Teams changing my status to away if im not in (browser) tab

Question

Teams changing my status to away if im not in (browser) tab

pH 81

While working in browser my status is being changed to "away" and switches to "active" only when I switch Tab to one with Teams. So if I work in browser with browser version of Teams I am being shown as away despite normally working.

Jesuino 30 Reputation points

2023-04-17T19:35:54.4166667+00:00

I have the same issue, using Fedora 37 and Chrome Version 112.0.5615.121
Any chance of this being fixed?
Dustin Van Tate Testa 10 Reputation points

2023-05-30T15:26:31.72+00:00

Same problem. I seems microsoft only supports the desktop app despite claiming that the web version is adequate for Linux and MacOS users
Dustin Van Tate Testa 10 Reputation points

2023-05-30T15:26:34.61+00:00

Same problem. I seems microsoft only supports the desktop app despite claiming that the web version is adequate for Linux and MacOS users
THIAGO GONCALVES 5 Reputation points

2023-10-20T16:36:47.21+00:00

I have the same issue.
Scott Palmer 0 Reputation points

2024-02-05T18:45:01.41+00:00

Same issue - Fedora 39 (wayland) - Brave v1.62.156 (Jan 31, 2024)

It seems all Chromium based browsers have this issue including Edge.

Microsoft ~~Loves~~ Laments Linux. 😥
Cornelia, Rupert 0 Reputation points

2024-02-15T22:03:01.13+00:00

My org blocks the desktop app on undomained machines so when I work from home on my desktop I am forced to use the web app and it repeatedly sets me to away unless teams is the focused tab, extremely irritating.
Nathaniel Swanson 0 Reputation points

2024-10-30T18:49:08.8833333+00:00

I am using Teams in a tab its own window on my 2nd monitor. It will set me as away if I do not interact with that window for five minutes despite the tab being selected and the window being on top (as in I can see teams). As soon as I move my mouse cursor over Teams it changes my status to Available.

This contradicts Microsoft's documentation on how it acts in this link. Is this a bug or just a non-documented feature?
Yucca 0 Reputation points

2025-05-13T08:44:53.2533333+00:00
It seems this feature is based on detecting mouse/keyboard events in the browser (I'm using Microsoft Edge for Teams and it still doesn't work). At least in Linux/X11 that doesn't happen when the app is in a browser window in the background. The only workaround I have is to manually set the status to "Available", which also isn't great because:

It switches off automatically once per week (one more thing I should have to keep doing every X days/hours/weeks/months/eclipse/you-name-it adding to my cognitive load)

It then doesn't show if I am in a meeting, offline or presenting

I cannot set "Do not disturb" for a given time and then return back to "Available"

In fact, this bug even overrides the "Do not disturb" flag apparently (I've had it happen: I set "Do not disturb", but I still keep getting notifications).

If this cannot be fixed, at least please put the status as something like "Likely available, last interacted ___ ago". Now it just appears as if I am just slacking off except when I'm chatting with colleagues.
btrc 16 Reputation points

2025-05-13T08:53:41.3+00:00

I would be surprised if a browser tab is able to track pointer movements outside the browser application. Thus this might be a restriction of using such a software in a browser. Please correct me if I'm wrong. At least when hovering the tab content of Teams running in the browser, the automatic switching works.
Yucca 0 Reputation points

2025-05-13T09:11:49.91+00:00
@btrc Yeah, I don't expect a browser tab to be able to track pointer movements outside the browser application. But with things like web APIs being provided for accessing USB devices in the works and APIs already existing to access camera, microphone, full display contents etc., I think it shouldn't be too hard to make an API providing a simple boolean on whether the user has done any input in the past X minutes (and putting that behind a permission toggle). But I guess the priorities have been elsewhere.

