Acronym
What does AFK mean?
Acronym for away from keyboard: a notice that you have left the keys (or the screen) for a while, while the session stays open.
Definition
AFK means away from keyboard. In chat and in games it is the short status: I will not answer now; the character or the cursor sits still. The account can stay online. What left is the person at the keys. Phones barely have keyboards, and the letters survived: they now mean a temporary absence from the device, not a logoff.
In a group game the line is etiquette. Without it, a frozen avatar reads as abandonment — report, kick, or a boss pull you were not in. Outside the match, AFK became a metaphor for going quiet in a group without goodbye. BRB (be right back) promises a short return; AFK names the state — two minutes or a lunch break.
Origin
English from bulletin boards. In May 1989 FidoNews defined AFK as away from keys. In 1990 away from keyboard shows up on Usenet; the OED uses that date. IRC and later MMORPGs (Neverwinter, Ultima Online, WoW) made it raid and room etiquette.
History
From the FidoNet glossary to Discord’s AFK voice channel and AFK farming (parking a character to gather). In 2020 Among Us sent searches up again: pretending to be AFK became a bluff. The letters also settled in workplaces that talk like a raid.
How it emerged
On a dial-up line, hanging up to use the bathroom was expensive. Three letters had to say: I am still in the room, I am just not at the keyboard.
Usage examples
AFK 5 min, don't pull the boss.
Going AFK to get the mail.
He has been AFK from this group for weeks.
Translations
- pt AFK / longe do teclado
- en AFK / away from keyboard
- es AFK / lejos del teclado
Synonyms
- away from keyboard
- away
- BRB
- be right back
Acronyms
- AFK
Related terms
Questions
What does AFK mean?
Away from keyboard: you have left the keys or the screen for a while. The session usually stays open; nobody is typing or steering the character.
Is AFK the same as BRB?
BRB (be right back) is a promise to return soon, usually in minutes. AFK is the state — away from the keyboard — and the pause can be short or open-ended. People often stack them: “brb afk”.
Is AFK only for games?
It started in internet chat (BBS, IRC) and exploded in MMORPGs, where a still avatar hurts the team. It now also marks a pause in Discord, Slack, or any window that expects a fast reply.
Is AFK the same as IRL?
IRL (in real life) names the world off the screen — the meeting, the job, the body. AFK is only a pause inside an online session. You can be IRL and still type AFK in the raid chat.
Does AFK make sense on a phone?
The keyboard in the acronym is a desktop leftover. On a phone it still means: I am not looking at this screen; I will be back. The notice still helps because the status can show you as online.