A calendar sync or status configuration issue — here’s what’s causing it and how to fix it
Microsoft Teams showing a status of “Available, Out of Office” — or sometimes just displaying the out of office indicator alongside your normal availability status — when you’re actually at work and available is a confusing combination.
Teams is reading something that tells it you’re out of office and combining that with your current activity status.
Here’s what’s feeding that information and how to clear it.
How Teams Sets the Out of Office Status
Teams derives the out of office indicator from two main sources, and understanding which one is active tells you exactly where to fix it.
Outlook Out of Office / Automatic Replies. If you have an Out of Office automatic reply configured in Outlook — even one set for future dates — Teams reads it and displays the out of office indicator. This is the most common cause.
Outlook Calendar Out of Office events. If there’s a calendar event marked as Out of Office on your calendar — even one created in the past that wasn’t properly closed, or one created accidentally — Teams reads it and reflects it in your status.
Teams syncs with your Outlook calendar and automatic reply settings continuously. Anything that looks like an out of office signal in either place shows up in Teams.
Check and Disable Automatic Replies in Outlook
This is the first place to check because it’s the most common cause of an unexpected out of office status in Teams.
In Outlook desktop:
Go to File → Automatic Replies (Out of Office). Check whether automatic replies are turned on. If the toggle shows Send Automatic Replies is enabled, turn it off and save. Teams should update your status within a few minutes.
In Outlook on the web (outlook.com or your organization’s webmail):
Click the gear icon in the top right. Go to View All Outlook Settings → Mail → Automatic Replies. Check whether automatic replies are enabled and turn them off if so.
In the New Outlook app:
Go to Settings → Accounts → Automatic Replies and confirm the setting is off.
After turning off automatic replies, give Teams two to five minutes to sync the change and update your status display.
Check Your Outlook Calendar for Out of Office Events
If automatic replies are already off, the out of office indicator in Teams is being driven by a calendar event.
Open Outlook and look at your calendar for any event marked as Out of Office in the Show As status. Check both today’s date and any upcoming dates. Also check past dates if a recurring event might be involved — recurring Out of Office events can sometimes extend beyond their intended end date.
To check the Show As status of an event, open the event and look for the Show As field — it typically shows Free, Busy, Tentative, Working Elsewhere, or Out of Office. If any event currently covering today’s date is set to Out of Office, change it to the appropriate status or delete it.
After updating or deleting the event, Teams should clear the out of office indicator within a few minutes.
Check for Out of Office Events Created Automatically
Some calendar events are created automatically by email systems, travel booking tools, meeting assistants, or administrative processes — and are sometimes set to Out of Office status without the user being aware.
In Outlook, go to View → Change View → List to see all calendar items in a list format sorted by date. Look through items for any with Out of Office status that you didn’t intentionally create. Check recurring events in particular — a recurring Out of Office block that was created for a past vacation can continue repeating on your calendar.
Check Teams Own Out of Office Setting
Teams has its own out of office configuration separate from Outlook that can be set directly in the Teams app. This is particularly relevant in newer versions of Teams that have more independent status management.
In Teams, click your profile picture in the top right corner. Look for Set Status Message or Schedule Out of Office. In some Teams versions, click your profile picture and select Set Out of Office. Check whether an out of office message has been configured directly in Teams and clear it if so.
In the New Teams client, go to Settings → General → Out of Office — this section shows whether Teams has its own out of office message configured independently of Outlook.
Check Your Microsoft 365 Profile Settings
For Microsoft 365 work or school accounts, out of office settings can also be configured through the Microsoft 365 portal — and these sync to Teams.
Go to myaccount.microsoft.com or office.com and sign in. Look for any profile or status settings that indicate out of office. Some organizations configure out of office through HR systems or directory services that sync into Microsoft 365 — if your organization does this, an HR record may be setting your out of office status.
If you can’t find or clear the out of office setting yourself, contact your IT administrator — organizational systems sometimes set these automatically around holidays, leave periods, or other events.
Wait for Teams to Sync
After making changes in Outlook — turning off automatic replies or updating calendar events — Teams doesn’t always update immediately. The sync between Outlook and Teams can take anywhere from a few minutes to 15 or 20 minutes.
After making the change, wait a few minutes and then check your Teams status. You can also try signing out of Teams and signing back in to force a status refresh — this often speeds up the sync.
Sign Out and Sign Back In
If the out of office status persists after you’ve confirmed that automatic replies are off and no Out of Office calendar events exist, signing out of Teams and back in forces a complete status refresh from scratch.
Click your profile picture in Teams, select Sign Out, close Teams completely, reopen it, and sign back in. Teams re-syncs your Outlook calendar and automatic reply settings during the sign-in process and should pick up the current correct status.
Check for Exchange or Admin-Level Configuration
On managed work accounts, Exchange server policies, admin configurations, or third-party HR integrations can set out of office status automatically — around company holidays, during scheduled leave, or based on HR records.
If you’ve checked everything on the client side and the out of office status keeps returning, the source is likely a server-side or organizational system. Contact your IT administrator and explain that Teams is showing out of office status despite automatic replies being disabled and no Out of Office calendar events being present. They can check Exchange configurations and organizational systems that may be setting the status.
The Available Component of the Status
The “Available, Out of Office” combination means Teams sees you as actively using your computer (Available — you’ve been active recently) but also detects an out of office indicator from Outlook or calendar. The two signals are combined in the status display.
This is actually Teams working correctly — it’s accurately reflecting that you’re at your computer and active (hence Available) while also reporting that your calendar or auto-reply system indicates you’re out of office. The fix is removing the out of office signal rather than the available signal.
A Quick Checklist
Work through these in order:
- Check Outlook File → Automatic Replies — turn off if enabled
- Check Outlook on the web for automatic replies if desktop shows it’s off
- Check Teams Settings → Out of Office in the New Teams client
- Search Outlook calendar for any event with Out of Office Show As status covering today
- Check for recurring Out of Office events that may be continuing unintentionally
- Check Teams profile picture → Set Out of Office for any Teams-native out of office message
- Wait five to ten minutes after making changes for Teams to sync
- Sign out and sign back into Teams to force a status refresh
- Contact IT administrator if the status keeps returning despite all settings being correct
The Bottom Line
“Available, Out of Office” in Teams almost always means Outlook’s automatic replies are turned on or a calendar event is marked as Out of Office — Teams is reading one of these and reflecting it accurately. Turning off automatic replies in Outlook or updating the calendar event resolves it within a few minutes of syncing.
If neither of those is the source, a directly configured out of office message in Teams itself or an organizational system setting it automatically is the remaining cause — the former is a settings check, the latter needs IT involvement.
Teams shows out of office because Outlook told it to — find what’s telling Outlook you’re out and turn it off.
Meet Ry, “TechGuru,” a 36-year-old technology enthusiast with a deep passion for tech innovations. With extensive experience, he specializes in gaming hardware and software, and has expertise in gadgets, custom PCs, and audio.
Besides writing about tech and reviewing new products, he enjoys traveling, hiking, and photography. Committed to keeping up with the latest industry trends, he aims to guide readers in making informed tech decisions.