If you looked at Slack once and your status had changed to Away without you noticing while you were still working, don’t think you are the only one. There are a lot of people who, just like you, are wondering how to keep Slack active, how long you can stay active, or why Slack is showing you as inactive when you are clearly online.
Among other things, if you are working remotely, frequently switching devices, or dealing with async communication across different time zones, knowing how to stay active on Slack (desktop and mobile) can significantly improve responsiveness, trust, and productivity.
Without relying on any shady tricks or guesswork, this guide totally discloses the details of how worst works on Slack.
What You’ll Learn in This Guide
Reasons to Have Your Slack App Active
Your Slack status is more like a signal than surveillance, but signals do matter.
Some of the advantages of having Slack running in the background are:
- Being able to get answers from your teammates quicker
- Helping ensure that you don’t miss any comments or DMs
- Making it easier to work together despite the difference in time zones
- Not deceiving others into thinking that you are unavailable
Nonetheless, Slack activity is quite different from productivity, and many teams nowadays emphasize not the green dots but actual results. However, knowing Slack features is a good way to deliberately control your presence .
For organizations that consider Slack as the primary communication medium and not just for chatting, being active is also very important for the continuity of the operational workflows. A good number of businesses have Slack ticketing systems integrated for managing customer service, IT help requests, or internal operations without leaving Slack.
Through these mechanisms, being active helps to make sure that the tickets are noticed, taken, and answered without delay especially when the requests come through direct messages or shared channels. It is true that your Slack status should not measure your work output, however, being available can help lower the waiting time for your reply if Slack is simultaneously used as a small-scale ticketing system besides being just a messaging tool.
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How Does Slack Figure Out If You Have Been Active?
Slack determines your status as active or inactive based on your actions as a user; it does not take into account whether your computer is on or off.
Slack checks for:
- Typing on the keyboard
- Moving the mouse
- Interacting with the app (desktop or mobile)
- Checking if the Slack app is running and if it is, the main window (this depends on the operating system)
If no such activities are noticed during a certain time frame, Slack will set your status to Away.
How Long Does Slack Stay Active?
People frequently search for this question, and the answer varies by device type.
Desktop (Mac & Windows)
- Slack mainly keeps your status as active as long as you keep inputting regularly.
- Slack usually changes the status to Away after ~10 minutes of inactivity on the user’s part.
- This is also what is called Slack inactive time.
Mobile (iOS & Android)
- The Slack app remains active only when it is being used or was recently used.
- Slack background activities are not very useful in keeping the app active.
- This is why Slack shows as inactive even if your phone is unlocked.
So if you are wondering:
- How long does Slack stay active on the phone? → Very briefly, unless the app is being used
- How long before Slack shows away? → About 10 minutes on desktop
When Does Slack Switch Your Status to Away Automatically?
Slack will set your status to away if:
- There’s no keyboard or mouse movement
- The app hasn’t been used for some time
- Your system goes into sleep or power saving mode
- The mobile app is closed or put in the background
You see, Slack can display you as inactive even if you’re just reading, thinking, or working in a different tool.
How to Keep Slack On Desktop Always Awake
Here are all the legal and normal ways, ranked from least risky to most dangerous.
Method 1: Keep Yourself "Active" via Manual Status
If you want to set your status manually, open your profile and set it there. But note that:
- It does not override inactivity detection
- If you don’t interact with the device; Slack will turn you away anyway
You are better off using the manual status to show in messaging what you are up to, rather than showing technical activity.
Method 2: Don’t Use the Power Saving Mode
One of the most overlooked and effective ways.
On Mac and Windows:
- Sleep mode should be turned off when working
- Don’t let the screen dim
- Make sure that the system idle triggers are avoided
Even if you are near the computer, power saving modes can mark your Slack as inactive.
Therefore, this is a MUST for anyone who is:
- Keep Slack active on Mac
- How to keep Slack always active on Mac
Method 3: Download Slack on Different Devices
Slack signals activity between devices.
If you have Slack active on:
- Desktop or
- Mobile orTablet
…your status will most probably stay active longer.
This is exactly what people who ask:
- Does Slack stay active on the phone?
- Does Slack show as active on mobile?
And the answer is yes, to an extent, and only when the app is in active use.
Method 4: Use Slack in Split View
Having Slack in a split view with other tools can help convey activity signals.
For example:
- Slack + browser split screen
- Slack + docs
- Slack + IDE
It works best if you slightly touch Slack while working on other stuff.
Method 5: Move the Mouse from Time to Time
This is one of the oldest tricks in the book.
A tiny movement of the mouse or a tap on the keyboard:
- would restart the Slack inactivity timer
- would prevent Slack from switching to a dynamic
- would keep Slack green light on
However, you will need try hard for this and constantly be aware of it.
Does Playing a YouTube Video Keep Slack Active?
To the point, the answer is no, in most cases.
If you watch a YouTube video:
- Keyboard or mouse input is not registered
- Slack doesn’t count it as interaction
- Slack will probably switch to away even while you are watching the video
How to Keep Slack Always Active on Mobile
Mobile is a different and more aggressive player when it comes to marking inactivity.
What works:
- Keeping the Slack window open
- Continuously scrolling or replying
- Coming back to Slack from time to time
What doesn’t:
- Apps running in the background
- Screen locked
- Passive notifications
Thus:
- How to stay online on Slack mobile
- How to keep Slack active on phone
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