What Slack status icons mean
Slack shows three separate signals: presence, custom status, and Do Not Disturb. They can appear together. A green dot with a Z means you are active, with notifications paused.
Slack considers you active. This is an activity signal, not a promise that you can respond immediately.
Slack considers you away because the app is closed, you have been inactive, or you set yourself away.
Do Not Disturb is on. Notifications are paused, although teammates can still choose to notify you about something urgent.
You are active in Slack, but Do Not Disturb is on. Teammates can see you online, but messages will not trigger notifications unless they choose Notify anyway.
The heavy plus sign (➕) is not a Slack presence icon. Slack uses plus buttons to add channels, files, or reactions, and people sometimes use ➕ as a custom status emoji. It does not change your green, away, or DND indicator.
A custom status emoji explains what you are doing—such as OOO, focus time, a meeting, or a sick day. It does not replace your presence dot.
For Slack’s current behaviour, see the official guides to status and availability and Do Not Disturb.
Choose a Slack status emoji
Need an emoji to use? Browse the Slack status emoji directory for focus, meetings, PTO, health, and work. Have your own wording? Try the Slack status emoji generator.
How to change your Slack status icon
Set the emoji, status text, and expiration together so the signal remains accurate after you return.
Choose a familiar emoji and pair it with clear status text so teammates understand your availability without guessing. Need help choosing? Try the free Slack status emoji generator.
- 01
Open your profile menu in Slack and choose Set a status.
- 02
Add your status text, then select the emoji beside it to choose an icon.
- 03
Choose when the status should clear, then save it. Adjust notification settings separately if you need quiet time.
Frequently asked questions
What does the green dot with a Z mean in Slack? +
A green circle with a Z means you are currently active in Slack, but your notifications are paused (Do Not Disturb is on). Teammates can see you are online, but messages will not trigger notifications unless they choose Notify anyway.
What do the default Slack status dot icons mean? +
The green dot usually means active, the empty or outlined circle means away, and the pause or DND indicator means notifications are paused. These presence indicators are separate from custom Slack status icons like 🌴, 🤒, or 🎯.
What does the heavy plus sign mean in Slack? +
The heavy plus sign (➕) is not a Slack presence icon. Slack uses plus buttons in the UI to add channels, files, or reactions, and people sometimes use ➕ as a custom status emoji. It does not change your green, away, or DND indicator.
Can I use custom emojis as my Slack status icon? +
Yes. If your workspace has custom emoji, you can use them as Slack status icons. Custom team emoji work best when everyone understands what the icon means.
Why is my Slack status icon not changing automatically? +
A scheduled Slack status can change its icon at the start time you choose. For schedules that repeat, an integration like AutoStatus can update the icon and status on every occurrence without rebuilding the schedule.
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