Privacy & workplace IT · 6 MIN READ

How to use a Teams status tool on a work computer

“Will IT notice?” is usually the wrong first question. The useful questions are what the extension accesses, what remains in your browser and whether your workplace allows it.

By Teams Assist · Updated 27 October 2026

Use an approved extension—not a promise of invisibility

Teams Assist works locally with your signed-in Teams web tab and provides status, timer and readback controls in its Panel. It does not hide its installation from managed Edge or bypass workplace policies. Where your organisation permits it, it solves the status-control task without a separate desktop program or USB device.

Can IT see a browser extension?

Managed browsers can restrict which extensions are installed and enforce installation policies. Whether your employer inventories extensions depends on its management tools and policies. A Teams presence dot alone does not tell you what those tools can see.

There is no factual basis for saying Teams Assist is undetectable. Running in a browser changes how the tool is installed; it does not make the installation invisible. An official store listing is a distribution channel, not your employer’s approval.

What the status connection actually needs

Microsoft sign-in happens on Microsoft’s own Teams website. Teams Assist uses the open Teams profile and presence controls; it does not ask you to share a Microsoft password with the Panel. Its status workflow reads profile presence and can look for a call control to pause changes.

The extension stores settings, tab selection, status readings and recent diagnostic events locally. Account preferences and schedules are a separate website feature. “Local status handling” therefore does not mean that the website stores no account data. The privacy page describes that distinction.

The declared permissions include storage, alarms, scripting and power, with page access scoped to Teams web domains. Power supports the optional awake request. A reviewer should consider both the permissions and their purpose, not a blanket claim that an extension is harmless.

A practical approval and setup checklist

Check your organisation’s extension policy.
If Edge is managed or installation is blocked, ask your IT team whether Teams Assist is permitted. Do not change policy settings to get around a block.
Share the store listing and privacy page.
Explain the actual purpose: selected Teams web status during working sessions, timers and weekday blocks. Include that the Teams tab remains open in your browser.
Separate presence from attendance.
Agree on what Available or Busy should mean in your team. A status tool is not a record of hours worked or evidence that someone is at their desk.
Use only the options you need.
For status control, connect Teams and start a timed session. Enable keep-awake only where it fits your organisation’s device and screen-lock rules.

Why Teams Assist fits this workflow

The advantage is a clear, inspectable working arrangement: a visible extension, a signed-in Teams web tab and a Panel showing the requested and observed status. You get the timer and recurring status controls without introducing a separate desktop utility or physical input device.

That is the problem Teams Assist solves on an approved work computer. It keeps status management in the browser, leaves Microsoft sign-in with Microsoft and gives you explicit session controls—not concealment from IT.

Questions that come up

Is Teams Assist invisible to IT?

No. Managed Edge and workplace tools may expose or restrict installed extensions. Teams Assist does not hide its installation or bypass those controls.

Does Teams Assist receive my Microsoft password?

Microsoft sign-in stays on Microsoft’s website. The Panel account is separate; the extension works with the already signed-in Teams web tab.

Can I use it on a managed work computer?

Use it when your organisation allows the extension and its intended purpose. If installation is restricted, ask for approval rather than bypassing the policy.

Sources & further reading

Microsoft Learn: Manage Edge extensions ↗How administrators control extensions in managed Edge.
Teams Assist privacy ↗Website account data, local extension state and Microsoft sign-in.
Microsoft Support: Change your status in Teams ↗Status meanings, duration and Teams for web presence settings.

Microsoft documentation explains Teams behaviour. The Teams Assist steps describe the current Panel and extension.

Keep status management straightforward

Once approved, connect Teams for web and manage your working-session status from Teams Assist.

Open Teams Assist

Keep reading

How to keep your Teams status green while you workKeep Microsoft Teams Available while you work: set up Teams Assist in Edge, choose a timer and check the status read from Teams.How to stop Teams showing Away when you work in another tabTeams turns Away while you work in another tab? Check web presence settings, the signed-in tab and status readback, then use Teams Assist.How to keep Teams active without moving your mouseA practical alternative to moving your mouse: understand sleep versus Teams presence, then use Teams Assist for timed status control in Edge.

Questions or feedback: support@teamsassist.net.