In short: Teams sets you to Away after a few minutes of inactivity on your computer or when it locks, and on your phone as soon as the app goes to the background. You cannot force Available over that: Microsoft only lets you pick a status that is less available than the automatic one. To stay green, keep Teams running on an active, unlocked computer, and use a status message for the rest.
Your Teams status turns yellow while you are reading a document or thinking at your desk, and colleagues think you are gone. Here is how Teams decides your status, according to Microsoft, and what you can really do about it.
Why Teams turns your status to Away
- On a computer: you become Away after a few minutes without keyboard or mouse activity, or as soon as the computer is locked. You become Offline when it goes to sleep.
- On a phone: you become Away as soon as the Teams app is in the background, and Offline after 24 hours of inactivity.
- On several devices: the device you used most recently sets your status.
- From your calendar: a meeting in Outlook shows you as In a meeting.
Can you force Teams to stay Available?
No. When you pick a status yourself, Teams only accepts one that is less available than the automatic one: you can go from Available to Busy or Appear away, but choosing Available does not cancel Away caused by inactivity. A manual status lasts 1 day for Busy and Do not disturb, 7 days for the others, unless you set a duration.
Honest ways to stay green
- Keep Teams open and signed in on the computer you work on, not only in a browser tab you never look at.
- Check your screen lock and sleep settings (Windows: Settings → System → Power): a computer that locks or sleeps after one minute turns you Away or Offline quickly. Stay within your company’s security policy.
- Use your phone when you step away: while you use Teams on your phone in the foreground, it can show you as Available.
- Set a status message: select your profile picture, then Set status message, for example “Reachable on mobile” or “Back at 2 pm”, and turn on the option to show it when people message you.
- Block focus time in your calendar rather than hiding: colleagues see why you are busy.
What about mouse jigglers and tricks?
Apps and USB devices that simulate activity exist. Many employers forbid them, IT can detect them, and a green dot is not a measure of your work. If presence is a source of tension, agree with your manager on response times instead.
Make yourself easy to reach
A status says if you are around. A link says how to reach you: put a permanent Teams meeting link, shortened with MSTeams.link, in your status message or in your email signature.
FAQ
How long before Teams shows me as Away?
Microsoft says “a few minutes” of inactivity on a computer, and immediately when the computer is locked.
Why am I Away while I am in Teams on my phone?
On mobile, Teams switches to Away as soon as the app goes to the background, for example when you open another app or lock the phone.
Can others see how long I have been away?
In some cases Teams shows when you were last seen next to the Away status.