To change your status on Teams, select your profile picture at the top right, then click your current status and pick a new one, such as Busy, Do not disturb or Be right back. You can also type /busy, /dnd or /away in the search box, and set a duration so Teams switches it back automatically.
Your Teams status is the little dot on your profile that tells colleagues whether to message you now or later. Teams changes it for you some of the time, which is why it often says something you didn't choose. Here's how to set it yourself, make it last for a set time, and understand why Teams sometimes ignores you.
Change your status in three clicks
- Select your profile picture at the top right of Teams.
- Select your current status.
- Choose a new status from the list.
On the Teams phone app the same option lives behind your profile picture too, so you can set yourself to Busy on the way into a meeting.
The fastest way: status commands
| Status you want | Type this in the search box |
|---|---|
| Available | /available |
| Busy | /busy |
| Do not disturb | /dnd |
| Be right back | /brb |
| Away | /away |
| Offline | /offline |
These are listed in Microsoft's own help and are the quickest way to switch without opening any menus. Type the command, press Enter and your dot changes colour straight away.
What each status means
- Available: you're active in Teams with nothing in your calendar.
- Busy: you're focusing but still want notifications.
- Do not disturb: no notifications, for focused work or presenting.
- Be right back: you're away briefly. Teams never sets this one for you.
- Appear away: you're working without answering straight away.
- Appear offline: you look signed out, though Microsoft notes you'll still get notifications if someone messages you.
Make a status last for a set time
- Select your profile picture, then your current status, then Duration.
- Under Status, choose what you want to show.
- Under Reset status after, choose how long it should last, or choose Custom and enter a date and time.
- Select Done.
When the time's up, Teams goes back to setting your status from your activity, your calendar and the state of your computer. You can set a duration for every status except Available. To cancel early, just pick a new status, or choose Reset status.
Why Teams keeps changing your status
Teams sets your status automatically in a few situations, and knowing them saves a lot of frustration:
- It changes Available to Away when you lock your computer or it goes idle or to sleep. On a phone, it happens when Teams is in the background.
- It switches you to In a meeting or In a call during meetings and calls, unless you've chosen Do not disturb.
- It puts you on Do not disturb when you share your screen, which is switched on by default.
There's also a rule Microsoft calls status priority: a more available status, like Busy, won't override a less available one, like Away, even if you've given Busy a duration. So if your computer is asleep, you'll show as Away whatever you set.
Stop Do not disturb when presenting
If you'd rather keep seeing messages while you share your screen, go to Settings and more, Settings, Privacy, and untick Set my status to Do not disturb when I'm sharing my screen. I'd leave it on for client presentations, so a chat pop-up doesn't appear in front of everyone.
Add a status message
For more detail than a coloured dot, set a status message. Select your profile picture and choose Set status message, type something useful like 'In workshops until 2, back on email after', and choose when it should clear. You can also choose to show it when people message you, so they see it before they hit send. It's the polite way to set expectations without anyone having to ask.
Seeing who's online
Status works both ways. Microsoft notes that someone who's available shows a green circle with a tick next to their profile picture. To see who on a team is online right now, go to the team name, select More options, then Manage team, then Members: everyone currently online has the green tick. It's a quick way to find who can answer a question in the next five minutes, without messaging the whole team.
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Use status to protect focus time
Status works best as a team habit. Agree that Do not disturb means 'urgent only' and Busy means 'reply when you can', and suddenly status becomes a calm way to get deep work done. If your team also uses Slack, the same idea applies there. My office productivity hacks include a few more ways to guard focus time, and if you run training sessions on Teams, my webinar resources help with the planning.
My verdict
Change your status from your profile picture, or faster with /busy, /dnd and /brb in the search box. Use Duration so you don't forget to switch back, and remember Teams will override you when your computer sleeps or you join a call. A short status message does the rest.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change my status on Teams?
Select your profile picture at the top right, then your current status, and choose a new one from the list.
How do I set my Teams status for a specific time?
Select your profile picture, your current status, then Duration. Choose a status and a time under Reset status after, then Done.
Why does my Teams status keep going to Away?
Microsoft says Teams switches you to Away when your computer locks, goes idle or sleeps, or when the mobile app is in the background.
Can I change my Teams status with a shortcut?
Yes. Type /available, /busy, /dnd, /brb, /away or /offline in the search box.
Do I still get messages on Appear offline in Teams?
Yes. Microsoft says you'll still receive notifications if anyone messages you.
