How to make yourself Available, Busy or Offline in Microsoft Teams

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Published onNovember 19, 2020

published onNovember 19, 2020

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Microsoft Teams has support for “presence statuses” which let you signal your availability to your colleagues. Teams will automatically switch you between statuses based on your usage of the app – you’ll appear as Away when the app’s been in the background for a while, or Busy if you’ve got a calendar appointment blocked off in Outlook.

To manually change your status, click your profile picture in the top-right of the app. Below your name, you’ll see your current status. Click or hover this to see and select the available presence modes.

“Available” is the default and signifies that you’re ready to participate in a conversation. “Busy” shows you’re concentrating on a task, while “Do not disturb” will suppress notifications and convey to your co-workers that you want to stay focused. There’s also “Be right back”, for short breaks, and “Appear away” (forcefully enter the “Away” state used when the app’s in the background).

The final option, “Appear offline”, will remove your presence altogether – other users won’t see that you’re signed into the app. This could be helpful if you’re checking messages outside of work hours and don’t want to be pulled into an unplanned conversation.

Once set, your status will be visible as the coloured icon in the bottom-right of your profile picture. It’ll be visible to all Teams users. Microsoft iscurrently working on adding supportfor timed status expirations, so that you could choose to mark yourself as “Busy” for the next hour before automatically reverting to “Available”.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).

For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.

Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.

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Radu Tyrsina

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low#

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app#

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities#

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount#

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier#

How to make yourself Available, Busy or Offline in Microsoft Teams#

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier

How to make yourself Available, Busy or Offline in Microsoft Teams