Set an Out of Office Status in Slack and Teams

What to write in the message

Three facts cover almost every case. Put them in this order so the first line stands alone:

1. When you are back. Use a date, not "next week". Say the time zone if your team spans several.
2. Who to ask instead. A named person for urgent work, or a channel for requests that can wait.
3. What not to expect. For example, that you will not see messages until you return.

Example: "Out until Mon, Nov 9. For anything urgent on the billing project, ask Dana. Everything else can wait for me. I will not see messages while I am away." Replace the names with your own. Keep it to the facts a stranger on the team would need.

Set it in Slack

Slack's help describes an out of office status that carries a message and an expiration date. Other people see an out of office emoji anywhere your name appears, and can read the full status in your profile or by hovering over the emoji on desktop. If someone mentions you in a channel, Slack sends them a private message with your out of office details, which Slack compares to an auto-reply. The status also shows above the message field in direct messages.

1. Click your profile picture in the sidebar.
2. Click the Update your status field.
3. Choose Out of office from the list.
4. Open the Remove status after... menu and choose when it clears. Optionally check Pause notifications to silence notifications until the status clears.
5. Optionally add an out of office message.
6. Click Save.

If you use the Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar apps in Slack, you can sync out of office events from your calendar. Slack says that when an out of office event starts, the default out of office emoji shows in your status, and that you can schedule it ahead by adding a future out of office event. The help page lists this feature as available on Enterprise plans, so if you do not see it, set a regular status with an end time instead and put the same three facts in the text. To edit or remove the status, click your profile picture and either select the current status or click Clear status.

One limit to know: Slack says people in external organizations can see your out of office status only if your Enterprise organization settings allow it, and the message itself is visible only to members of your own organization. Do not assume a partner outside your company will see your instructions. For more on picking a status emoji, see our custom emoji status guide.

Set it in Teams

Teams has two related things, and mixing them up is the common mistake. A status message is a note people see on your profile or when they message you. An out of office setting is a scheduled automatic reply that syncs with Outlook. Microsoft notes that if you have a status message set in Teams, it will not show your automatic out of office reply from Outlook, so use one or the other.

To schedule out of office:

1. Select your profile picture at the top of Teams and choose Set status message.
2. Select Schedule out of office at the bottom.
3. Turn on Turn on automatic replies.
4. Type your message. Microsoft says a message is required to set the status, and the same text goes out as an automatic reply in Outlook.
5. To reach people outside your organization, check Send replies outside my organization and choose your contacts or all external senders. Microsoft suggests tailoring the message for that audience.
6. To limit the dates, check Send replies only during a time period and set the start and end.
7. Select Save.

You can also find this under Settings and more, then Settings, then General, in the Out of Office section. To clear it, return to that screen, turn off the automatic replies toggle, and save. Changes you make in Outlook show up in Teams.

For a simple status message without the automatic reply: select your profile picture, choose Set status message, type the message, check Show when people message me if you want it shown when people message or @mention you, pick a duration under Clear status message after, and select Done.

A short checklist before you leave

• Status set with an end date, so it clears on its own and does not mislead people after you return.
• The person you named knows they are your contact, and has what they need. Asking them first is better than naming them in a status.
• Open threads handed over in writing. A handoff message works for this too.
• Notifications paused only if you really want that. In Slack the pause option clears with the status.

What not to put in it

An out of office message can be seen by many people, and in Teams it can go to people outside your organization. Skip the destination, the reason, and anything about health, family, or an unannounced job change. "Out until Nov 9" is enough. Do not give a personal phone number unless your employer expects that and the person you name agrees. If your workplace has rules for how absences are recorded, those rules come first, and the chat status is only a courtesy on top.

Sources

Checked October 14, 2026. Steps follow each product's help article. The message template and checklist are our suggestions.

• Slack: Set your out of office status
• Microsoft: Schedule an out of office status in Teams
• Microsoft: Set your status message in Teams