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, 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
| 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.
How to Remove the Purple Arrow
The purple arrow disappears as soon as the OOO reply is disabled in Outlook. The process:
- Open Outlook (web or desktop)
- Go to Settings → Automatic Replies
- Toggle off "Send automatic replies"
- Teams will update within 2–5 minutes
If the arrow persists, 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.
What Others See When You Have the Purple Arrow
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.