How to appear offline on Steam in 2 simple steps, so others can’t see that you’re playing online

• You can appear offline on Steam if you don’t want others to see that you actually are online.
• Even while appearing offline on Steam, you can still play games, make purchases, and more.
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There’s no denying that Steam is one of the most popular ways to experience digital PC games. With a wide variety of titles both old and new to choose from, as well as an active community for pretty much every game available on the platform, Steam is a gamer’s best friend.

Steam also has a social component, which lets you add friends and more. While it isn’t a significant element of the app, it does allow gamers to play their favorite titles with their friends, or directly message other users.

However, sometimes you just want a little privacy while you indulge in your favorite titles. Fortunately, Steam has an option for you to appear offline, even when you are logged into your account. This way, no one will bother you while you play.

This shouldn’t be confused with offline mode, which actually disconnects your Steam app from the internet. By simply appearing offline, you’ll still be able to use all the features of Steam – your friends just won’t see it.

Whether you want to play your guilty pleasure title, or just take a breather from talking to your friends online, here's how to appear offline on Steam.

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How to appear offline on Steam

1. Launch Steam and click on "Friends" at the top of the window if you're on PC, or in the menu bar at the top of the screen if you're using a Mac.

2. Select "Offline" in the drop-down menu. Your profile should now appear offline to both your Steam friends and strangers alike.

You can go back online by opening up that Friends menu again and selecting "Online."

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

• You can play many Steam games offline - here's how to turn on and use offline mode

• How to uninstall Steam games to save space on your computer, and reinstall them later

• How to delete your Steam account permanently, which will erase all of your games and account information

• You can refund games you buy on Steam, but there's a time limit - here's how to get your money back