MICROSOFT TEAMS · AVAILABILITY

How to keep your Teams status green

Green means Available. Teams sets it automatically from your activity, so staying green is mostly about understanding when Teams thinks you have left.

By Teams Assist · Reviewed 27 October 2026 · Based on Microsoft Support documentation

The short answer

Teams turns yellow (Away) when your computer is idle, locked or asleep. To stay green while you work: keep the device awake, check Teams' presence settings, close Teams clients you are not using and, in Teams for web, keep the Teams tab open. To choose and time your status from one place, use Teams Assist.

Microsoft: Change your status in Teams ↗

1. Why Teams turns yellow

Teams uses automatic presence. When it no longer detects activity on your device it changes Available to Away. Common causes are no keyboard or mouse input for a while, a locked screen, sleep, or a closed Teams tab or app. Reading a document or attending a meeting in another tool can look like inactivity to Teams.

2. Steps that usually help

Choose a status yourself. Open your profile picture in Teams and pick the status that matches how available you are. Use Duration for statuses other than Available.
Check presence in Teams for web. Under Settings → Notifications and activity, look for the option to keep your status while you are active in other browser tabs, if your version has it.
Keep the computer awake while you work. Adjust sleep and screen-off times in your system settings, within your organisation's rules.
Close Teams clients you are not using. A phone or a second computer that is idle can influence what others see.
Keep the Teams tab open in the browser. Browsers may put background tabs to sleep, which stops Teams from updating.

3. Where Teams falls short

Teams has no setting for the idle timeout and no Duration for Available. That is why it turns yellow while you are still working. A status tool fills exactly that gap.

4. The easy way: Teams Assist

Teams Assist keeps your status where you want it, without clicking through Teams every time. Pick Available, Busy, Do not disturb or Away in the Panel, start it until you stop, for 30 minutes, two hours or until a set time, or add set times such as "Busy 09:00–11:00, Mon–Fri". The Panel shows your live Teams status, so you always know what it is.

How it works

The extension runs inside your own Edge browser, next to Teams for web. When you choose a status in the Panel, it passes your choice to the open Teams tab, applies it there just as you would yourself, and reads back the result from your profile. Your Microsoft sign-in stays with Microsoft; Teams Assist never sees your password or messages.

Try the Teams Assist Panel

Common questions

How long before Teams goes idle?

Teams usually switches to Away after about five minutes without keyboard or mouse input. Teams Assist keeps the status you choose in Teams for web, so you stay Available while you read, write or work in other apps.

Can I change the Teams inactivity timeout?

Teams has no user setting for the idle timeout. Instead of changing the timeout, use Teams Assist to keep your chosen status for as long as you need: until you stop, for a set time or on a schedule.

Can I set Available for a fixed time in Teams?

Not in Teams itself: Duration only works for statuses other than Available. Teams Assist adds it, so you can stay Available for 30 minutes, two hours or until 15:30.

What about a locked or sleeping computer?

Teams treats a locked or sleeping computer as away. Teams Assist can keep your computer and screen awake while it runs, so short breaks do not turn you yellow.

Is there a tool that keeps my Teams status green?

Yes. Teams Assist is an Edge extension with a web Panel. It keeps the status you choose in Teams for web, supports timers and set times, and shows your live status.

Questions or feedback: support@teamsassist.net.