The Purple Arrow Is Out of Office — Not Do Not Disturb
This is the most common point of confusion around Microsoft Teams status icons. The purple arrow is not a DND indicator, not a notification mute, and not related to Teams itself being open or closed. It is the Out of Office indicator — driven entirely by Outlook and Microsoft 365 calendar entries.
When a user sets an Automatic Reply (Out of Office) in Outlook — or uses the Schedule out of office panel inside Teams, which writes the same reply — Microsoft 365 broadcasts that status across all connected apps, including Teams. The purple arrow is Teams' way of surfacing that signal. It means: "this person has told Microsoft 365 they're not available, and there's probably an auto-reply waiting for you."
Purple Arrow vs Other Teams Status Icons
The purple arrow is the only Teams status icon driven by your calendar rather than your device — every other icon reflects what your Teams client is doing right now, which is the core of Out of Office vs Away. Here is how it compares:
| Icon | Status | What triggers it |
|---|---|---|
| 🟣 Purple arrow | Out of Office | Active OOO reply in Outlook / Microsoft 365 |
| 🟡 Yellow clock | Away | ~5 min inactivity, screen lock, or sleep |
| 🔴 Red square | Busy / In a meeting | Calendar meeting in progress or manual set |
| 🟢 Green circle | Available | Active on Teams, no meeting or OOO |
| ⚪ Grey circle | Offline | Teams closed or signed out |
The purple arrow is the only status that persists through machine reboots, app restarts, and overnight — because it's stored in Microsoft 365's calendar layer, not in Teams itself. All other statuses reset when you reconnect to Teams.
Purple arrow vs the purple person icon
The purple arrow and the purple person icon mean the same thing: Out of Office. Which one you see depends on your Teams or Outlook version and the size the icon is drawn at — newer clients tend to draw a small purple figure where older ones drew an arrow. There is no separate "purple person" status.
Purple arrow vs the yellow clock (Away)
The purple arrow is calendar-driven and usually lasts days; the yellow clock is device-driven and clears in seconds. Teams sets the yellow clock automatically after about 5 minutes of inactivity, or instantly when you lock your PC — it says nothing about your intent. The purple arrow only appears because you (or your calendar) told Microsoft 365 you're away.
How to Remove the Purple Arrow
The purple arrow disappears as soon as the Out of Office reply is disabled in Outlook — Teams picks the change up within 2–5 minutes, and there is nothing to change in Teams itself.
Turn off Automatic Replies in Outlook
- Open Outlook (web or desktop)
- Go to Settings → Automatic Replies
- Toggle off "Send automatic replies"
- Teams will update within 2–5 minutes
If the purple arrow won't go away
If the arrow persists after Automatic Replies are off, a calendar event is still holding it. Check your Microsoft 365 calendar for an "Out of Office" all-day event that may still be active. Removing that event, or changing it from "Show as: Out of Office" to "Free", will clear the status. A scheduled auto-reply with an end date in the future will also keep the arrow on until that date passes.
The Same Purple Arrow Shows in Outlook
Seen the purple arrow next to someone's name in Outlook — in the People pane, on a contact card, or while composing an email? It means exactly the same thing as in Teams: Out of Office. Microsoft 365 shares a single presence signal across both apps, so the instant an Automatic Reply (OOO) is switched on, the purple arrow appears in Teams and Outlook at once.
So the answer is identical in either app — the person has an active Out of Office reply. To clear it, turn off Automatic Replies in Outlook (Settings → Automatic Replies); both Teams and Outlook update within a few minutes. Seeing it in Outlook specifically — including the purple arrow that shows on emails? See what the purple arrow means in Outlook.
What Others See When You Have the Purple Arrow
Colleagues see a purple arrow beside your name plus an "out of office" banner carrying the text of your Outlook auto-reply, shown before they even send you a message. When someone opens a chat with you while the purple arrow is active, they'll typically see a banner reading something like "Dan is out of office" with the text of your OOO message below it. If you've configured a return date in your OOO reply, that date will be shown too.
