Deceive is a free, open-source app that makes you appear offline in League of Legends while you keep playing. Its author is molenzwiebel, the code is on GitHub under GPL-3.0, and it runs on Windows.
Fast answer: Close League and the Riot Client. Run Deceive.exe and pick League of Legends. Deceive starts the game for you and sits in the notification tray, where one click switches you between online, offline and mobile. Friends see you as offline. You can still invite them, chat in lobbies and talk in champion select.
Everything below comes from Deceive's README and its GitHub releases, checked on 1 October 2026. At that date the current release was Deceive v1.18.0, published 1 September 2026.
Download it from one place you can check. Our Deceive download page for appearing offline in LoL serves Deceive.exe from the project's latest GitHub release, unchanged and without an account, and your browser checks the file against the SHA-256 that GitHub lists for it. The page also lists every game it hides you in.
How does Deceive make you appear offline?
Deceive sits between the Riot Client and Riot's chat servers. Your client connects to Deceive instead of to Riot, and Deceive passes everything through except one thing: your presence, the status your friends list shows. The README puts it this way: "Only your global 'presence' is filtered."
To get in the middle, Deceive gives the client a different address to connect to, deceive-localhost.molenzwiebel.xyz, which normally points back at your own computer. That is why you close the Riot Client first and let Deceive start it: the client has to connect through Deceive to be hidden.
How do you set up Deceive?
Four steps:
Installing Deceive
Step 1 of 4
Download Deceive.exe
One Windows executable from the project's latest GitHub release, no installer. Never from deceive.app: the README says that site is unrelated and its download contains malware.
Read from Deceive's own GitHub releases and rechecked at least every 10 minutes.
Close League and the Riot Client
Deceive starts the Riot Client itself, because it works by sitting between the client and Riot’s chat servers. A client that is already open has connected without it.
Pick League of Legends
On first launch Deceive asks which game to start and whether to remember the choice. It also takes lol, valorant or lor as a launch argument and skips the question.
Set your status from the tray
Deceive sits in the notification tray. Its icon switches you between online, offline and mobile, with no restart. Lobby and champion select chat keep working.
- Download Deceive.exe from Deceive's GitHub releases or from our Deceive download page. It is a single file with no installer.
- Close League and the Riot Client, including the tray icon, so Deceive can start them through itself. If the client is still running, Deceive asks whether it should stop it and restart it with the right configuration.
- Run Deceive and pick a game. On first launch it asks which game to start and whether to remember your choice.
- Use the tray icon to switch between online, offline and mobile, or to launch a different game.
Online, offline or mobile: the tray toggle
Deceive has three statuses. The README: Deceive "will be a little icon in your notification tray that allows you to manage your chat presence, whether it be online, offline, or mobile."
- Offline hides you from your friends list.
- Mobile shows friends the mobile status instead of offline.
- Online is your normal status, through Deceive.
You switch from the tray icon while you play. The same icon launches a different game.
Which games does Deceive hide you in?
Deceive launch commands
Pick a game at launch or switch from the tray icon
League of LegendsDeceive.exe lol
Teamfight TacticsRuns inside the League clientDeceive.exe lol
VALORANTDeceive.exe valorant
Legends of RuneterraDeceive.exe lor
The README names League of Legends, VALORANT and Legends of Runeterra. Teamfight Tactics isn't listed on its own because it is a mode inside the League client: it shares League's chat presence, so starting League through Deceive hides you in TFT lobbies as well.
Who can invite you while you appear offline?
You can invite them; they can't invite you. The README: "Your friends list will work as normal, which means that you can invite everyone. Your friends will not be able to invite you, even if they enter your name manually."
So appearing offline doesn't cut you off from people you want to play with. You build the lobby, and chat in lobbies, champion select and agent select works as usual. Looking for someone to queue with who isn't on your friends list yet? Pairly's free Duo Finder filters players by rank, role and server. If you'd rather have a high-ranked player in that party, the Duo option on LoL ranked games and VALORANT duo games teams you up with a booster while you play on your own account.
Deceive and Riot bans: what the README says
The README's answer: "Riot has confirmed that you won't get banned for using Deceive. It may break at any time though." It links a screenshot of that confirmation. The source is the developer passing on what Riot told them, so read it as the maintainer's statement.
