my status always shows as “Unknown” and I cannot change it

Luk M 15 Reputation points
2026-02-08T03:57:27.0666667+00:00

After signing into Microsoft Teams, my status always shows as “Unknown” and I cannot change it to Online, Busy, or any other status. I can still send and receive messages and calls, but everyone in my contact list also shows “Unknown” even when they are online. How can I fix this?

Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams Free | Other
0 comments

4 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Luk M 15 Reputation points
    2026-02-08T07:39:22.8566667+00:00

    None of these helped, I can still send and receive messages and calls, I must have signed in already. I can't change my presence setting, click on other status doesn't do anything, my status is still unknown. My internet connection is stable, but I don't know how to check if there's a communication issue affecting the UPS. I'm using my old personal skype account

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.

  2. AI answer

    2026-02-08T03:57:36.75+00:00

    If your status in Microsoft Teams is always showing as "Unknown" and you cannot change it, there are several potential causes and steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue:

    1. Verify Sign-in: Ensure that you are signed into Microsoft Teams. If you are not signed in, your status may show as unknown.
    2. Check Presence Settings: Make sure that you have not set your presence status to "Appear offline". This can cause your status to show as unknown.
    3. Network Connectivity: Check your network connection. A communication issue affecting the unified presence service (UPS) can lead to this problem. Ensure that you have a stable internet connection.
    4. Using Skype for Business: If you are using Microsoft Skype for Business, this may lead to expected behavior where your presence status does not update correctly in Teams.
    5. Contact Support: If none of these steps resolve the issue, you may need to open a support ticket with Microsoft. Include the sign-in addresses of both yourself and the contacts whose presence is showing as unknown, along with relevant logs.

    By following these steps, you should be able to identify and potentially resolve the issue with your presence status in Microsoft Teams.

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

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
  3. Ruwim.B 6,995 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-02-08T19:09:31.55+00:00

    According to the most recent service status update from Microsoft, the "presence status" issue should be fixed within the next hour.

    https://status.cloud.microsoft/m365/

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Ruwim.B 6,995 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-02-08T10:04:12.48+00:00

    There is probably a server-side issue with presence status in Teams personal account.

    My status is shown correctly on my main account, but when I try to sign in with another account on Teams for Web app, the status is shown as "Unknown" and cannot be changed. I have tested several different accounts, and all exhibit this issue.

    If this is a server-side issue, then it might take some time before it will be fixed, especially taking into account that it is still weekend now.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.