How to Keep Your Microsoft Teams and Slack Status Active in 2026

Nothing says "I'm not working" like a yellow or grey status icon. Whether you're on Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, or Discord, your status changes to "Away" after just a few minutes of inactivity. Here's how to keep it green.

Why Does Your Status Change?

Apps detect idle status by monitoring keyboard and mouse activity:

• Microsoft Teams shows "Away" after 5 minutes of no input
• Slack shows "Away" after 10 minutes (or 30 minutes on desktop)
• Zoom shows "Away" when your screen locks
• Discord shows "Idle" after 5 minutes of inactivity
• Google Chat shows "Away" when there's no browser/app activity
• Skype and WebEx follow similar patterns

The common thread: they all watch for mouse movement and keyboard activity. Stop those inputs, and your status goes yellow.

The Simple Fix: Activity Simulation

The most reliable way to keep your Teams status green or keep Slack active is to simulate the input these apps are looking for. That means realistic mouse movement and keyboard activity running in the background.

How Still Here Keeps You Online

Still Here is a mouse jiggler app that simulates human-like computer activity. Unlike changing your status manually (which resets after timeout) or using basic keep-awake tools (which only prevent sleep), Still Here generates the actual input signals that apps monitor:

• Mouse movement — Bézier curves that look like natural hand motion
• Keyboard typing — Realistic WPM typing simulation
• App switching — Alt+Tab between open windows
• Scrolling — Natural page scrolling at random intervals

This keeps your status active on Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, Discord, Google Chat, Skype, WebEx, Outlook, and every other app that monitors for idle time.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Download Still Here for your platform (Windows, macOS, or Linux)
2. Open the app and choose your simulation settings
3. Press Ctrl+1 to start — the app hides to the system tray
4. Your status stays green on Teams, Slack, and every other app
5. Press Ctrl+0 when you return to stop instantly

App-Specific Tips

Microsoft Teams

Teams is one of the strictest — it checks for activity every 5 minutes. Still Here's continuous mouse and keyboard simulation ensures Teams status stays available even during long breaks.

Slack

Slack's desktop app monitors system-level activity. Mouse movement alone is enough to keep Slack online, but adding keyboard simulation makes it more convincing.

Zoom

Zoom ties your status to screen lock state. Still Here prevents screen lock entirely, so your Zoom status stays active.

Works With Every Communication App

Still Here doesn't target specific apps — it simulates system-level input that every application recognizes as real activity. Whether you use Teams, Slack, Zoom, Discord, Google Chat, WebEx, Skype, or Outlook, your status stays active.