Buzz
This article will guide you through the process of finding out if someone is online (active) on Facebook Messenger or Chat. Your friends will show as 'active' if they have the Messenger app open on their phone or if chat (messenger) is enabled while browsing Facebook.
Steps
On Mobile Devices
Launch Facebook Messenger. If you're not logged in yet, enter your username and password, then click Log in.
Tap on People (Everyone). This option appears on the menu bar (located at the bottom of the screen).
- On Android devices, this button is typically found near the top of the screen.
Tap on Active (Currently active). This action shows all of your friends who are currently online on Messenger.
- You can also search for friends by typing into the search bar at the top of the screen. This will search for all your friends on Messenger, and those who are active will have a small green dot next to their profile picture.
- If your friend isn't using Messenger, their name will not appear in the search list, even if they're online on Facebook.
On the web browser
Go to Facebook in your browser. If you're not logged in, enter your username and password, then click Log in to access your account.
Tap on Chat (Conversation). This option can be found at the bottom-right of the screen, and a small popup window will appear when selected.
Type the name of the person you're looking for in the search box. The search results will appear in the chat box.
Look for the green dot next to their name. If there's a green dot, it means they are online and available for a chat.
- Your friends may turn off their active status in the chat settings, in which case you won't be able to see if they are online.
Tip
- You can view the timestamp on your friends' posts to see when they were last active.
- You cannot check someone's activity status unless they are using the chat feature or the Messenger app.
- If your friends have hidden their chat status in the privacy settings or don't use chat, you won't be able to tell when they're active.
