How to Set a Status in Slack
Set a Slack status with an emoji and a short message, choose when it clears on its own, and optionally pause notifications while it is active.
Applies to: current Slack desktop app; phone app differences noted. Checked September 2026.
You are heading into a meeting, stepping out for lunch, or gone for the day and want coworkers to see that before they message you. A status puts a short note and an emoji next to your name everywhere in Slack.
Click your profile picture
Click your profile picture in the top-right corner of the Slack window.
Choose Update your status
Click Update your status. Some versions label it Set a status or show the field as a text box directly inside the menu. Either way, a status window opens.
Pick a suggestion or type your own
Click one of the suggestions, such as In a meeting, Commuting, or Out sick, or type your own message in the text box. Keep it short; long statuses are cut off in some places where they appear.
Choose an emoji
Click the emoji icon at the left end of the text box and pick one. Suggested statuses come with an emoji already attached, and you can swap it for another.
Set when it clears
Open the Clear after dropdown and choose 30 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, Today, This week, or Choose date and time. Pick Don't clear to keep the status until you remove it by hand. If you want Slack quiet while the status is on, check Pause notifications in the same window and it will stay paused for as long as the status lasts.
Click Save
Click Save. The emoji now appears next to your name in the sidebar, beside your messages, and on your profile, and the full text shows when someone hovers over it. To change the status, click your profile picture and click the status text. To remove it early, click Clear status from that same menu.
Use the slash command. Type /status in any message box and press Enter to open the same status window without touching the menu. The command does not post anything to the channel.
On a phone. Tap the You tab at the bottom of the screen, tap the status field near the top, and fill in the same fields. A status set on one device shows on every device where you are signed in.