Resources
 

How to Change Microsoft Teams’ Away Time

When we log into Microsoft Teams, the app sets our status to “Available.” However, if we’re away and need to let colleagues know, we need to change the away time. Here’s how: locate the profile pic in the top right corner and click it. A menu will appear; select “Set status message.” Choose a pre-set status or create one. Click “Done” to save.

Changing the away time has many benefits:

  1. Accurately informing colleagues about availability avoids miscommunication and delays.
  2. Manage expectations within the team. If overwhelmed, update status to show unavailability. This stops interruptions and helps concentrate on tasks.
  3. Signal everyone deserves downtime to promote a healthy work-life balance. Indicate unavailability in Microsoft Teams when taking breaks.

Understanding Microsoft Teams Away Time

Microsoft Teams Away Time is the period when users aren’t using the app. During this time, they’re marked as “away” in the app. To change it, users need to access their profile settings. Clicking on their profile picture or initials in the upper right corner of the screen will bring up a dropdown menu. Select “Settings” and the “General” tab.

In the General settings, there’s an option labelled “Set status as away after being inactive for“. Click this menu to choose how long before they’re marked as “away”. Options range from 5 minutes to 6 hours.

This feature is useful for people who switch between active and passive usage. It originated from when instant messaging apps were used for real-time communication. Knowing if someone was available or not was important. This simple feature allowed teams to manage expectations and optimize communication workflows.

Steps to Change Microsoft Teams Away Time

Microsoft Teams is a go-to communication and collaboration platform for teams globally. You can personalize your availability and maximize efficient communication with your colleagues by quickly changing your away time in Microsoft Teams. Here’s how:

  1. Launch the Microsoft Teams application on your device.
  2. Click your profile photo or avatar at the top right corner of the screen.
  3. In the drop-down menu, select “Settings”.
  4. In the settings menu, choose “Privacy” and head to the “Status” section. Here, you can customize away time to fit your preferences.

By doing this, you can stay up-to-date with your team members. Changing away time doesn’t mean you’re totally unavailable. Rather, it lets others know if you’re active or not. This feature is helpful when collaborating on projects or attending virtual meetings.

So customize your Microsoft Teams away time today to boost productivity and ensure seamless communication with your team.

Fun fact: Gartner’s 2020 survey shows Microsoft Teams is the 2nd most widely used online meeting platform after Zoom.

Troubleshooting and FAQs

Having trouble with Microsoft Teams? Here’s some useful info to help you out!

  • Unable to change your away time?
  • Make sure you have the right permissions.
  • Try restarting the app or clear its cache.
  • Check for any updates.
  • Contact IT support for more help.
  • Want to customize your availability?

Still need help? Here’s more info:

If none of these tips work, it might be because your organization has blocked this feature. In that case, get in touch with your IT department.

Fun fact: Gartner reported in 2020 that Microsoft Teams had 115 million daily active users worldwide!

Conclusion

To end, changing your away time on Microsoft Teams is a simple process that can help productivity and communication. You should set realistic expectations for yourself and others by updating your status to reflect when you are away from your desk.

The status message feature allows you to give more info about your absence. For instance, you can say if you are in a meeting or out of the office.

It is essential to review and update your away time settings regularly. This will keep your status current and accurate.

Start your free trial now

No credit card required

Your projects are processes, Take control of them today.