What Does Idle Status Mean On Discord?

What Does Idle Status Mean On Discord

You can trust PC GuideOur team of experts use a combination of independent consumer research, in-depth testing where appropriate – which will be flagged as such, and market analysis when recommending products, software and services. Find out how we test here.

Last Updated on

Discord is an incredible program that allows you to chat with your friends while gaming.

Gone are the days when you had to pay hefty fees or subscriptions to use voice chat software – Discord is now the industry standard and it’s completely free (unless you want to add additional features to your server).

Discord is very well designed and rather simple to use – though there are a few things you might need to learn about if you’re new.

One of these is the Idle status. You may have come across it when joining a new server or trying to chat with a friend. But here’s the thing – you’re new to the world of Discord and don’t understand what this means. Can you message the person, or will you be disturbing them?

If you want to know more about statuses on Discord, you’ve come to the right article! We’re going to explain what idle means, alongside a load of different statuses, as well as how to set yourself to them when you need to on both Desktop and mobile.

Let’s explore this now!

What Are The Different Status Settings In Discord?

In Discord, there are a few different statuses. These include:

• Online
• Away
• Idle
• Offline
• Do Not Disturb
• Ignore
• Private
• Mute

These are all pretty self-explanatory but we’ll go through each one in turn so you can see exactly what they do.

Online

This is the default setting for most people who join Discord. It means that you’re online and available to talk to other users. If you’re not using Discord at the moment, you won’t get any messages from anyone else.

Away

When you change this to away, it means that you’re not currently logged into Discord but you still have access to everything. So you can still send messages, read messages, etc. However, no one else can contact you unless you choose to accept their request.

Idle

This is where the real magic happens. When you set your status to idle, it essentially turns off all notifications. That way, you can play games without being disturbed by constant alerts telling you someone wants to talk to you.

Offline

This is the opposite of online. With offline, you’re not connected to Discord at all. You cannot send or receive messages, nor can you interact with others.

Do Not Disturb

This is a great option if you’re sleeping or just want some peace and quiet. You can set this up so that you never receive messages from anyone unless someone specifically contacts you. There are also options to mute specific channels or even block certain users.

Ignore

This is a bit like a Do Not Disturb setting but it’s much stronger. If you ignore someone, they won’t be able to contact you unless you choose otherwise. They’ll also stop receiving notifications whenever you start chatting again.

Private

This is another way to keep out unwanted visitors. If you set this up, then only those you invite will be able to contact you.

Mute

This is similar to ignoring someone. You can either mute someone or mute a whole channel. This stops them from sending you any messages until you un-mute them.

1

How To Set Your Status On Discord

Now let’s look at how to set your status on Discord.

Step

1

Head Over To The Status Section Of Your Settings Page

First, head over to your settings page. Here, you should find a section called “Status”. Clicking on this will take you to a screen where you can select which status you’d prefer to use.

Step

2

Click On Status

The first option is “Online” by default. This is the easiest one to use because you simply click on it and you’re good to go.

How long does idle last on Discord?

The ‘idle’ status will last as long as you are inactive on the app. In most cases, about 5-10 minutes away from the service is all it takes for your Discord to set itself to ‘idle’ status. However, once you are back on the service, the idle status should return to active.

How do I keep my Discord status online?

In order to keep your Discord status online, you either need to stay active by messaging people or navigating around the app. Alternatively, you could set your status to ‘online’ by accessing the user settings – just tap on your profile picture in the bottom navigation bar.

Conclusion

And it’s that simple! If you come across someone with an ‘idle’ status, it might be better to leave them until they come back, but you can always send a message with Discord so that they can see it when they return.

Idle is a good status to use if you find yourself looking to be free from notifications and without being disturbed.

We hope that this article has told you everything you need to know about this topic and that you now feel a lot more confident with Discord! It’s an easy application to use and soon enough you’ll be able to deal with everything that it has to offer!

How long does idle last on Discord?

The ‘idle’ status will last as long as you are inactive on the app. In most cases, about 5-10 minutes away from the service is all it takes for your Discord to set itself to ‘idle’ status. However, once you are back on the service, the idle status should return to active.

How do I keep my Discord status online?

In order to keep your Discord status online, you either need to stay active by messaging people or navigating around the app. Alternatively, you could set your status to ‘online’ by accessing the user settings – just tap on your profile picture in the bottom navigation bar.

Kevin is the Editor of PC Guide. He has a broad interest and enthusiasm for consumer electronics, PCs and all things consumer tech - and more than 15 years experience in tech journalism.