How to Appear Offline While Using Your Xbox One

You can play in peace for a long as you like

A woman's feet on the couch with the TV is being set to appear offline on Xbox One

Tom Merton / Hoxton / Getty Images

by Jeremy Laukkonen
Jeremy Laukkonen is a Seattle-based tech writer and the creator of a popular blog and video game startup. As a writer for trade publications and Lifewire, he has endeavored to break down complex technical subjects so readers of every tech level can understand them.
Updated November 21, 2018

There are a lot of benefits to playing online with your Xbox, especially if you have an Xbox Live subscription, but sometimes you just want to play in peace. If you want to temporarily dodge your friends so you can log some time on your favorite single-player RPG, you can set your Xbox to appear offline. It's as easy as changing a single setting in the privacy menu.

You also have the option to appear online to your friends only. With this option selected, you'll appear offline to anyone who isn't on your friends list. This is a good choice if you want to play online with your friends without dealing with spam friend requests or if you're having trouble with harassment.

How to Appear Offline on Xbox One

  1. Open the Xbox Guide by pressing the Guide button on your controller.

  2. With the Guide open, navigate to System (gear icon) > Settings.

  3. With the Settings menu open, navigate to Account > Privacy & online safety.

  4. Select Xbox Live privacy.

    Select App privacy instead of Xbox Live privacy if you want to control what information apps on your Xbox One are able to share. For instance, you can prevent apps from being able to learn your location.

  5. Select View details & customize.

  6. Select Online status & history.

    A screenshot of the Xbox One Xbox Live privacy menu.

  7. Locate the Others can see if you're online section.

    Locate Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites and select Friends to prevent strangers from bothering you when you're on Xbox Live.

  8. Select Block.

  9. That's it!

With this option set, you will appear offline to everyone, including your friends. Choose Friends instead of Block if you want people on your friends list to be able to see your online status. To completely undo this process, simply select Everybody instead of Block.

How to Appear Offline on Xbox 360

You can also set yourself to appear offline on Xbox 360, although the process is a little different. This is especially useful if you've set up your old Xbox 360 for your kid and you don't want anyone to see they're online.

  1. Open the Xbox Guide by pressing the Guide button on your controller.

  2. Navigate to Settings > Preferences.

    A screenshot of the Xbox 360 guide.

  3. With the Preferences menu open, select Online Status.

    A screenshot of the Xbox 360 preferences menu.

  4. With the Online Status menu open, select Appear Offline.

    A screenshot of the Xbox 360 Online Status menu.

  5. You're done!

There's no way to appear offline to everyone but your friends on the Xbox 360. If you set yourself to appear offline, none of your friends will see you're online. To reverse this process, simply select Online instead of Appear Offline in the Online Status menu.