The warning about breaking is the part you'll run into. Deceive depends on how Riot's client connects to chat, and a client update can break it until a new Deceive release comes out. When that happens, get the next release from GitHub and skip the mirror sites.
Skin changers are a different kind of client tool, with a different answer from Riot. Our Rose and LTK patcher setup guide quotes Riot's policy on those, and the files themselves are on our Rose and LTK Manager download page.
Is deceive.app the official Deceive site?
No. The README opens with a warning in capitals: deceive.app is "UNRELATED to this project", and "THE DOWNLOAD ON THAT SITE CONTAINS MALWARE." Its advice: "If you downloaded anything from deceive.app, reinstall your PC."
The project lives at github.com/molenzwiebel/Deceive. Our appear offline download page serves the asset from that repository's latest release and nothing else.
Deceive not working: "failing to resolve some required domains"
Change your DNS or add one line to your hosts file. The README says some network setups, ISPs, school and work networks don't resolve deceive-localhost.molenzwiebel.xyz, the address Deceive needs. The README gives three fixes, all of which need Administrator access on your PC:
- Switch your DNS to Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1.
- Switch your DNS to Google's 8.8.8.8.
- Add 127.0.0.1 deceive-localhost.molenzwiebel.xyz to your Windows hosts file.
If Deceive stopped working right after a League patch, check the releases page for a newer version first.
Offline on Pairly orders, too
Every Pairly solo boost includes Offline Mode + Advanced VPN at no extra charge: the booster is told to play with your account set to appear offline, over the VPN location closest to you, not to use in-game chat on your account, and not to send or accept friend requests from it. The booster follows these as instructions; no software enforces them.
Where that applies:
- LoL rank boost: price your current and target rank before you pay. Placements, net wins and account leveling work the same way.
- LoL Classic boost: the same order flow for League Classic.
- VALORANT rank boost: from Iron up to Radiant, with free agent and role picks.
Rather play the games yourself? LoL coaching and VALORANT coaching put a high-ranked player on a private Discord stream with you while you play. You can see who boosts and coaches on the booster roster and what customers wrote in Pairly customer reviews.
Recent Trustpilot reviews, quoted as written:
- Rated 5 out of 5.
“One of the best boosting sites I’ve tried! I’ve used several different ones but the possibilities here are truly on a new level. The support team is absolutely amazing so helpful, caring and always ready to assist. Highly recommended!”
- Rated 5 out of 5.
“went from asc 1 to immortal, took less time than i thought. games were clean and i got updates the whole time. no issues with the account. really happy with it.”
- Rated 5 out of 5.
“The tbh best new boosting site and really so Imprrssive design of that. We won with pracmarin 8 games out of 10. Realy recommend”
Every Pairly service, by game:
Frequently asked questions
How do I appear offline in League of Legends?
Close League and the Riot Client, run Deceive and pick League of Legends. Deceive starts the game and hides your status from friends. The download is on our appear offline in LoL page.
Is Deceive free?
Yes. Deceive is free and open source under GPL-3.0.
Can my friends see me in game while I use Deceive?
Not as online. Your global presence is what Deceive filters, so friends see you as offline, or as mobile if you pick that in the tray.
Does Deceive work for VALORANT?
Yes. Pick VALORANT on launch or use the valorant launch argument. Our VALORANT duo queue rules guide covers who you can queue with once you're in.
Does Deceive work for TFT?
Yes. TFT runs inside the League client, so starting League through Deceive hides you there too.
Can I talk in champion select while appearing offline?
Yes. Lobby, champion select and agent select chat all work. Only your status is filtered.
Does Deceive work on Mac?
The release ships one Windows file, Deceive.exe. The README doesn't mention macOS or Linux.
Do I have to start League through Deceive every time?
Yes, if you want to be hidden. Deceive has to start the Riot Client to sit between it and the chat servers. A shortcut with the lol argument makes it one click.
Can I appear offline and still play ranked flex with friends?
Yes. You invite them, and party rules work as usual. Our Flex queue rules guide lists which ranks can queue together.
Sources
Checked 1 October 2026: Deceive README, Deceive releases.
