How To Keep Slack Active, With Photos

More companies are coming to terms with the fact that remote work is not going anywhere. This has led to an increase in Slack users. However, one issue keeps cropping up, how to keep Slack active.

Even when Slack is open on your browser, it changes the status to Away when you are inactive over an extended period. A simple concept like status is essential, especially in groups where communication is crucial. 

There are several techniques to maintain the status as active on Slack. So, keep reading if you’re trying to figure out how to keep Slack active as you work. 

Slack automatically shows your availability based on your activity on the app or browser. The system sets it to “away” after 10 minutes of inactivity or when you minimize the app.

Method 1: Using Slack Off Tool

You can keep Slack always active by using a tool that works through Slack tokens. You can set your status to always active using the Slack Off tool. 

Some time back, Slack didn’t use app integrations. They used legacy tokens to access web API (Application Programming Interface). However, this integration technique is no longer in use by applications. But, the Slack Off tool still uses these tokens to integrate with Slack.

Follow these steps to use the SlackOff tool to make you appear active on Slack.

Step 1: Sign up for the Service

Open the website and click the  “Try it out” button to register for this service.

Step 2: Add API Tokens

After logging in, click on Add team. The app will redirect you to the Add Slack team page, but first, you must add an API token.

Step 3: Generate Tokens

Scroll down the Slack Legacy token generating page to locate your username and workspace. The page will show the token as zero if you are using this service for the first time. Click the re-issue token button to generate tokens.

Step 4: Add Team

Copy the generated token, then return to SlackOff and paste it into the text box.

Once the app authenticates the token, It will redirect you to the homepage of SlackOff. There you’ll find the workspace and username set to Always online.

You’ll always be visible online because Slack Off shows you’re always online, even when you’re not. You can do your everyday business as the green light keeps shining brightly.

Remember to change the status to Away before signing out. You will be asked for a new status the following time you sign in to your account. You only need to click Yes, set me to active to show always online.

The paid version of the Slack Off app does not require you to set your status every time you sign in to your account. It can schedule times and days when Slack Off will keep you active.

To set your schedule, select your workspace, select the time you prefer, and click Save schedule.

Method 2: Update your Slack Status Manually

When you select a status in Slack, the emoji appears next to your name. Other users can access your complete status either on your profile or by hovering over your status emoji on the desktop. 

Follow these steps to manually set yourself to “Active” or “Away” on your browser.

Step 1: Click Your Profile

Click your photo in the top right corner of your screen.

Step 2: Set Yourself as Active

If your status is Away, the option to set yourself as Active will appear and vice versa. Click set yourself as Active.

Other Ways of Keeping your Slack Status Active

Here are some other ingenious ways of keeping Slack status active.

PowerShell AutoKeyboard

A great way to keep your Slack active is by writing a simple PowerShell script. PowerShell is natively available for Windows users, but Linux and macOS users can also install and use it.

Here is a straightforward PowerShell script that routinely toggles your computer’s CAPSLOCK key.

Save the code to a file with the extension.ps1, then right-click on the new script and select Run with PowerShell.

AutoHotKey (AutoClicker)

Another simple way to keep Slack active is to create a basic auto-clicker using the AutoHotKey scripting language. You can install AutoHotKey on a Windows PC. It’s a small and secure program. You can write short scripts with the software to automate specific processes. 

In this case, you can program your mouse to click at set intervals. Here is a short script you can apply to automate mouse clicks to keep Slack active. The F12 key toggles the script while it is running in the background.

DIY Mouse Mover

You can trick Slack into keeping your status active if you have an optical mouse by playing a looped video on your phone and placing the optical mouse on the screen. The video will keep your status active by deceiving the mouse into believing it is moving.

GT Auto Clicker

GT Auto clicker is a free mouse-clicking app available for download on the Microsoft store. You can customize the app’s settings to change things like the length between clicks, how often they recur, and the location on the screen the mouse will click.

Final Thoughts

Although businesses keep trying to enforce productivity requirements, employees believe they should have certain liberties when working remotely. One freedom is stepping away from computers whenever they choose, provided they complete the work. 

The methods above will help you stay active on Slack while you attend to other duties. Pick the one that suits you as long as you achieve your goal of keeping the green bubble on.

Up Next

• How to Leave a Slack Workspace
• How to Create a Slack Bot
• How to Use Giphy in Slack