Teams Status Message for Delayed Responses: 28 Templates That Also Fit Slack

A Teams status message for delayed responses tells people three things before they message you: replies will be slow, until when, and what to do if it cannot wait. For example: "In workshops all day, replies after 5 PM. Urgent: call my mobile." Teams shows the message at the top of a chat with you when you turn on Show when people message me, so people see it before they type. Set it to clear at the end of the day, and pair it with Busy or Do not disturb if you also want fewer notifications. In Slack, the same lines work as a custom status: all 28 below fit Slack's 100-character status limit, and our Slack status for limited availability guide covers the Slack side.

For longer absences, see Teams status messages for leave.

Delayed-response status messages by reason

Each one fits in Teams' 280-character limit. Replace the words in brackets.

Focus time and heads-down work

Focus time until [3 PM]. I'll reply after that.
Heads down on [project] today. Replies may be delayed.
Deep work block until [noon]. Urgent: call me.
Checking messages at [11 AM] and [4 PM] today.
Working on a deadline, slow to reply. @mention me if it's urgent.

Meetings and workshops

In meetings all day. Replies tonight or tomorrow morning.
In workshops [9-5], checking messages at breaks.
Back-to-back calls until [4 PM]. Chat replies after.
At an offsite today. Replies may take a few hours.
Presenting this morning, online from [1 PM].

Travel and time zones

Travelling today. Replies may take a few hours.
On a flight until [time]. I'll catch up when I land.
I'm in [Singapore] (UTC+8). Expect replies [9 AM-6 PM] my time.
Working from [London] this week. Replies may be delayed by time zone.
Different time zone this week, replies during my morning.

Busy weeks

Deadline Friday, slow on chat. Email for anything urgent.
Quarter-end week. Replies within a day.
Covering for [name] this week, responses may be slower.
Limited availability today. For [area], contact [name].
Catching up after time off. Thanks for your patience.
Short on time today. Please put everything in one message.

No hello and better messages

Please send your question in the first message, not just "hi". Thanks!
No need to say hello first. Just ask, I'll reply when I can.
Async by default. Send details and I'll answer when I'm free.
For quick answers, include the link and the deadline.
Please post questions in [channel] so the team can help too.
Replies within a few hours. If it's urgent, @mention me in [channel].
Tip: ask the full question in one message and you'll get a faster answer.

For lighter wording, see funny Teams status messages. For busy time without a message, how to look busy on Teams covers the status options.

How to set a delayed-response status in Teams

• Select your profile picture at the top right of Teams.
• Select Set status message and paste your message.
• Turn on Show when people message me.
• Under Clear status message after, pick Today, or a custom time such as the end of your focus block.
• Select Done.

The status message does not change your dot. To cut notifications during the same time, select your profile picture, choose your current presence, and pick Busy or Do not disturb. The difference is in Teams Busy vs In a meeting.

What the Teams editor allows, checked in its code

On 2 November 2026 we downloaded the JavaScript that teams.microsoft.com serves before sign-in and read the status message editor's limits from it. This is the script we ran:

import re, urllib.request

UA = {"User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh) Chrome/140.0"}
def get(url):
    req = urllib.request.Request(url, headers=UA)
    return urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=60).read().decode()

html = get("https://teams.microsoft.com/v2/")
assets = re.findall(r"https://[^\"'\s]+?/hashed-assets/[^\"'\s]+?\.js", html)
js = get(next(u for u in assets if "/async-entry-" in u))

var = re.search(r'replace\("\{\{maxLength\}\}",`\$\{(\w+)\}`\)', js).group(1)
limit = re.search(rf"(?<![\w$]){var}=(\d+)", js).group(1)
clear = re.search(r"clearStatusAfterTexts \{\s+id\s+((?:clearAfter\w+Text\s+)+)\}", js)
pin = re.search(r"\{message:\w+,pinStatusToChat:\w+,expiry:", js)

print("max characters:", limit)
print("clear after:   ", " ".join(clear.group(1).split()))
print("saved with text:", pin.group(0) + "...}")

It printed:

max characters: 280
clear after:    clearAfterNeverText clearAfterTodayText clearAfterOneHrText clearAfterFourHrText clearAfterWeekText clearAfterCustomText
saved with text: {message:vo,pinStatusToChat:d,expiry:...}

So a delayed-response message can be up to 280 characters, and the clear-after choices are Never, Today, 1 hour, 4 hours, This week and Custom. Show when people message me is saved as pinStatusToChat together with the text and the clear-after time, so if you paste a new message with the box unticked, the banner in chats goes off. The 28 templates above run from 39 to 73 characters, so each one also fits a Slack status. If yours does not show in chats, see Teams status message not showing.

Status message or Busy, Do not disturb?

Use both. The presence, Busy or Do not disturb, sets the color of your dot and how Teams handles notifications. The status message tells people why you are slow and what to do meanwhile. A red dot with no message makes people guess; a message with a green dot makes them expect a quick answer.

Tips for a delayed-response status

• • Give a time, not only "busy". "Replies after 3 PM" beats "Busy today".
• • Offer an urgent path. A phone number, a colleague, or an @mention in a channel.
• • Clear it when it is over. A status still saying "in workshops" the next day tells people you are ignoring them.
• • Keep it under two lines. People read the first line in the chat banner.

FAQ

What should my Teams status say if I'm busy and will reply late? That replies are delayed, until when, and an urgent contact. Example: "In workshops until 5 PM. Urgent: call me."

How do I show a status message when someone messages me in Teams? Turn on Show when people message me when you set the status message.

Does a Teams status message change my availability? No. Set Busy or Do not disturb separately.

How long can a Teams status message be? Up to 280 characters.