How to Appear Offline in CoD: Modern Warfare 2

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A guide to playing MW2 with privacy

Written by Cory Stillman

Last Updated: November 14, 2024 Fact Checked

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Appear Offline on Battle.net

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Clan Tag Workaround

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Activision Preferences

Are you trying to appear offline in Modern Warfare 2? There is nothing wrong with wanting to play Call of Duty alone, but appearing offline can be surprisingly difficult. Console gamers can set their console status to Offline, but their MW2 status remains unaffected. Even PC gamers can only appear offline if they purchased the game through Battle.net. Steam users cannot appear offline in Modern Warfare 2 at this time. The feature used to be available, so it could return at any point. Until it does, this wikiHow article has everything you need to know about appearing offline in MW2, including a couple clever workarounds.

Things You Should Know

Battle.net users can appear offline in MW2 by clicking on their status within the client and selecting Appear Offline.
If you are comfortable appearing offline permanently, you can add ]^4[ඞ as your clan tag in Modern Warfare 2.
Update your "Sign-On Visible" preferences on Activision's website to "None," preventing other users from seeing when you log on to Modern Warfare 2.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Appear Offline on Battle.net

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net client on your PC. Sign in to your account if you have not yet already.
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Click your online status in the top-right corner of the client. A drop-down menu will appear.
- You must click on the status name - likely "Online" - specifically. Clicking on your profile icon will pull up a different menu.
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Because Battle.net is owned by Activision Blizzard, the status you set here will transfer into Call of Duty, allowing you to appear offline in MW2. This is not the case for any other gaming client.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Clan Tag Workaround

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1
Open the Settings menu in Modern Warfare 2. On consoles, press the Start/Options button to open the menu. PC gamers can simply click the menu in the top-right corner to open it in full.
- Be aware that this method is irreversible. You will only be able to appear offline in Call of Duty once you follow these steps, and you won't be able to change your clan tag in the future.
Use R1 on PlayStation or RB on Xbox to toggle through the different options.
This will open a text box in which you can enter a new clan tag.
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Enter "]^4[ඞ".^{[1]
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Research source} Clan tags can be up to five characters. This clan tag will permanently set your MW2 profile to Offline mode, preventing your friends from finding you in the game.
- It is not clear why this clan tag is irreversible, but users attest to the fact that it glitches out and prevents you from updating your clan tag moving forward.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Activision Preferences

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Log in to your Activision account at https://s.activision.com/activision/login. You can log in via PlayStation, Xbox, Battle.net, and Steam. You can also manually input your account info.
This will open the profile configuration page.
It is at the bottom of the menu on the left-hand side.
This subsection includes a privacy statement from Activision, as well as a few settings you can tinker with.
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Switch "Sign-On Visible" to "None." By default, this setting is set to Friends, which means that your friends will receive a notification whenever you sign in to Modern Warfare 2. Switching this to None will prevent anyone from seeing when you sign in to the game.
- You will still technically appear online, as only your sign-in is affected by this setting.
- Be sure to connect your Activision account everywhere you play Modern Warfare 2, allowing your preferences to transfer across all clients and/or consoles.