How to Appear Always Online in Microsoft Teams

With more and more people working remotely or from home, the line between work and private life is getting more and more blurred.
Nowadays it is not “strange” to go jogging, shopping or even getting a quick nap during working hours.
If you are afraid of doing this because of appearing offline at work,
discover in this post how to appear always online in Microsoft Teams.

A step-by-step guide on how to appear always online, understand the reasons why you would like to appear always online in Teams and the main benefits of doing so.

And at the end, some of out of the box ideas.
All, you will find in this post. Let’s see first how to do it step by step inside de Microsoft TEAMS app.

Step by step how to appear always connected in Microsoft TEAMS

Table of content Show

Step #1 Open Microsoft Teams

Step #2
In the top right corner, click on your profile picture.

Step #3
Click on your status (a dropdown menu will appear)

Step #4 Select the status that you would like to have.
For example Busy.

Step #5 Click on Duration

Step #6 Define the timing and click Done.
In this case - busy until 28th March 2023.
Once all is set, click on Done.

Mouse moving Apps.

As it sounds an App that is it moving your mouse.

This is a free app (you can find it here in the Microsoft store) that automatically moves the mouse around the screen, and perform some clicks…without your interaction

Why to use such app?
In case you want to appear as “connected” while you are away from your laptop,

this is a very simple and effective way to make it happen.

As well,
in case you are running a long report that you want your machine to stay awake for, the Move Mouse app will help you in such case.

The best of it, this app is free of charge, and you can download it here.

Teams open on your laptop and in your phone

This is a very simple way.
You need to make sure you have Teams open on both your laptop and your phone.
While you leave the Teams app on your smartphone open, ensure you turn off the automatic Lock Screen features on both devices.
Why do so?
This way, you will be always online.

Caffeine app

Caffeine (not the drink but the app) is preventing your computer from going to sleep.

Discover how the app works here:

If you want to download the app, this is here.

This is free of charge

Run a Macro code in Excel

You can run an Excel Macro code, that will deactivate the sleep mode, setting the Teams status always on available.

If you don’t know what Excel Macros are about – discover more here

Code:

Dim objShell, lngMinutes, boolValid 

Set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell") 

lngMinutes = InputBox("Hello! How long you want to keep your system awake?" & Replace(Space(5), " ", vbNewLine) & "Enter minutes:", "Awake Duration") 'we are replacing 5 spaces with new lines 

If lngMinutes = vbEmpty Then 'If the user opts to cancel the process 

'Do nothing 

Else 

On Error Resume Next 

Err.Clear 

boolValid = False 

lngMinutes = CLng(lngMinutes) 

If Err.Number = 0 Then 'input is numeric 

If lngMinutes > 0 Then 'input is greater than zero 

For i = 1 To lngMinutes 

WScript.Sleep 60000 '60 seconds 

objShell.SendKeys "{SCROLLLOCK 2}" 

Next 

boolValid = True 

MsgBox "Forced awake time over. Back to normal routine.", vbOKOnly+vbInformation, "Task Completed" 

End If 

End If 

On Error Goto 0 

If boolValid = False Then 

MsgBox "Incorrect input, script won't run" & vbNewLine & "You can only enter a numeric value greater than zero", vbOKOnly+vbCritical, "Task Failed" 

End If 

End If 

Set objShell = Nothing 

Wscript.Quit 0

Play black screen videos on YouTube

If you want no distractions no sounds, you can simply play long black-screen videos on YouTube,
this way you will ensure your laptop does not go into sleep mode, and you will keep appearing active in Teams.

The Simpsons – Homer style

There are plenty of other creative ways to make your Teams appear as active,
here you can find some of the creative was to appear always as active in Teams :

  1. Connecting your mouse to a ventilator
  2. Placing your mouse on top of a platform with movement
  3. Home style – The drinking bird

In this case, the only limitation is your imagination.

Why would you like to appear always online in Microsoft Teams?

You may wonder – why you would like to appear always online in Microsoft Teams.

I bring you here a few reasons for you to consider.

  • Show your availability for quick responses to your colleagues and managers.
  • Maintain visibility in remote work environments where physical presence is not possible.
  • Demonstrate a strong work ethic and dedication to the job.
  • Show that you are actively engaged in work and are not ignoring messages or requests.
  • Ensure that you don't miss any important notifications or updates.
  • Provide a sense of reassurance to colleagues and clients that you are present and working.
  • Make it easier for colleagues to reach you for urgent matters.
  • Maintain a sense of connectedness and teamwork with colleagues, especially in remote work environments.
  • Facilitate collaboration and information sharing with colleagues.
  • Build trust and credibility with colleagues and clients.

Now that you know the reasons,
let’s see some of the benefits of appearing always online in Teams

Benefits of appearing always online in Teams

With the increased of working from

  • Improved communication and collaboration with colleagues, clients, and partners.
  • Increased visibility and accessibility to your team, especially in remote work environments.
  • Faster response times to urgent matters or time-sensitive requests.
  • Enhanced team spirit and engagement through real-time collaboration.
  • Increased trust and credibility with colleagues and clients by showing a strong work ethic and dedication to the job.
  • Improved productivity by staying connected and engaged with the team.
  • Better alignment with team goals and objectives through regular communication and collaboration.
  • Ability to quickly address issues or challenges before they escalate.
  • More opportunities to participate in team projects and discussions.
  • Greater accountability by being present and visible to colleagues and clients.

Conclusions on appearing always online in Teams

From time to time,
it is needed to simply appear active when you are not.

All these options presented in this post are only in case you of exceptional needs.

If you find yourself often in the need of appearing online when you are not, you may want to have a serious conversation first with yourself and alter with your manager to work on your career path and what it can be done differently.

FAQ Teams is always online

Some of the questions often asked regarding appearing always online.

How do I stop Microsoft Teams from showing away?

Open Teams, click on your profile (top right corner) , select the status, click on duration select until when you would like to have that status and click on Done. Following these steps, you will always appear as active in Teams

Why does Microsoft Teams show away when online?

When you are away for more than 5 minutes, the Teams app can show you away. However, there are cases when you appear away when in reality you are online, the best way to manage it is by setting up manually your status, clicking on to the top right corner, and selecting the status available (you can even include a message in your status mentioning that your Teams is showing you away when in reality you are online)

How do I always appear online on Microsoft Teams Reddit?

As per Reddit style, there are a few hacks you can implement to appear always online. Download an app that moves the mouse, run a VBA Excel Macro code, play long YouTube videos, install the Caffeine app.. there are plenty of options to ensure you appear always connected in Teams.

How long does it take for Teams to go yellow?

After 5-10 minutes of inactivity, your Teams will go into inactive status. It depends on your individual setups in your Microsoft account

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