AFK means away from keyboard. It tells people you've stepped away from your computer or phone and won't reply for a while. Merriam-Webster lists it as an abbreviation of away from keyboard, and Dictionary.com says it's frequently found in the chat of massively multiplayer online games.
AFK started in gaming chat and spread to every kind of messaging. You'll see it in Discord servers, work chats and family group threads. Here's what it means, how gamers use it and why 'going AFK' has started to mean logging off from the internet altogether.
AFK stands for away from keyboard
Merriam-Webster's entry is short: AFK is an abbreviation for away from keyboard. Dictionary.com adds that it's primarily used in texting and messaging, and explains that it's said when you aren't actively on a computer. It also gives the pronunciation as letter by letter, ey-ef-key.
Wiktionary labels AFK as military, video game and internet slang, and glosses it as away from one's computer, or idle. Its example is the kind of thing you'd type in a game: 'I'm gonna go AFK in a few mins.'
AFK in online games
Wikipedia's glossary of video game terms says AFK is generally said through a chat function in online multiplayer games when a player intends to be temporarily unavailable. In a team game, that matters. If you vanish without a word, your teammates think you've disconnected or given up.
- 'brb afk 2 mins' means 'I'm stepping away briefly, back soon.'
- 'he's afk again' means a teammate isn't responding.
- 'afk farming' describes leaving a game running to collect rewards while you're away.
- 'don't go afk mid-match' is a plea from a frustrated team.
Dictionary.com's origin note fits this exactly. It says AFK comes from streaming chat, especially as a notification in online gaming chat that a participant is absent, has stopped monitoring chat or has stopped taking part until further notice.
Typing AFK before you leave is good manners in a team game, a bit like saying 'back in a sec' when you leave a room. Most experienced players will tell you the same.
AFK on Discord and in group chats
Outside games, AFK works the same way. On Discord, people use it to explain why they've gone quiet in a voice channel. In a work chat it can mean 'stepping out for lunch'. In a family group it might mean 'driving, will reply later'. Many chat tools also let you set a status that says the same thing without typing it. If you're on Discord a lot, my guide to Discord text formatting shows how to make status messages and notes stand out.
Going AFK in real life
AFK has a second, newer sense: doing something offline, in the real world. Wiktionary's quote for this comes from the TV series Mr. Robot, from 2015, where the character Elliot Alderson says he usually does a certain kind of thing from his computer, but this time he wanted to do it AFK.
People now say 'let's hang out AFK' or 'I'm going AFK for the weekend' to mean switching off screens. It's the gamer's version of a digital detox.
How to tell people you're AFK
The kindest AFK message says how long you'll be and, if it matters, why. Compare these:
- 'afk' on its own: clear, but nobody knows when you'll be back.
- 'afk 5, door' tells your team you'll be about five minutes and someone's at the door.
- 'afk till tonight' tells a group chat not to expect a reply until later.
- 'back' or 'b' tells everyone you've returned.
In team games, going quiet without a word is what annoys people most. Many online games treat idle players as inactive, and teammates can be left a person short. A two-second AFK message avoids a lot of grumbling in the chat afterwards.
AFK at work and in remote teams
Remote teams borrowed AFK from gamers because it solves the same problem. When you work from home, colleagues can't see that you've gone to make a coffee or collect a child from school. A quick 'AFK 20 mins, school run' in a team chat stops people wondering why you haven't answered. Some teams use it in shared calendars or as a status message too.
It's casual, so it suits internal chats more than client emails. With a client, 'I'm away from my desk until 2pm' says the same thing in a more formal way.
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AFK and words that mean something similar
| Abbreviation | What it means | How long you're gone |
|---|---|---|
| AFK | Away from keyboard | Anything from a minute to a weekend |
| BRB | Be right back | A few minutes |
| GTG | Got to go | Leaving the conversation |
| Idle | Online but not active | Until you come back |
| Offline | Not connected | Until you log in again |
AFK sits in the middle. It says you're still around, just not at your screen. If you're leaving for good, GTG is the clearer choice.
Another bit of gaming talk: what cracked means.
AFK in other languages
Gaming slang travels well. Wiktionary records an Indonesian reading of AFK, abai fungsi kibor, roughly 'ignore keyboard function', which it describes as a phono-semantic matching. That means the letters stayed the same while local words were found to fit them, which shows how widely the English original spread.
Gamers will run into another term all the time, so read what LFG means.
When to use AFK
Use it whenever someone might be waiting on you: a team game, a live chat, a shared document session. It's polite and it saves confusion. If you play competitive games, you'll also want to know what GG means for the end of the match, and if you're choosing a name for a new account, try a gamertag generator for ideas.
Related: the iot page.
Frequently asked questions
What does AFK mean?
AFK means away from keyboard, so you've stepped away from your screen for a while.
How do you pronounce AFK?
Letter by letter, ey-ef-key, according to Dictionary.com.
What does AFK mean in gaming?
It tells teammates you're temporarily unavailable, usually typed in the game's chat before you step away.
What does going AFK in real life mean?
It means doing something offline, away from screens, a sense Wiktionary illustrates with a line from Mr. Robot.
Is AFK the same as BRB?
Close. BRB promises you'll be back soon, while AFK only says you're away from your screen.
Is AFK rude?
No. Saying AFK before you leave is considered good manners in team games and live chats.
