How to Keep Your Zoom Status Active and Stop Showing Away

To keep your Zoom status active, turn off the automatic Away setting. In the Zoom Workplace desktop app, click your profile picture, then Settings, then the General tab. Under Presence status, switch off Change status to "Away" when inactive for. Then set yourself Available. By default Zoom sets you Away after 15 minutes of inactivity. Slack and Teams have no setting like this. You can also keep the toggle on and choose a longer time from the drop-down.

That missing setting is why so many people search for workarounds on Slack and Teams.

Turn off Away when inactive, step by step

Zoom desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux):

• Sign in to the Zoom Workplace desktop app.
• Click your profile picture, then Settings.
• Click the General tab.
• Under Presence status, switch off Change status to "Away" when inactive for.
• Or leave it on and choose the number of minutes from the drop-down below it.

Zoom Web App: the same setting is available in the web app's settings, per Zoom's support article on changing your presence status to Away when inactive.

Then set your status by hand: click your profile picture and choose Available. If you set Busy, Zoom clears it after 24 hours.

If the toggle is missing or greyed out, your company's Zoom admin may control it, or your app may be older than Zoom's minimum version. Update the app first, then ask IT.

What still sets your Zoom status to Away or Offline

Turning off the inactivity timer stops the most common cause. Other events still change what people see:

Sleep. Zoom can only report you while the app runs and is online. Stop the computer from sleeping during work hours: on a Mac, System Settings, then Lock Screen; on Windows 11, Settings, then System, then Power & battery. A keep-awake tool also works; see keep your computer awake without admin rights.

Your phone. Zoom's status syncs across devices. If only the mobile app is signed in, contacts see Available (mobile), which has its own icon. When the desktop app is also signed in, the desktop status wins. So the phone does not replace the desktop app if you want the desktop Available status.

Meetings. Joining a meeting sets In a Zoom meeting automatically. If you set Available by hand during a meeting, Reset in the status menu brings back the automatic status.

What each Zoom icon means, from the green circle to the red camera, is in Zoom status icons meaning.

Does Zoom kick you out for inactivity?

Yes, in one case. Since app version 6.6.5, Zoom shows a 5-minute countdown when a meeting has had no activity for 55 minutes, and ends it if nobody responds. Meetings hosted on a free account also end at 40 minutes, active or not. Your Away status never removes you from a meeting. The limits and how to turn the timer off are in does Zoom kick you out for inactivity. Your company can also sign you out of the app after a period set by its security policy, which is separate from presence.

Want the opposite, an Away status that stays? Zoom clears a manual Away as soon as you use the app again; how to set Away on Zoom covers Busy, Do not disturb and Out of office.

Keeping Zoom, Slack and Teams green together

Many people run Zoom next to Slack or Teams. To show your Zoom meetings in your Slack status, see how to sync your Zoom status with Slack. The three apps follow different rules for idle time:

For Slack, the desktop app needs keyboard or mouse input on the computer, and no setting changes the 10 minutes. The methods are in how to keep Slack active. For Teams, see how to keep Teams status available. If you run all of them, keep Teams and Slack active covers the pair, and how to keep Google Chat active covers Google's app.

FAQ

How do I stop Zoom from showing me as away?

Turn off Change status to "Away" when inactive for in Settings, General, Presence status, then set yourself Available.

How long before Zoom shows away?

15 minutes of inactivity by default. You can change the number of minutes or turn it off.

How do I keep the green dot on Zoom?

Stay signed in to the desktop app, turn off Away when inactive, set Available, and stop the computer from sleeping.

Can I keep Zoom active on my phone?

Your status syncs across devices. With only the phone signed in, contacts see Available (mobile). Keep the desktop app signed in for the desktop status.

Why does my Zoom status say In a calendar event?

Your calendar is synced with Zoom and you are in a calendar event. It changes back when the event ends, or use Reset after you set a status by hand.

Does a mouse jiggler keep Zoom active?

It stops the inactivity timer while the computer stays unlocked, but on Zoom you do not need one. Turn the setting off instead. Jigglers can show up on company laptops, as covered in can a mouse jiggler be detected.