Manage your online status
Instant messaging is great because you can use it to connect with friends, family, and peers in real time. You can see at a glance which of your contacts is online and available. Your contacts can also see when you are online and ready to chat. But this easy-access feature also has a downside—what do you do when you really need to focus on a project or you simply don't have time to talk about the latest news?
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Set your status
You can use the online settings in Windows Messenger to show others when you want to talk and to let them know (and prevent them from contacting you) when you don't. When you sign in to Windows Messenger, your status is set to Online and the icon beside your name in others' contact lists is blue by default, indicating that you are online and available to chat.
You can change your online status two different ways:
| • | Click the File menu, click My Status, and then click one of the options, such as Be Right Back.
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Or
| • | Click the down arrow by your name, and then click one of the options.
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Choose default status settings
You can choose a different online status at any time. If you leave the default settings as they are, however, three status types will be set automatically:
| • | Not Online. Before you sign in to Windows Messenger, your contacts see a red icon beside your name. “(Offline)” appears after your name. |
| • | Online. When you sign in to Windows Messenger, your contacts see a blue icon beside your name. “(Online)” appears after your name. |
| • | Away. When you have not used your computer for a period of time, your contacts see a small clock on the blue icon beside your name. “(Away)” appears after your name. |
Change the Away setting
The Away setting appears when you haven't used your computer for a period of time. You can change the length of that period by changing the amount of time Windows Messenger waits before displaying the Away icon.
To change this setting:
1. | Click the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Preferences tab. |
2. | You can select or clear the Show me as "Away" when I'm inactive for ___ minutes check box to either enable or disable the automatic status change. You can also change the number of minutes if you prefer a longer or shorter period. |
Tip: You can block anyone—or everyone—from seeing when you are online. If someone adds you to his or her contact list, you will receive a notice asking you to approve or block the addition. You can also block people at any time during a conversation by clicking Block in the Conversation window. For more information on blocking others from contacting you, see Set up your contacts.
For more information
Instant Messenger is a great way to stay in touch with the people you live, work, and communicate with. But it's also important to protect your privacy and be safe online. See Protect your privacy for more information on ways to safeguard your online identity and manage your online communications.
