Invisible vs Idle Status: Simple Ways to Change Your Discord Status

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Learn how to change your status icon on Discord using the desktop or mobile app
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Have you noticed the green dot next to a person's name change to a yellow half-moon and wondered why? That person most likely hasn't looked at, interacted with, or closed the app in the last 5 minutes. Your status changes automatically after 5 minutes, but you can also manually turn on idle. This wikiHow walks you through changing your Discord status and covers the different statuses you can use.

Things You Should Know

  • An idle status is automatically applied when someone hasn't closed or interacted with the app in at least 5 minutes.
  • To change your Discord status, click or tap your profile picture and choose Online, Idle, Do Not Disturb, or Invisible.
  • Set your status to Invisible if you want to appear offline when you're actually online.
Section 1 of 4:

Discord Statuses

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    Instead of a green dot, you'll see a yellow half-moon icon. This applies automatically if you haven't interacted with Discord within the last 5 minutes, but still have the app open. The Idle indicator is similar to typing "AFK" in the chat – Away From Keyboard. It's a signal that the user most likely isn't currently using Discord.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/6\/61\/What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-2.jpg\/v4-460px-What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/61\/What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-2.jpg\/v4-728px-What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This displays as a green dot or a green outline of a phone if you're only using Discord on your phone. It's usually the default status for Discord when you're using the app. A green dot (or green phone icon [1] ) means that you're actively on Discord, which can be either making a phone call, in a voice or video chat, or moving your mouse around Discord. [2]
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  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/1a\/What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-3.jpg\/v4-460px-What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/1a\/What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-3.jpg\/v4-728px-What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Anyone with a red dot that has a line through it most likely does not want to be bothered, but they don't want to close the app. You'll want to use this if you're annoyed by the Discord notifications but want to keep the app open.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/0b\/What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-4.jpg\/v4-460px-What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/0b\/What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-4.jpg\/v4-728px-What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Indicated with an empty circle that has a thick circle outline, this is usually applied automatically to users that close the app. However, you can enable it manually so you can have the app open, but appear as though you're offline to others.
  5. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/ee\/What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-5.jpg\/v4-460px-What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-5.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/ee\/What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-5.jpg\/v4-728px-What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-5.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":349,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":552,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    When you're streaming, Discord is open and connected to the streaming service you're using, you'll see a purple circle next to your profile instead of a green dot.
    • To get this purple dot, you'll need to enable Streaming Mode in User Settings > Streamer Mode and connect Discord to a streaming account in User Settings > Connections .
    • Finally, enable Discord to show your activity in "User Settings > Account Privacy > Display Current activity as a status message" and start streaming!
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Section 2 of 4:

Manually Changing Your Status on Mobile

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    Tap the app icon that looks like a controller on a light blue background.
    • This method will walk you through the process of changing your status on Discord using the mobile app on Android and iOS.
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    If you're instead looking at a channel, swipe your finger from the left to the right on your screen to pull open the side menu.
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/a\/a0\/What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/a\/a0\/What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-8.jpg\/v4-728px-What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Tap one to use and it will apply immediately to your profile. [3]
    • You can choose Online, Idle, Do Not Disturb, and Invisible.
    • Click Set a custom status to use one of the above with a custom message. Give it a name, an optional emoji, and choose a status, like Online or Invisible. Choose when you want the custom status to disappear and click Save .
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Section 3 of 4:

Manually Changing Your Status on Desktop

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  1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/bd\/What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-9.jpg\/v4-460px-What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-9.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/bd\/What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-9.jpg\/v4-728px-What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-9.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":348,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":550,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    Click the app icon that looks like a controller on a light blue background.
    • This method walks you through changing your Discord status using the desktop client on Windows and Mac.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/ca\/What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-10.jpg\/v4-460px-What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-10.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/ca\/What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-10.jpg\/v4-728px-What-Does-Idle-Mean-on-Discord-Step-10.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":344,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":545,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    It's in the lower-left corner of the Discord window.
    • If you want to set a custom status, click Set Custom Status . Title your custom status, maybe give it an emoji, decide if you want the status to clear automatically, and click Save . [4]
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    Once you do this, your status will change immediately.
    • You can choose Online, Idle, Do Not Disturb, and Invisible.
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Section 4 of 4:

Other Common Internet Terms

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  1. "Idle" isn't the only internet slang—there are plenty others! Are the following terms in your virtual lexicon?
    • CFS : Close Friends Story on Instagram
    • FFF : "follow for follow"
    • IDM : "I don't mind"
    • ISK : "I should know" or a typo for "IDK" ("I don't know")
    • LF : gaming shorthand for “looking for”
    • MCM : "man crush Monday"
    • Mmk : a combination of "mmhmm" and "OK," used to express disinterest or irritation, or just as a softer, more casual version of "OK"
    • MBN : "must be nice"
    • OOMF : "one of my followers" or "one of my friends"
    • OMW : "on my way"
    • PMO : "put me on," as in, "introduce to someone/something"
    • WSP : "What's up?"
    • WCW : "woman crush Wednesday"
    • YW : "You're welcome"

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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021691232-Mobile-Presence
      2. ↑ https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/211374998-What-do-those-colored-dots-next-to-my-avatar-mean
      3. ↑ https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/227779547-Changing-Online-Status
      4. ↑ https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/360035407531-Custom-Status

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