The three triggers
Desktop inactivity: Slack sets you to away after 10 minutes without activity on the desktop app.
Mobile: on your phone, you go away as soon as you navigate away from Slack or close the app.
Manual: you, or a tool acting for you, can set yourself away from your profile.
Teammates then see a hollow dot instead of the green dot.
Other apps run their own timers: Teams switches to Away after more than five minutes, and Google Chat shows Idle after five. The away timers table lists them side by side.
Switch back to active
Click your profile picture and choose Set yourself as active (on mobile, tap your profile picture). Slack goes back to automatic presence from there, so the 10-minute rule applies again.
If you were set to away manually, Slack will keep you away until you switch back, even while you type.
Stop it happening during work
Short term, keep the desktop app open and in use; a keep-awake tool such as caffeinate alone does not reset the timer. For a routine, use a server-based schedule: OnlineHours keeps Slack active during your hours from its servers, laptop closed, and stops outside them.
The full guide to keeping Slack active compares every method, and apps that keep Slack active compares the services.
Add a Slack status for the times you are not typing, such as “🔭 Focusing — replies may be slower”. Your team then sees why a reply may take a while.
Keep your status on your hours, laptop closed
OnlineHours sets Slack, Teams or ClickUp to online from its servers during the hours you choose, and stops outside them.
Setting yourself active is free and fine while you’re at your desk. OnlineHours repeats your hours every day without you remembering, laptop closed.
One app, no card. Nothing is charged when it ends.
Common questions
Can I change Slack’s 10-minute timer?
No. Slack does not offer a setting for the inactivity timer.
Does a status keep me active?
No. Status and availability are separate in Slack.