diff --git a/src/app/features/settings/general/General.tsx b/src/app/features/settings/general/General.tsx
index 152e87172..c583ecc4d 100644
--- a/src/app/features/settings/general/General.tsx
+++ b/src/app/features/settings/general/General.tsx
@@ -789,6 +789,7 @@ function Editor() {
   const [enterForNewline, setEnterForNewline] = useSetting(settingsAtom, 'enterForNewline');
   const [isMarkdown, setIsMarkdown] = useSetting(settingsAtom, 'isMarkdown');
   const [hideActivity, setHideActivity] = useSetting(settingsAtom, 'hideActivity');
+  const [hidePresence, setHidePresence] = useSetting(settingsAtom, 'hidePresence');
   const [editorToolbar, setEditorToolbar] = useSetting(settingsAtom, 'editorToolbar');
 
   return (
@@ -823,6 +824,13 @@ function Editor() {
           after={<Switch variant="Primary" value={hideActivity} onChange={setHideActivity} />}
         />
       </SequenceCard>
+      <SequenceCard className={SequenceCardStyle} variant="SurfaceVariant" direction="Column">
+        <SettingTile
+          title="Hide Online Status"
+          description="Appear offline to everyone while still using the app. Disables online, away, and idle indicators."
+          after={<Switch variant="Primary" value={hidePresence} onChange={setHidePresence} />}
+        />
+      </SequenceCard>
     </Box>
   );
 }
diff --git a/src/app/hooks/usePresenceUpdater.ts b/src/app/hooks/usePresenceUpdater.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2883ffc95
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/hooks/usePresenceUpdater.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+import { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
+import { useMatrixClient } from './useMatrixClient';
+import { useSetting } from '../state/hooks/settings';
+import { settingsAtom } from '../state/settings';
+
+const IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS = 10 * 60 * 1000; // go unavailable after 10 min of no input
+const ACTIVITY_THROTTLE_MS = 1000; // process activity events at most once per second
+
+export function usePresenceUpdater() {
+  const mx = useMatrixClient();
+  const [hidePresence] = useSetting(settingsAtom, 'hidePresence');
+
+  const idleTimerRef = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined>(undefined);
+  const isIdleRef = useRef(false);
+  const lastActivityRef = useRef(0);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const setOnline = () =>
+      mx.setPresence({ presence: 'online' }).catch(() => undefined);
+    const setUnavailable = () =>
+      mx.setPresence({ presence: 'unavailable' }).catch(() => undefined);
+
+    // When the user hides presence, broadcast offline and do nothing else.
+    if (hidePresence) {
+      mx.setPresence({ presence: 'offline' }).catch(() => undefined);
+      return undefined;
+    }
+
+    const startIdleTimer = () => {
+      clearTimeout(idleTimerRef.current);
+      idleTimerRef.current = window.setTimeout(() => {
+        isIdleRef.current = true;
+        setUnavailable();
+      }, IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS);
+    };
+
+    const handleActivity = () => {
+      const now = Date.now();
+      if (now - lastActivityRef.current < ACTIVITY_THROTTLE_MS) return;
+      lastActivityRef.current = now;
+
+      // Coming back from idle while the tab is visible — go back online.
+      if (isIdleRef.current && !document.hidden) {
+        isIdleRef.current = false;
+        setOnline();
+      }
+      startIdleTimer();
+    };
+
+    const handleVisibilityChange = () => {
+      if (document.hidden) {
+        clearTimeout(idleTimerRef.current);
+        setUnavailable();
+      } else {
+        isIdleRef.current = false;
+        lastActivityRef.current = Date.now();
+        setOnline();
+        startIdleTimer();
+      }
+    };
+
+    // Best-effort offline on page close. fetch+keepalive survives the page unload
+    // unlike a regular async call, and avoids the bfcache penalty of beforeunload.
+    const handlePageHide = () => {
+      const userId = mx.getUserId();
+      const token = mx.getAccessToken();
+      // MatrixClient exposes baseUrl as a public property
+      const baseUrl = (mx as unknown as { baseUrl: string }).baseUrl;
+      if (!userId || !token || !baseUrl) return;
+
+      fetch(`${baseUrl}/_matrix/client/v3/presence/${encodeURIComponent(userId)}/status`, {
+        method: 'PUT',
+        headers: {
+          Authorization: `Bearer ${token}`,
+          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
+        },
+        body: JSON.stringify({ presence: 'offline' }),
+        keepalive: true,
+      }).catch(() => undefined);
+    };
+
+    // Announce online immediately when the client mounts.
+    setOnline();
+    startIdleTimer();
+
+    const activityEvents = ['mousemove', 'keydown', 'touchstart', 'click', 'scroll'] as const;
+    activityEvents.forEach((e) => window.addEventListener(e, handleActivity, { passive: true }));
+    document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', handleVisibilityChange);
+    window.addEventListener('pagehide', handlePageHide);
+
+    return () => {
+      clearTimeout(idleTimerRef.current);
+      activityEvents.forEach((e) => window.removeEventListener(e, handleActivity));
+      document.removeEventListener('visibilitychange', handleVisibilityChange);
+      window.removeEventListener('pagehide', handlePageHide);
+    };
+  }, [mx, hidePresence]);
+}
diff --git a/src/app/pages/client/ClientNonUIFeatures.tsx b/src/app/pages/client/ClientNonUIFeatures.tsx
index 077551bf1..0ba611006 100644
--- a/src/app/pages/client/ClientNonUIFeatures.tsx
+++ b/src/app/pages/client/ClientNonUIFeatures.tsx
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import { getMxIdLocalPart, mxcUrlToHttp } from '../../utils/matrix';
 import { useSelectedRoom } from '../../hooks/router/useSelectedRoom';
 import { useInboxNotificationsSelected } from '../../hooks/router/useInbox';
 import { useMediaAuthentication } from '../../hooks/useMediaAuthentication';
+import { usePresenceUpdater } from '../../hooks/usePresenceUpdater';
 
 function SystemEmojiFeature() {
   const [twitterEmoji] = useSetting(settingsAtom, 'twitterEmoji');
@@ -127,6 +128,11 @@ function InviteNotifications() {
   );
 }
 
+function PresenceUpdater() {
+  usePresenceUpdater();
+  return null;
+}
+
 function MessageNotifications() {
   const audioRef = useRef<HTMLAudioElement>(null);
   const notifRef = useRef<Notification | undefined>(undefined);
@@ -261,6 +267,7 @@ export function ClientNonUIFeatures({ children }: ClientNonUIFeaturesProps) {
       <SystemEmojiFeature />
       <PageZoomFeature />
       <FaviconUpdater />
+      <PresenceUpdater />
       <InviteNotifications />
       <MessageNotifications />
       {children}
diff --git a/src/app/state/settings.ts b/src/app/state/settings.ts
index e717e8d1f..479f285db 100644
--- a/src/app/state/settings.ts
+++ b/src/app/state/settings.ts
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ export interface Settings {
   twitterEmoji: boolean;
   pageZoom: number;
   hideActivity: boolean;
+  hidePresence: boolean;
 
   isPeopleDrawer: boolean;
   memberSortFilterIndex: number;
@@ -87,6 +88,7 @@ const defaultSettings: Settings = {
   twitterEmoji: false,
   pageZoom: 100,
   hideActivity: false,
+  hidePresence: false,
 
   isPeopleDrawer: true,
   memberSortFilterIndex: 0,