How to Change idle Time on Teams? (Step by Step)

Microsoft Teams is a popular platform for collaboration and communication. Every user has a presence status on Teams, which changes automatically according to their activity.

When you remain inactive for 5 minutes, Teams assigns you an idle status by default, which is annoying to some users. Fortunately, you can set a custom timeline for appearing idle or staying available on the app.

This guide explains in detail how to change idle time on Teams with step-by-step instructions.

Part 1. How to Change Idle Time on Teams?

Microsoft Teams offers various useful features to improve productivity and promote connectivity on the platform. One such feature is the presence status, which indicates the availability of users in real time. This is important when you need to discuss something urgent or waiting for a response from a co-worker.

If you don’t use the app for up to 5 minutes, you are marked idle on Teams until your activity is noticed. MS Teams tracks the time you haven’t interacted with the app, like clicking in the app, placing a call, etc. This frequent status switching can be frustrating to you, like many other users in Teams.

Teams lets you define a specific duration for setting idle time on your desktop or web browser versions for both paid and free plans. However, it is currently unavailable in mobile apps.

From desktop or web, follow the below steps to learn how to change idle times in Teams:

Visit the official website of Microsoft Office or launch your Teams desktop app. You can also sign in to your account using Teams on a web browser.

After successfully signing in to your Teams account, you can access your profile dropdown to edit or optimize some sections. Click on the circular profile icon in the top right corner to open the profile options.
Before changing the duration of your idle status, you first need to set your profile status in Microsoft Teams. Click on your current status to get the drop-down list to appear under your name and email address. You can even change your current status and set a new status from the menu.
Next, select Duration from the list under your status to allocate the timeline against your status.

You can set your idle status to either Busy or Appear Away.

You can choose any suitable time frame for your status to last. If you want to add a different timeline, select the Customized option under the reset status after the section. Enter the date and time for your status according to your choice.

Finally, hit the Done button to save the changes.

This way, you can easily address how to set idle time in Microsoft Teams and how to increase idle time in Teams.

Although Microsoft Teams idle time settings are simple to configure, it is important to make sure that your Teams app has the latest version and shows the correct status to the users. In case it is outdated, it may display the wrong presence status and raise issues. Therefore, always install the recent updates to avoid any mishaps or glitches.

Part 2. FAQS About Microsoft Teams Idle Time Settings

Q1. Does Microsoft Teams Track Idle Time?

Yes, Microsoft Teams tracks the idle time when you go inactive with no cursor moves, clicks, messages, or activity on the platform for 5 minutes. Also, when your device turns to sleep mode, it changes your status to idle automatically until you interact with the app.

Q2. How to Extend Idle Time on Microsoft Teams?

To extend idle time on Microsoft Teams, you can set the status to Busy, Do not disturb, Appear offline, etc.

Launch Microsoft Teams and click the profile pic icon from the top-right corner.
Click the current status.
Click Duration, choose the status type, select the duration, and click Done.

This way, you can extend idle time on Microsoft Teams.

Q3. How Do I Stop Microsoft Teams from Going Idle?

One way to stop Microsoft Teams from going idle is to manually set your availability status to Busy or Do Not Disturb. Besides that, you can stay active on the app by typing and clicking. Also, keep moving your cursor frequently before the 5-minute timeframe to prevent idle mode.

Q4. How Do I Stop Microsoft Teams from Showing Away After 5 Minutes?

To stop Microsoft Teams from showing Away after 5 minutes, follow the below steps:

Launch Microsoft Teams and click the profile pic icon from the top-right corner.
Click the Set status message.
Type the custom status you want to add or type just a full stop.
Under the Clear status message after section, pick Never.
Click Done.

This way, Microsoft Teams will not show “away” after 5 minutes while you are using other apps.

Q5. How Does Microsoft Teams Detect Idle?

Microsoft Teams detects idle mode when your computer goes to sleep or idle mode, or you lock it yourself. Whereas your presence status automatically changes to Away on a mobile app if your Teams app is in the background. Moreover, if you are inactive for 5 minutes, it changes the presence status.

Final Words

Microsoft Teams is an excellent tool for students, business professionals, and individuals to communicate effectively. Although it comes with several useful options, its status-switching feature often becomes frustrating for users.

If your device goes to sleep mode or you don’t interact with the app for 5 minutes, Teams detects it and changes your presence status to idle. Therefore, this guide has discussed thoroughly on how to change idle time on Teams. So, follow the steps and customize the ideal time on Teams the way you want.