Fortnite is a great game with friends, but sometimes you want to play a few Solo matches without being disturbed. Or, maybe you’re playing Duos or Squads with some friends, and other friends keep sending you invites and messages. Most gaming platforms have an “appear offline” option that makes it look to other players as if you are not online when you actually are. But Fortnite also has its own Online Status setting for when you want to play without being bothered by your friends, or by any other players.
Related: What to do when Fortnite says server offline
How to set online status to away in Fortnite
On the main lobby screen, open the menu sidebar by clicking the menu icon in the top-left corner or pressing the corresponding button on your controller. Select your profile pic at the top of the menu, and this will bring up a menu of options relating to online play and privacy. The top one should be Online Status, so change that from Online to Away to appear offline. This will stop you from showing up in your friends’ online Friends list, and from showing up in other players’ recent players lists. You can now play Fortnite in peace, without being bombarded with messages and invites.
Other settings on the same profile pic menu allow you to add Social Tags (which show other players how you like to play Fortnite), set the privacy level of your party, set whether or not you are looking for a party to join, set the privacy level of your matchmaking region, set the privacy level of your language, or set the privacy level of your passes. All of these options allow you to fine-tune exactly how sociable you want your Fortnite experience to be.
About the author
Gavin Mackenzie
Gavin Mackenzie has been playing video games since the early 80s, and writing about them professionally since the late 90s. Having been a writer and editor on various British magazines including PLAY, GamesTM, and X360, he's now a freelance guides specialist at Gamepur.
