How to See If a Person Is on Facebook But Offline in Chat
By Ken Burnside
Facebook allows you to chat with people on your friends list if they're online, but it also allows someone to hide from the chat interface. If you suspect someone is logged in to Facebook but hidden in chat, you can use other features of Facebook to see if he is currently on the website.
Step 1
Log in to your Facebook account. You will need to be Facebook friends with the person you're checking on for the rest of these steps to work.
Step 2
Click on the "Chat" tool on the lower-right corner of the page, and see if your friend's name is there. If there's a green icon, the person is on Facebook and available to chat. A small rectangular icon means his connection to Facebook is through a mobile device. If the name isn't there, he might be logged out of Facebook.
Step 3
Enter your friend's name in the search bar at the top of the page. This brings up a list of profile pages.
Step 4
Click on the link for your friend's profile page, bringing up the timeline view of his activity on the site. If posts on the timeline are more recent than your login to Facebook, your friend is posting on Facebook, but is hidden on chat.
References
Tips
- You can always send a message within Facebook through the "Message" icon on the top of the screen. Your friend will be notified that he has a message waiting for him, even if he is not logged in to chat.
Writer Bio
Ken Burnside has been writing freelance since 1990, contributing to publications as diverse as "Pyramid" and "Training & Simulations Journal." A Microsoft MVP in Excel, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Alaska. He won the Origins Award for Attack Vector: Tactical, a board game about space combat.