What is Slack Active Status?
Quick Definition
Slack active status is the presence indicator (solid green dot) that appears next to your name when Slack detects recent activity. It signals to teammates that you're currently available and likely to respond.
Understanding Slack Active Status
The green dot in Slack indicates you've recently interacted with the application through typing, clicking, scrolling, or other input. Slack continuously monitors these activity signals and displays active status when it detects engagement. After your last interaction, active status persists for roughly 10 minutes before transitioning to away. This persistence window is not configurable and has never been officially documented by Slack, though the behavior has remained consistent for years. Under the hood, Slack's activity detection relies on WebSocket heartbeats combined with interaction events. The desktop app monitors window focus and direct input like keystrokes, mouse clicks, and scrolling within Slack. Activity in other applications does not count. The browser client uses the Page Visibility API, which means background tabs may stop registering as active even if Slack is technically open. On mobile, presence depends on whether the app is in the foreground, and iOS and Android will suspend Slack within minutes of switching away. These per-device signals are evaluated independently, and Slack shows you as active if any connected client reports recent interaction. For knowledge workers, this creates a structural mismatch. Most productive time is spent outside Slack in IDEs, document editors, spreadsheets, and video calls. None of that activity registers. The green dot disappears during exactly the kind of deep, focused work that organizations value most. Manually setting yourself to active through Slack's menu offers only temporary relief. The underlying API call (users.setPresence) accepts 'auto' or 'away' but has no permanent force-active option. The server re-evaluates presence on the next heartbeat cycle and reverts to its own assessment within minutes.
Key Points
- Shown as a solid green dot next to your name
- Requires recent interaction with Slack
- Persists briefly after last activity before timing out
- Determined by keyboard, mouse, and app interactions
- Cannot be permanently 'locked' to active in Slack settings
Examples
Actively messaging
When you're typing in a channel or DM, your status stays green. The activity resets the idle timer with each keystroke.
Passive browsing
Even scrolling through channels or reading messages counts as activity, keeping your green dot active as long as you're interacting with the Slack window.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I keep my Slack status active?
Does having Slack open keep me active?
Why does my active status keep dropping?
How Idle Pilot Helps
Idle Pilot maintains your active status (green dot) during scheduled work hours without requiring constant interaction. It works from the cloud, so your status stays active even during meetings, focused work, or when your laptop sleeps.
Try Idle Pilot freeRelated Terms
The green dot in Slack is a presence indicator showing that a person is currently active. It appears as a solid green circle next to their profile picture and name, indicating they've recently interacted with Slack.
Slack away status is the presence indicator (hollow circle or yellow dot) that appears next to your name when Slack detects you're inactive or disconnected. It signals to teammates that you may not respond immediately.
Slack presence is the indicator (green or yellow dot) next to your name showing whether you're currently active or away in Slack. It's automatically determined by Slack based on your recent activity and connection status.