How to fix my Teams status.

Question

My status is set to "available".
When I get a call, it changes to "busy" or "do not disturb" instead of "in a call".
When I googled that, it told me I would have to set that manually, but that status does not appear in the list.
It also told me when I googled that, that Teams would automatically change it to "in a call" when I'm on a call or in a meeting (which contradicts my previous statement of what I was told).
I thought maybe that option was discontinued, but when I googled that, it said that it was still a status option (even though I don't see it in my list).

VERY CONFUSED (almost as confusing as all of these "child item tags")

Answer 1

Dear @Deb Laroche,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

I understand that you're experiencing issues with your status in Teams, and I can see how conflicting information online might make this process feel more complicated. The core issue is that Microsoft Teams differentiates between "User-defined" statuses (the ones you select) and "System-generated" statuses (the ones Teams assigns automatically).

The "In a call" status is a system-generated status, meaning you won’t see it in your manual dropdown list. Teams triggers it only when it detects an active audio or video stream.

As a forum moderator, I wish I could directly access your account or backend systems to resolve this issue. However, my role is limited to providing general guidance that can be applied by users.

If Teams is showing "Busy" or "Do Not Disturb" during calls instead of "In a call," here are some common causes:

Manual Override: If you (or someone/something) set your status to "Busy" or "Do Not Disturb" before, Teams will respect that status until it expires or is manually reset.

App Glitches or Cache Issues: Sometimes, Teams may not update properly.

Multiple Devices Signed In: If you’re logged into Teams on multiple devices, status synchronization can cause conflicts.

Policy/Settings Interference: Rare, but organizational policies can sometimes affect how statuses are handled.

Please follow the steps below to see if they help resolve the issue.

1.Reset Status and Sign Out

This is the simplest "soft reset" for the presence engine.

• Click your profile picture in the top right.
• Click your current status (Available) and select Reset status.
• Sign out of Teams completely, then sign back in.

2.Clear Teams cache

1. Type settings in the search box, and then select the Settings app from the results.
2. Select Apps > Installed apps, and then type Microsoft Teams in the search box.
3. Locate the New Microsoft Teams app from the results, select the More options button (...) on the right, and then select Advanced options.
4. In the Reset section, select Reset.
5. Restart Teams.

For reference: Clear the Teams client cache - Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Learn

3.Check for "Privacy" Overrides

• If your status changes to "Do Not Disturb" when sharing your screen, go to Settings > Privacy in Teams.
• Uncheck Set my status to Do Not Disturb when I'm sharing my screen.

Some additional checks:

• Update Teams: Profile picture > Check for updates (or reinstall from microsoft.com/teams).
• If you’re in an organization, your admin might have set policies affecting presence. Ask your IT department to review the Presence Settings in the Teams admin center.
• Try logging in to Teams via teams.microsoft.com to see if the issue is specific to the desktop app.
• Check your calendar for any ongoing meetings that could affect your status.

Finally, regarding the child tags you see when posting your question on the forum: these help categorize your issue so that community members with relevant knowledge can offer targeted assistance.

I hope this information is helpful. Please try these steps and let me know if they work for you. If not, feel free to share the results in the comments so I can continue to support you. Please note that our initial response does not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm looking forward to your reply.

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Answer 2

In Microsoft Teams, your status should automatically change to "In a call" when you are on a call or in a meeting. If your status is not updating as expected and remains as "Busy" or "Do not disturb," there may be a few reasons for this behavior:

1. Manual Status Settings: While Teams automatically updates your status based on your activity, if you manually set your status to "Do not disturb" or "Busy," it will not change to "In a call" until you revert it back to an available status.
2. Device Activity: If you are logged into Teams on multiple devices, the device where you are most active will determine your presence. If you are on a call on one device but not active on another, that may affect your status.
3. App Settings: Ensure that your Teams app is up to date, as outdated versions may have bugs affecting status updates.
4. Permissions and Settings: Check your Teams settings to ensure that there are no restrictions or configurations that might prevent the automatic status updates from functioning correctly.

If the issue persists, consider reaching out to your IT support team for further assistance, as they may need to check your account settings or permissions.

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References:

• User presence in Teams
• Manage presence in Customer Service