Guide · 6 min read
Keep your Teams status active without moving your mouse
Teams and Slack can mark you "away" when they see no local activity, although a call, presentation, calendar state and workplace settings can also affect presence. Here is what is actually happening and how to handle it responsibly.
Short answer
- Teams and Slack can use local activity as one presence signal; Teams also considers its app state and Outlook calendar.
- A mouse jiggler keeps the local computer active with small cursor movements, which can reduce an automatic away status while you are legitimately at your desk. It cannot override every presence rule.
- This is meant for people who are at their computer but not typing or clicking constantly — for example on a call, reading, or in a meeting — not for appearing present while absent.
- Always check your employer's monitoring and remote-work policies before relying on any keep-awake tool for presence status.
Why Teams and Slack mark you "away"
Collaboration apps can use local keyboard and mouse activity as a presence signal. Teams can also reflect app state, such as a call or presentation, and Outlook calendar information; timing and rules can vary by app and organization.
Reading a long document or thinking through a problem can still look idle to a tool that only sees local activity, but no utility can guarantee a particular status in every environment.
What a mouse jiggler actually changes
Mouse Jiggler generates small, configurable cursor movements at intervals you control. The operating system registers local activity, which can reduce an idle signal for applications that use it.
- Runs locally on your computer
- Movement interval and style are configurable
- May help apps that use local input; each service controls its own presence rules
Where the line is
The legitimate use case is staying present: you are at your desk, on a call, or working through something that does not require constant clicking, and you do not want a status flip to interrupt that.
It is not intended to make you appear present while you are away, or to bypass monitoring your employer has put in place. Users are responsible for following their organization's policies.
Setting it up for meetings and calls
Start Mouse Jiggler when a call or focused reading session begins, and stop it when you step away. Treating it as session-based, rather than leaving it running all day, keeps the use aligned with the legitimate case above.
FAQ
Why does Teams show me as away when I am on a call?
Teams uses several presence signals, including local activity, app state and Outlook calendar information. A call can affect status, but the exact behavior depends on Teams and your organization settings.
Is using a mouse jiggler against company policy?
It depends on your employer's policy. Check your organization's remote-work and monitoring guidelines before relying on it for presence status.
Does Mouse Jiggler work with Slack too?
It can reduce an accidental away status while you are present because it keeps the local computer active. Slack controls its own presence behavior, so results can vary.