Understand your availability status
Only people you share a space with or someone you've accepted a chat invite from can see your status. Blocked users won’t ever be able to see your status.
What happens when you mute notifications
Status icon | Status text | Status meaning |
Active | Gmail or Google Chat is open. | |
Do not disturb |
Google Chat notifications are muted. *For workspace accounts this is visible at the domain level only |
|
Away |
|
|
Idle | You've been inactive in Gmail or Google Chat for the last 5 minutes. |
Change your status
- On your computer, open Gmail.
- At the top right, next to your status indicator, click the Down arrow
.
- Choose: Automatic, Do not disturb, or Set as away.
Set a custom status
- Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.
- From your status indicator at the top, click the Down arrow
.
- Click Add a status.
- Follow the prompt to choose an emoji, write a status message, or end or clear a status.
- Click Done.
Delete a custom status
- Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.
- From your status indicator at the top, click the Down arrow
.
- Click the status to delete.
- Click X.
- Click Done.
Set a Calendar status with a Workspace account
You can use Calendar status with a Google Workspace account. Your Chat status will automatically update to OOO, in a meeting, or in focus time based on your calendar status. You can always override your automatic calendar status with a custom one.
Anyone who sends you a direct message will find your Calendar status under your name within the direct message window.
Tip: At the top right of your Gmail window in your status indicator, you can find your Calendar status.
Group messages won’t show Calendar status.
- Go to Google Calendar.
- At the top right, click Settings menu
Settings.
- On the left, under “Settings for my calendar,” select your calendar.
- Under “Access permissions for events,” check the box next to “Show calendar info in other Google apps, limited by access permissions.” Your changes are automatically saved.
Temporarily stop notifications in Google Chat or Gmail
- Go to Google Chat or your Gmail account.
- At the top, click your status.
- Select Do not disturb.
- To set your preferred duration, select a duration from the list or click "Until a specific time."
- Click Set.
Tip: Notifications automatically turn back on after the mute duration expires. To end mute sooner, click your status Do not disturb
Turn off Do not disturb.