This preview appears before they send the message, which is actually useful — it sets the right expectations without the person needing to reach out first.
One important note: the purple arrow doesn't affect your actual Teams presence. If you open Teams while technically "Out of Office" (e.g. you're checking messages during a holiday), your status may show as Available with a purple arrow — which can look contradictory. This is expected behaviour.
Keeping Your Status Green While on Leave
Some people want to keep their Teams dot green — even during planned leave — to avoid the flood of "oh, didn't realise you were away" messages on return. Stay Green On Teams maintains your Available status from our servers continuously, regardless of whether your laptop is on. Combined with disabling the OOO reply, your presence stays green and unremarkable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the purple arrow mean on Microsoft Teams?
The purple arrow on Teams indicates Out of Office status. It appears when a user has set an Out of Office reply in Outlook or Microsoft 365, or when Teams detects an active OOO calendar entry. It is not the same as Do Not Disturb or Away.
What is the difference between the purple arrow and the yellow clock in Teams?
The purple arrow means Out of Office — the person has explicitly told Microsoft 365 they are unavailable (usually via an Outlook OOO reply). The yellow clock means Away — the person's device is inactive. They look similar but signal different things: OOO is intentional and usually multi-day; Away is automatic and resets in minutes.
Can I turn off the purple arrow on Teams?
Yes. The purple arrow disappears when your Out of Office reply is turned off in Outlook. Go to Outlook → Settings → Automatic Replies and disable it. If the arrow keeps appearing, check your Microsoft 365 calendar for OOO entries that may still be active.
Does the purple arrow mean someone can't receive messages?
No. The purple arrow does not block messages. You can still send someone a message when they show the purple arrow — they will receive it when they return. Teams may show an automatic OOO reply preview on the message thread.
Why do I have a purple arrow on Teams even when I'm working?
Your Out of Office reply in Outlook is still active. Go to Outlook → Settings → Automatic Replies and turn it off. The Teams status will update within a few minutes once the OOO reply is disabled.
How do I remove the purple arrow from my Teams status?
Turn off your Outlook automatic reply: open Outlook (web or desktop), go to Settings → Automatic Replies, and toggle off "Send automatic replies". Teams updates within 2–5 minutes. If the purple arrow stays, check your Microsoft 365 calendar for an all-day event marked "Show as: Out of Office" and change it to "Free" or delete it.
What is the difference between Out of Office (purple arrow) and Away (yellow clock) on Teams?
Out of Office (purple arrow) is intentional and calendar-driven: you set an Outlook automatic reply or an OOO calendar event, and it usually lasts days and persists through reboots. Away (yellow clock) is automatic and device-driven: Teams sets it after about 5 minutes of inactivity or when you lock your PC, and it clears as soon as you're active again.
What does the purple arrow mean in Outlook?
The same as in Teams — Out of Office. Microsoft 365 shares one presence status across Outlook and Teams, so setting an Automatic Reply (OOO) in Outlook shows the purple arrow next to your name in both apps. Turn off Automatic Replies in Outlook to remove it.
What does the purple person icon mean on Teams?
The purple person icon means exactly the same as the purple arrow: Out of Office. Which shape you see depends on your Teams or Outlook version and the size the icon is drawn at — newer clients tend to draw a small purple figure where older ones drew an arrow. There's no separate "purple person" presence status.
Does the purple arrow mean someone is offline?
No. Out of Office and Offline are different states with different icons — Offline is a grey circle with a white X. Someone showing the purple arrow can be fully signed in and reading messages; the arrow only reflects an Outlook automatic reply or an out-of-office calendar entry, not whether their Teams client is connected.
How long does the purple arrow stay on Teams?
The purple arrow stays for as long as your Outlook automatic reply or out-of-office calendar event is active, and it clears on its own when that period ends. Unlike the yellow clock, it survives reboots, app restarts and overnight, because it's stored in the Microsoft 365 calendar layer rather than in Teams. Turning off Automatic Replies removes it within 2–5 minutes.