How To Change The Away Time On Microsoft Teams (2023)

Are you finding it bothersome when Microsoft Teams switches your status to “Away” after just five minutes of inactivity? This automatic switch can often give the wrong impression about your work habits or availability.

Our handy guide is here to help you manage and adjust this issue, offering useful tips on how to change the away time settings. Continue reading for a smoother Microsoft Teams experience!

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Key Takeaways

Microsoft Teams offers various status options, including “Away,” which is automatically activated after five minutes of inactivity.
Users can manually change their availability status to “Available,” “Busy,” or “Do Not Disturb” to manage interruptions and maintain availability on Microsoft Teams.
Customizing the status message and setting a duration for it allows users to have more control over their online presence and communicate their availability effectively.
By utilizing tips such as updating the status regularly, taking short breaks, communicating with team members about availability, and optimizing settings, users can enhance their experience on Microsoft Teams.

Understanding Microsoft Teams Activity Status

Microsoft Teams offers various activity status options to help users indicate their availability and communicate their presence to team members.

Microsoft Teams Status Options

Microsoft Teams gives you several status options. These let other people know if you are free or busy. Here is a list of them:

Available: You are ready and free to chat! Others can see this in green color.
Busy: Shows as red, it means you are doing work and don’t want to be disturbed.
Do Not Disturb: It’s like busy but stronger. It stops all notices from other people.
Away: This comes on after five minutes of not using Teams. It shows as yellow.
Be Right Back: This tells others you have stepped away but will return soon.
Off Work: Tell others you’re done for the day with this setting.
Appear Offline: Use this to seem invisible, even when you’re online.

How to Adjust Away Time in Microsoft Teams

You can easily adjust your away time in Microsoft Teams by manually changing your availability status and customizing your status settings. Read on to learn how to take control of your presence on Teams.

Manually Changing Your Availability Status

You can take control of your presence in Microsoft Teams. This is how you do it:

Open your Microsoft Teams app.
Click on your profile picture at the top.
You will see a list of status options.
Choose one that best fits what you are doing.
For example, if you want to show others that you are not busy, click on “Available”.
To let others know you are busy but still open for urgent matters, select “Busy”.
And sometimes, you need time with no interruptions. For this, choose “Do not disturb“.
Remember to use the “Always Available” option if you always want to appear ready for contact.
These steps help in managing interruptions in Teams and maintaining availability.

Manually Change Your Microsoft Teams Status on Different Devices (Windows, Android, iOS/iPhone)

You can adjust your Microsoft Teams status on different devices. Here is how you do it:

Open Microsoft Teams on your device.
Tap on your profile picture found at the top.
You will see an option called “Set status message”. Click on this.
Now you can change your status to what you want it to be.
To set how long you will be away, pick a time under “Clear after”.
Click done when everything looks good.

Customizing Your Microsoft Teams Status

In this section, we will explore how to create a custom status and set a duration for it on Microsoft Teams. If you want to have more control over your availability and personalize your status message, keep reading!

Creating a Custom Status

To create a custom status in Microsoft Teams, follow these steps:

Open Microsoft Teams on your device.
Click on your profile picture or initials at the top right corner of the screen.
Select “Set status message” from the dropdown menu.
In the text box that appears, type your custom status message.
You can also select an emoji to accompany your status message, if you’d like.
Once you’re done, click “Done” to save your custom status.

Setting a Status Duration

To customize your Microsoft Teams status, you can set a duration for how long you want it to last. Here’s how:

Open the Teams app.
Click on your profile icon in the upper – right corner.
Select “Set Status” from the dropdown menu.
Click on the “Scheduling” option.
Choose the duration for your status from the provided options (e.g., 30 minutes, 1 hour, etc.).

Managing Your Time on Microsoft Teams

Learn valuable tips to keep your status active and optimize your experience on Microsoft Teams. Find out how to stay engaged and make the most of your time on the platform.

Tips to Keep Your Status Active

Update your status regularly to let others know your availability.
Set a reminder to change your status if you tend to forget.
Take short breaks and come back online to reset the “Away” timer.
Use the “Do not disturb” feature when you need uninterrupted work time.
Communicate with your team about your availability and when you may be away.
Utilize the status message feature to provide more details about your availability.
Check the online presence of colleagues before initiating a conversation.
Customize the duration of your status to reflect your typical work patterns.
Learn keyboard shortcuts to quickly update your status without navigating through menus.

Optimizing Your Experience on Microsoft Teams

Customize your profile picture and “away” status to reflect your availability and make it easier for others to understand your current status.
Connect through meetings, chats, and calls on Microsoft Teams to collaborate with team members and stay productive.
Streamline communication and productivity by utilizing the various features and tools available in Microsoft Teams.
Efficiently use data and resources by optimizing settings, such as reducing mobile data usage through the app’s settings.
Take advantage of the option to create custom statuses and set a duration to let others know when you will be available or away.
Manage your time effectively by keeping your status active and updating it promptly to ensure accurate communication with others.

Conclusion

In conclusion, although Microsoft Teams does not have a direct option to change the “Away” time limit, there are alternative solutions available. Users can set a custom status message or regularly interact with the app to keep their status as “Active.” Additionally, manually changing the status to “Busy” or “Do Not Disturb” can also help appear unavailable to others.

By understanding these options and implementing them effectively, users can better manage their availability on Microsoft Teams.