What I still expect despite of these limitations:

Users are made aware of how this works

The others will not be mislead about the status of somebody using the web app

Better workarounds (why can't I just disable the "Away" status altogether and instead having either "Available" or even "Unknown"?)
btrc 16 Reputation points

2025-05-13T09:32:23.49+00:00

Don't get me wrong, I have exactly the same issue because I'm always working with the browser version on Linux. But I have no idea if this is technically possible with browser APIs.

AFAIK, JS is able to get events like mousemove, mousedown, keydown, scroll, touchstart like this:

document.addEventListener('mousemove', () => lastActivity = Date.now());

But this only works if it has focus, so only detects if you are working with Teams currently. It is not able to detect if you are working outside the browser. Only X knows. It's a natural restriction of browsers.

Microphone and camera are dedicated permissions. The browser can't capture the camera that is used by some other application. It can only request the dedicated access to the device, then it's blocked for other applications afaik.

But then, your example with full screen sharing also confuses me, as this is breaking all that permission design and the browser can see everything. So based on that it might be possible somehow to detect mouse movements from the system if the user is allowing such a thing.

But I'm going to ask the Firefox devs...

2 answers

Your answer

Jesuino 30 Reputation points

2023-04-17T19:35:54.4166667+00:00

I have the same issue, using Fedora 37 and Chrome Version 112.0.5615.121
Any chance of this being fixed?
Dustin Van Tate Testa 10 Reputation points

2023-05-30T15:26:31.72+00:00

Same problem. I seems microsoft only supports the desktop app despite claiming that the web version is adequate for Linux and MacOS users
Dustin Van Tate Testa 10 Reputation points

2023-05-30T15:26:34.61+00:00

Same problem. I seems microsoft only supports the desktop app despite claiming that the web version is adequate for Linux and MacOS users
THIAGO GONCALVES 5 Reputation points

2023-10-20T16:36:47.21+00:00

I have the same issue.
Scott Palmer 0 Reputation points

2024-02-05T18:45:01.41+00:00

Same issue - Fedora 39 (wayland) - Brave v1.62.156 (Jan 31, 2024)

It seems all Chromium based browsers have this issue including Edge.

Microsoft ~~Loves~~ Laments Linux. 😥
Cornelia, Rupert 0 Reputation points

2024-02-15T22:03:01.13+00:00

My org blocks the desktop app on undomained machines so when I work from home on my desktop I am forced to use the web app and it repeatedly sets me to away unless teams is the focused tab, extremely irritating.
Nathaniel Swanson 0 Reputation points

2024-10-30T18:49:08.8833333+00:00

I am using Teams in a tab its own window on my 2nd monitor. It will set me as away if I do not interact with that window for five minutes despite the tab being selected and the window being on top (as in I can see teams). As soon as I move my mouse cursor over Teams it changes my status to Available.

This contradicts Microsoft's documentation on how it acts in this link. Is this a bug or just a non-documented feature?
Yucca 0 Reputation points

2025-05-13T08:44:53.2533333+00:00

It seems this feature is based on detecting mouse/keyboard events in the browser (I'm using Microsoft Edge for Teams and it still doesn't work). At least in Linux/X11 that doesn't happen when the app is in a browser window in the background. The only workaround I have is to manually set the status to "Available", which also isn't great because:

It switches off automatically once per week (one more thing I should have to keep doing every X days/hours/weeks/months/eclipse/you-name-it adding to my cognitive load)

It then doesn't show if I am in a meeting, offline or presenting

I cannot set "Do not disturb" for a given time and then return back to "Available"

In fact, this bug even overrides the "Do not disturb" flag apparently (I've had it happen: I set "Do not disturb", but I still keep getting notifications).

