How to Set an Away Message in Teams: Status Message or Out of Office
Use a status message for a few hours and a scheduled out of office for days away, which also turns on your Outlook auto-reply. The steps for desktop and phone, the setting that shows your message when people write to you, and message examples.
To set an away message in Microsoft Teams, select your profile picture, select Set status message, type your message, turn on Show when people message me, choose when it clears, and select Done. People see it on your profile and above the message box when they write to you. For vacation or sick days, use Schedule out of office at the bottom of the same screen instead. It shows your message in Teams and turns on the same automatic reply in Outlook, between the dates you pick.
One catch from Microsoft's own page: "If you have a status message set in Teams, it will not show your automatic out-of-office reply from Microsoft Outlook." Clear the status message when you set an out of office.
We build Slack Green, which keeps your Slack status green during the hours you set. The Slack version of this page is Slack out of office message.
Status message, out of office, or status: which one
| Status message | Out of office | Status (Away, Be right back) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Profile picture, Set status message | Set status message, Schedule out of office | Profile picture, your status |
| Shows | Your text on your profile, and above the message box if you choose | Your text in Teams, plus an Outlook auto-reply | Only the colored dot |
| Ends | After the time you pick | At the end date you set | When you change it, or Teams resets it |
| Emails people | No | Yes, Outlook automatic replies | No |
| Good for | Lunch, focus time, a half day | Vacation, sick days, leave | Short breaks |
Set a status message on desktop
- Select your profile picture at the top right of Teams.
- Select Set status message.
- Type the message.
- Turn on Show when people message me, so it appears when someone opens a chat with you or @mentions you.
- Under Clear status message after, pick a time.
- Select Done.
On the phone app: tap your profile picture, tap Set status message, and follow the same steps. The option there is called Clear after.
A status message does not change your dot. If you want the dot to say you are away too, set a status such as Be right back or Appear away, as in how to appear offline on Teams.
Schedule an out of office in Teams
Never appear "away" on Slack again
Cloud-based. No downloads. Works 24/7 even when your laptop is off.
While it runs, your status shows Out of office, and people who chat with you see your message. Outlook shows the same automatic reply, and a change in either app shows in the other. To turn it off early, open the same screen, switch off Turn on automatic replies, and select Save.
On the phone app: tap your profile picture, tap your status, tap Out of office, turn on Set auto reply, write the message, and set your start and end dates.
Away message examples for Teams
Short status messages, each under a line:
At lunch, back at 1:30. Urgent: call my mobile.
Focus time until 3 PM. I'll reply after.
Out sick today. For project X, contact Dana.
In workshops all day, checking messages at 5 PM.
Travelling, replies may take a few hours.A full out of office reply:
Thanks for your message. I'm out of office from Monday 6 October to Friday
10 October with no access to Teams or email. For anything urgent about
[project], contact [name] at [email]. I'll reply when I'm back on 13 October.More ideas, including lighter ones, are in funny Teams status messages.
Set someone's out of office as an admin
When a colleague is on leave and cannot do it, an Exchange admin can set the reply from Exchange Online PowerShell. Teams picks it up because it reads the same Outlook setting:
Set-MailboxAutoReplyConfiguration -Identity "dana@company.com" -AutoReplyState Scheduled `
-StartTime "2026-10-06 08:00" -EndTime "2026-10-10 18:00" `
-InternalMessage "Dana is out until 13 October. Contact alex@company.com." `
-ExternalMessage "Dana is out until 13 October." -ExternalAudience AllAway message not showing in Teams
Never appear "away" on Slack again
Cloud-based. No downloads. Works 24/7 even when your laptop is off.
What an away message does not do
It does not change when Teams shows you Away. That still happens after about 5 idle minutes or when your screen locks, as in how to change Teams away time. And it does not stop messages or notifications. For that, use Do not disturb.
FAQ
How do I set an away message in Teams? Profile picture, Set status message, type it, turn on Show when people message me, choose when it clears, and select Done.
How do I set an out of office in Teams? Profile picture, Set status message, Schedule out of office. Turn on automatic replies, write the message, set the dates, and save.
Does a Teams out of office also set Outlook? Yes. Both use the same automatic reply, and a change in one shows in the other.
Why does my Outlook out of office not show in Teams? You have a Teams status message set. Microsoft says a status message hides the Outlook reply. Clear it.
Can I set an away message in Teams on my phone? Yes. Tap your profile picture, then Set status message, or tap your status and Out of office.
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