How to Hide "Online" and Last Seen in Telegram

It all happens in one place: Settings → Privacy and Security → Last Seen & Online. Choose Nobody or My Contacts, and both the "online" label and your last seen time stop showing to anyone you've closed off. Telegram has no separate toggle for the online indicator — the same setting governs both lines.

In exchange you stop seeing other people's exact status — though not entirely. Here's what stays visible and how to hide selectively.

Step by step on phone and desktop

Android

Open the side menu (three lines) → Settings.
Go to Privacy and Security.
Select Last Seen & Online.
Pick your option: Everybody, My Contacts or Nobody.

iPhone

Open the Settings tab at the bottom of the screen.
Go to Privacy and Security → Last Seen & Online.
Set the value and add exceptions if needed.

Computer

In Telegram Desktop open the menu → Settings → Privacy and Security → Last Seen & Online. The setting belongs to the account, so you change it once and it applies across every device and the web version.

What each option means

Everybody — your status is visible to anyone who opens your profile, including strangers from shared chats.
My Contacts — only people saved in your phone book see it. The right balance for most people.
Nobody — hidden from everyone except the exceptions you add.

The exceptions deserve special attention: in the same section you can build "Always share with" and "Never share with" lists. The first is handy when you want to close off from everyone but a few close people; the second when it's the reverse — hiding from two specific individuals while leaving everything else as it was.

What you get in return

Telegram works on reciprocity: hide your last seen and you lose access to other people's exact status. But unlike many messengers, the status doesn't disappear completely — instead of a precise time you'll see approximate wording:

"last seen recently" — they were online within the last few days;
"last seen within a week";
"last seen within a month";
"last seen a long time ago" — more than a month since their last visit.

Your contacts see the same wording for you. So full invisibility isn't on offer: "last seen recently" under your name still signals that the account is in use.

Hiding your status from one person only

Open Settings → Privacy and Security → Last Seen & Online.
In the exceptions block choose Never share with.
Add the contacts and save.

The main setting can stay open — the exception overrides it only for the people you picked. The radical alternative is blocking: a blocked user sees neither your status nor your profile photo, but they also can't message you at all.

What can't be hidden

The "typing…" indicator. There's no way to switch it off. It appears whenever you type in an open chat.
Read ticks. The second tick shows a message has been read. Hiding read time is a separate setting available with Telegram Premium; the free version has no such option.
Recording a voice message. The recording status shows in the chat just like typing does.
Activity in shared chats. Your group messages are visible with their timestamps regardless of status settings.
Being online in groups you administer. Entries in the action log record the time of your actions for other admins.

Worth closing at the same time

The privacy section holds several settings it makes sense to review in one pass:

Phone number — who sees it and who can find you by it.
Profile photo — can be limited to contacts, leaving your avatar visible only to people you know.
Forwarded messages — stop your profile link from being attached when your messages are forwarded.
Calls — limit who can call so unknown accounts can't ring you.
Group invites — saves you from being dropped into random chats.

Reading a message without appearing online

The notification shade. A short message is fully readable there; the chat stays closed and your status doesn't change.
Airplane mode. Switch it on, open the already-downloaded conversation, close the app, and only then restore the connection.
Smartwatches and widgets. They show the text without launching the app on your phone.

All of these affect read ticks rather than privacy in general: the app marks you online the moment you open it, even when your settings hide that from others.

When status matters most: work chats

For anyone dealing with clients in a messenger, an open status becomes an obligation: every "last seen recently" reads as "saw it and didn't reply". Two solutions work here — close last seen entirely, or split communication across separate profiles.

The second is the usual choice when client conversations are constant: the work profile runs on its own privacy rules and never overlaps with the personal one, and it can be set up on a second number or on ready-made Telegram accounts when the profile is meant for a specific project. Either way, privacy settings are configured per account — they don't carry over automatically.

Common mistakes

Expecting full invisibility. The "last seen recently" wording remains, and there's no way to remove it.
Configuring only one device. One change is enough — but if you keep several accounts, each needs its own setting.
Forgotten exceptions. An "Always share with" list built long ago keeps showing your status to those people.
Blocking instead of using privacy settings. It does hide everything, but it also ends the conversation — overkill for simple invisibility.
Relying on third-party clients. Apps promising an "invisible mode" demand account access and often end in a lost profile.

FAQ

Will someone know I hid my status?

There's no notification. They'll simply see approximate wording instead of an exact time.

Why did I stop seeing when my friends were online?

It's a consequence of your own setting: closing your last seen costs you other people's exact statuses. Reopening yours brings them back.

Is my online status visible in shared groups?

The status in the member list follows the same privacy settings. Your messages and their timestamps, however, are visible to everyone.

Does the setting apply on the web and desktop?

Yes, it's account-wide. Note that an open desktop client marks you online exactly as your phone does.

Can I hide that I've read a message?

Not in the free version — the ticks stay. A dedicated read-time hiding setting is available with Telegram Premium.

Does a hidden status affect notifications?

No, messages and calls arrive as usual — only what other people see changes.

What does a blocked person see?

Neither your status nor your profile photo, and their messages never reach you.

In short

Telegram hides your status through a single setting — Last Seen & Online in the privacy section — and that same setting controls the "online" label. Selective privacy comes from the exception lists: you can close off from specific people without changing the general mode. In return you'll see approximate statuses instead of exact times, while the typing indicator and read ticks stay visible no matter what.