select your profile picture at the top of the page. If you haven't set a profile picture yet, you'll see a generic profile icon here. A circle appears around the picture when it's selected.

Once you're on the home screen on your Xbox, press the up arrow on your Xbox controller's D-Pad to select your profile picture at the top of the page. Press A on the controller to open the profile page on your Xbox.

With the profile picture selected, press the "A" button on your controller to open your profile on the Xbox Series X|S.

On your Xbox Series X|S profile page, scroll down and select "Appear Online." This will open a drop-down menu with more options.

On the profile page on your Xbox Series X|S, scroll down and select

In the online status dropdown on the Xbox Series X|S, select "Appear Offline." This will hide your online status on the Xbox Series X|S.

In the online status drop-down on the Xbox Series X|S, select "Appear offline."

After that, exit your profile page. If you ever need to appear online again, just revisit your profile settings and choose "Appear Online."

How to Use the Xbox App to Appear Offline on Xbox Series X|S

You can also make yourself appear offline using the Xbox app on Android and iPhone. If you don't have it already, it's free to download from the Google Play Store or from the ‎Xbox on the App Store.

Once you've downloaded the Xbox app on your phone, launch it and sign in. Then, tap your profile picture in the bottom bar to open your profile page. This button is in the bottom-right corner of the app's home page.

Tap the "Appear Offline" button on the Xbox app's profile page, which is located below your name and the profile picture. This will remove the green dot next to your picture and change your status to "offline" on the Xbox Series X|S.

Tap "Appear Offline."

After that, exit the Xbox app. If you want to appear online again later, open the app again and tap "Appear Online" below your name. Happy gaming!

RELATED: How to Install Xbox Series X or S Games From Your Phone


The above article may contain affiliate links, which help support How-To Geek.