If this cannot be fixed, at least please put the status as something like "Likely available, last interacted ___ ago". Now it just appears as if I am just slacking off except when I'm chatting with colleagues.
btrc 16 Reputation points

2025-05-13T08:53:41.3+00:00

I would be surprised if a browser tab is able to track pointer movements outside the browser application. Thus this might be a restriction of using such a software in a browser. Please correct me if I'm wrong. At least when hovering the tab content of Teams running in the browser, the automatic switching works.
Yucca 0 Reputation points

2025-05-13T09:11:49.91+00:00

@btrc Yeah, I don't expect a browser tab to be able to track pointer movements outside the browser application. But with things like web APIs being provided for accessing USB devices in the works and APIs already existing to access camera, microphone, full display contents etc., I think it shouldn't be too hard to make an API providing a simple boolean on whether the user has done any input in the past X minutes (and putting that behind a permission toggle). But I guess the priorities have been elsewhere.

What I still expect despite of these limitations:

Users are made aware of how this works

The others will not be mislead about the status of somebody using the web app

Better workarounds (why can't I just disable the "Away" status altogether and instead having either "Available" or even "Unknown"?)
btrc 16 Reputation points

2025-05-13T09:32:23.49+00:00

Don't get me wrong, I have exactly the same issue because I'm always working with the browser version on Linux. But I have no idea if this is technically possible with browser APIs.

AFAIK, JS is able to get events like mousemove, mousedown, keydown, scroll, touchstart like this:

document.addEventListener('mousemove', () => lastActivity = Date.now());

But this only works if it has focus, so only detects if you are working with Teams currently. It is not able to detect if you are working outside the browser. Only X knows. It's a natural restriction of browsers.

Microphone and camera are dedicated permissions. The browser can't capture the camera that is used by some other application. It can only request the dedicated access to the device, then it's blocked for other applications afaik.

But then, your example with full screen sharing also confuses me, as this is breaking all that permission design and the browser can see everything. So based on that it might be possible somehow to detect mouse movements from the system if the user is allowing such a thing.

But I'm going to ask the Firefox devs...

Answer 1

pH 81

Does anyone else have the same problem in your organization?

I don't see other people being away as much as me, and nobody I asked have this issue

Is it the Tab here？

no by Tab I mean tabs with sites in the browser. When I go from Teams app to lets say evernote or Azure to do some work I am going away in Teams, when I go back to Teams Tab I can see status changing from Away to Active

Do you have any further question on this topic now?

Its still happening and I dont feel any solutions was really provided

SokiGuo-MSFT 31,541 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-08-29T09:25:34.157+00:00

Hi @pH

Your actual presence status isn't reflected in Teams. Depending on the workaround in the article, you could try to use a self-diagnostics tool. Microsoft 365 admin users have access to diagnostic tools that they could run within the tenant to verify possible issues that affect user presence.
SokiGuo-MSFT 31,541 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-09-01T08:25:43.337+00:00

It has been a while, how is everything going?
If you have any update about this issue, please feel free to post back.
btrc 16 Reputation points

2023-03-16T14:14:04.5233333+00:00

Still the same issue, no solution yet?

Answer 2

SokiGuo-MSFT 31,541 Microsoft External Staff

Hi @pH

Based on your mentioned description, we recommend you temporary disconnect Teams application from multiple device, Teams desktop client and Teams mobile device.

Open Teams on web browser and try to identify such result from Teams web app client about Teams presence. If your status has changed to Away, please try to manually change status from Away to Online and see the result on Teams, after running some other application outside Teams.

For more details about change your status in Teams, you could refer to this link's table.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".
Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

pH 81 Reputation points

2022-08-22T08:36:20.507+00:00

I did that, on PC I only use Teams in web (I have laptot from work but sometimes I use PC only) so it was only on 1 machine. I also changed status manually to inactiv and to active again but it keeps happening.

When I leave the Tab my status changes to away, when I go back to tab with Teams I can see away going.... away and switching to 'active'.
SokiGuo-MSFT 31,541 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-08-23T09:37:59.223+00:00

Hi @pH

Does anyone else have the same problem in your organization?

Is it the Tab here？
SokiGuo-MSFT 31,541 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-08-25T08:11:47.62+00:00

Hi @pH

Do you have any further question on this topic now?

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Teams changing my status to away if im not in (browser) tab

2 answers

Your answer