To turn on Activity Status on Instagram, you just need to tweak one privacy setting so others can see when you’re online or recently active.

How to Turn On Activity Status on Instagram

For the Instagram mobile app (iOS & Android)

  1. Open the Instagram app and log in to your account.
  1. Tap your profile picture in the bottom-right to go to your profile.
  1. Tap the three-line menu (☰) in the top-right corner.
  1. Tap Settings and privacy (or Settings , depending on your version).
  1. Scroll to the section How others can interact with you.
  1. Tap Messages and story replies.
  1. Tap Show activity status.
  1. Turn the toggle on to enable your Activity Status.

Once this is on, people you’ve messaged (and some accounts you follow) can see when you’re active or recently active, often shown as a green dot or “Active now/Active X minutes ago” in the inbox.

For Instagram on desktop (web browser)

  1. Go to instagram.com and sign in.
  1. Click your profile picture or the three-line More menu (bottom-left) depending on layout.
  1. Click Settings.
  1. Find the How others can interact with you section, then click Messages and story replies.
  1. Click Show activity status.
  1. Use the toggle or checkbox to turn Activity Status on.

Things to Know Before You Turn It On

  • When Activity Status is on, others can see your status , and you can see theirs.
  • If you turn Activity Status off , you also lose the ability to see other people’s last active/green dot.
  • This only applies to people you interact with (like those you DM), not every random account.

Mini FAQ

Q: Why don’t I see “Activity Status” in settings?

  • Make sure your app is updated to the latest version. The exact wording or menu nesting (for example, under Messages and story replies) can change slightly with updates, but the option is still there.

Q: Does turning it on show my exact online time to everyone?

  • It mainly shows to people you’ve messaged or interacted with, and it appears as a green dot or “last active” label in their inbox.

TL;DR:
Go to Profile → Menu (☰) → Settings and privacy → How others can interact with you → Messages and story replies → Show activity status → Toggle ON on mobile, or the equivalent path in web settings on desktop.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.