Does Caffeine Keep Teams Active? Windows Yes, Mac Opt-In

It depends which Caffeine you mean. Caffeine for Windows, the free Zhorn Software app, usually keeps Microsoft Teams active: it sends an F15 key event every 59 seconds, Windows counts that as keyboard input, and Teams never reaches its idle timer of about 5 minutes. Caffeine for Mac and Amphetamine do not in their default setup. They stop the Mac from sleeping but send no input, so Teams still turns yellow after about 5 minutes. Each has one optional setting that changes this: Caffeine's Keep apps active (version 1.6.2 and newer) posts a mouse-move event after 90 seconds of idle time, and Amphetamine can move the cursor on a timer. Teams Caffeine is a separate Chrome extension that fakes mouse movement in Teams on the web. None of them stop the instant Away you get when the screen locks.

Many people run both Teams and Slack, and Caffeine behaves differently in each, so this page covers Teams and ends with the Slack answer.

Which Caffeine keeps Teams green

Teams decides your status from input, not from whether the screen is on. It sets Away after about 5 minutes with no keyboard or mouse input anywhere on the computer, sets Away at once when you lock the screen, and sets Offline when the computer sleeps. A keep-awake tool that sends no input only fixes the last one. The full list of timers is in how long before Teams shows you as Away.

Caffeine for Windows: why it works for Teams

Zhorn Software's own page says Caffeine "works by simulating a keypress once every 59 seconds, so your machine thinks you're still working at the keyboard". The default key is F15, which almost no program uses. Windows records it as input and resets its idle time. Teams reads that same idle time, so it never gets to 5 minutes and keeps you Available.

This is why some guides say "Caffeine does not keep Teams active". They test the Mac app with its default settings, or a Windows sleep setting, and neither sends input. The Windows app in its default mode does send input.

If Caffeine runs and Teams still goes yellow, check these in order:

• The tray icon is a full coffee pot. Double-clicking the icon pauses Caffeine. An empty pot means it is off.
• You did not start it with -stes or -allowss. Zhorn's notes say these modes keep the machine awake "but not simulate activity, meaning any app which tracks user input will not see any".
• Try a full key press. By default Caffeine sends only a key-up event. The -keypress switch sends a full key down and key up, which some setups need.
• The screen still locks. A company lock policy that ignores simulated keys still sets you Away. Caffeine cannot fix that.
• Another device sets your status. Teams shows the status of the device you used last. A phone with Teams in the background can show Away. See Teams status stuck on Away.

To start Caffeine with a full key press, only during work hours, and only while the PC is plugged in, use a shortcut with these switches:

caffeine64.exe -keypress -activeperiods:0900-1800 -onac -notwhenlocked

-activeperiods takes a time range, -onac limits it to AC power, and -notwhenlocked pauses it when you lock the PC. Setup steps and every useful switch are in Caffeine app for Windows.

Caffeine for Mac: why Teams still goes Away by default

Caffeine for Mac is a different app with the same name. Tomas Franzén wrote it in 2006, and the current version, 1.6.4, comes from Dominic Rodemer at caffeine-app.net and needs macOS 14.6 or newer. In its default setup, it and Amphetamine hold a power assertion that stops the Mac from sleeping. They do not press keys or move the mouse. macOS idle time keeps counting, and Teams sets you Away about 5 minutes after your last real input, with the screen still lit.

The built-in caffeinate command does the same thing, and you can check it yourself:

# keeps the display and system awake, sends no input
caffeinate -d -i

Leave that running, do not touch the Mac, and Teams turns yellow at about the 5-minute mark. Keep-awake apps on a Mac do stop the Offline status that sleep causes, and that is still useful. For more, see the best app to keep a Mac awake and the caffeinate command.

The Keep apps active setting

Caffeine 1.6.2, released in December 2025, added one exception, and it is off by default. Right-click the cup, open Preferences and turn on Keep apps active. The app's source code (ActivitySimulator.swift in github.com/domzilla/Caffeine) then checks macOS idle time every 30 seconds. Once you have been idle for 90 seconds, it posts a mouse-move event at the pointer's current position. The pointer does not jump, but macOS resets its idle time, and that is the idle time Teams reads. A comment in the same file says the feature exists to stop "apps like Microsoft Teams from showing Away".

Three limits apply. It runs only while the cup is on. macOS asks for Accessibility permission the first time you turn it on, and without that permission nothing is posted. A screen lock set by your company still sets you Away.

To keep Teams green on a Mac, you need something that makes input: Caffeine with Keep apps active, Amphetamine's cursor option, or a mouse jiggler. Mac options are in mouse jiggler for Mac, and every Caffeine setting is in Caffeine app for Mac.

What is Teams Caffeine?

Teams Caffeine is a free browser extension for Chrome and Edge, open source on GitHub under the name g-guerzoni/teams-caffeine. Its README says it "keeps your Microsoft Teams status active by simulating mouse movement at regular intervals". It runs only on Microsoft Teams pages, so it helps only if you use Teams in the browser at teams.microsoft.com. It does not touch the Teams desktop app, and it cannot stop a screen lock or sleep.

Other keep-awake extensions only stop the computer from sleeping. The difference is in keep-awake Chrome extensions.

Can IT see that you use Caffeine?

On a company PC, often yes. Caffeine is a running process that software inventory and endpoint tools can list, and one Reddit thread in r/antiwork is titled "IT department detected use of the Caffeine app". Windows also marks simulated key events as injected input, which monitoring tools can read. Teams itself does not report how the input arrived. More detail is in can a mouse jiggler be detected.

Does Caffeine keep Slack active too?

On Windows, it should. The Slack desktop app counts keyboard and mouse input anywhere on the computer (Slack desktop 4.52.178 code, checked 7 Oct 2026), so Caffeine's F15 resets its idle time the same way it does for Teams, while the PC is awake and unlocked. We have not timed that on Windows. Keeping the PC awake stops the Away you get from sleep, but Slack still turns grey 10 minutes after your last keyboard or mouse input. Caffeine for Mac's Keep apps active option posts a software mouse move, and on a Mac that may not count: in our 4 and 8 Oct 2026 tests a 1-pixel software move did not reset the idle counter that Slack reads. Do not count on it for Slack. We tested the Mac version in does Caffeine keep Slack active. Tools that keep Teams and Slack both green are compared in keep Teams and Slack active.

FAQ

Does Caffeine keep Teams active?

Caffeine for Windows usually does, because it sends an F15 key every 59 seconds. Caffeine for Mac does not by default, because it only stops sleep. Its optional Keep apps active setting posts a mouse-move event after 90 seconds of idle time, and that keeps Teams green.

Why is Caffeine not keeping Teams active?

Caffeine may be paused, started with -stes, or running on a Mac with Keep apps active off. A screen lock policy or another signed-in device can also set Away. Try the -keypress switch on Windows.

Is there a Caffeine for Teams?

Teams Caffeine is a Chrome and Edge extension for Teams on the web. For the desktop app, use Caffeine for Windows or a mouse jiggler.

Does Amphetamine keep Teams active?

Not by default. It stops the Mac from sleeping but sends no input, so Teams sets Away after about 5 minutes. Its optional cursor setting moves the pointer after a set time without input, and that keeps Teams green.

Is Caffeine safe to use at work?

The app is small freeware from zhornsoftware.co.uk. Your company may still block it or see it running, so check your IT policy.