Enhancement Request #2: Improve Teams Presence Accuracy

Shay B 0 Reputation points
2026-09-21T18:53:59.36+00:00

Allow Users to Control When Their Teams Status Changes to Away

User Story

Microsoft Teams users,

Should be able to have their status to remain Active until they choose a different status,

so their availability is not incorrectly shown as Away while they are actively working.

Current State

Teams automatically changes a user's status to Away after a period of inactivity. Users may still be actively working by reading documents, reviewing reports, listening to recordings, analyzing data, or participating in meetings when their status changes.

Future State

Users remain Active unless they manually select a different status or their device is locked, asleep, or disconnected.

Business Value

Provides a more accurate representation of availability, reduces confusion among team members, and eliminates the need for users to artificially generate activity to maintain an Active status.

Criteria

Criteria 1: IF a user is logged into Teams and their device remains active, THEN their status remains Active unless they manually select a different status.

Criteria 2: IF a user is working without keyboard or mouse activity, THEN Teams does not automatically change the user's status to Away.

Criteria 3: IF a user wants to indicate they are unavailable, THEN they can manually select an appropriate status.

Criteria 4: IF a user's device is locked, asleep, or disconnected, THEN Teams may update the user's status accordingly.

Example

A user spends 30 minutes reviewing requirements, reading documentation, listening to a meeting recording, or analyzing data without typing. Although no keyboard or mouse activity occurs, the user remains actively engaged in work. Teams should continue to show the user as Active until the user chooses a different status or is no longer connected to their device.

Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams for business | Settings | Online status
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-21T18:54:16.59+00:00

    The requested behavior is not supported as a general Teams desktop presence setting.

    Teams presence is automatically based on user activity, the Teams app state, and Outlook calendar state. On a computer, presence changes to Away automatically after a few minutes of inactivity or when the computer is locked, and it becomes Offline when the computer enters sleep mode. If a user is signed in on multiple devices, the most recently active device determines presence.

    Users can manually set a status, but manual status does not create a permanent “stay Active while no keyboard or mouse activity occurs” behavior. Manual statuses remain for a limited duration depending on the status, unless the user selects Appear offline, which remains indefinitely until changed.

    A supported option exists in Teams for Web:

    1. Open Teams for Web.
    2. Go to Settings.
    3. Open Notifications and Activity > Presence.
    4. Turn on Keep my current status when I'm active outside of Teams on the web.
    5. When the browser prompts for permission, select Allow.

    This helps prevent status from switching to Away when work is happening in other browser tabs or apps while using Teams on the web. If Block is selected, Teams cannot detect activity outside the app and status may still change to Away.

    For cases where presence is not reflecting actual status correctly, these supported troubleshooting paths are available:

    1. Run the Teams Presence Based on Calendar Events connectivity test in the Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer.
    2. If an administrator is available, run the Teams Presence diagnostic in the Microsoft 365 admin center.

    If the goal is a product enhancement where users remain Active until they manually change status unless the device is locked, asleep, or disconnected, that is a feature request rather than an existing Teams capability described here.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Jay1 Tran 1,720 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-21T19:19:57.96+00:00

    Hi Shay B,

    Thank you for sharing this detailed suggestion regarding how Microsoft Teams determines a user’s availability status.

    Your examples clearly explain why a user may still be actively working even when there is no keyboard or mouse activity. Since this would require a change to the way Teams presence is currently designed, I recommend submitting the suggestion through the Microsoft Feedback Portal. This allows the Microsoft product team to review the request, and other users can vote for it to demonstrate broader interest.

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    When submitting the feedback, please include the user story, business value, criteria, and example you provided here. These details will help the product team better evaluate the request.

    Thank you again for your time and for raising this important usability concern. If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.         

    Wishing you a smooth rest of your day.  

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