Short answer: Slack’s own Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar apps can change your status when a meeting starts, and for a plain “In a meeting” they are all you need. They don’t put the meeting name in the status, and their help pages don’t describe Do Not Disturb or a custom emoji. For those, use a dedicated tool such as Don’t Interrupt, or build your own with Zapier or a script.
Three things are easy to mix up when people ask how to change their Slack status automatically, so it helps to separate them:
- Basic availability: a fixed phrase such as “In a meeting” while an event is on. Slack does this itself.
- Custom status: your own wording or emoji, or the meeting’s name.
- Notifications: Do Not Disturb for the length of the meeting, which is a different Slack setting from the status text.
Method 1: Slack’s calendar apps (simplest, free)
Add Slack’s Google Calendar app or its Outlook Calendar app to your workspace and connect your calendar. They set your status to “In a meeting” or “Out of office” (the Outlook app also has “Working remotely”) while an event is on. Slack’s help pages say plainly: “Your status will not include the name of the meeting that you’re attending.” They leave a status you set yourself alone. The Outlook app reads your primary calendar only, and only accepted or Busy events change the status.
Official setup: Google Calendar for Slack and Microsoft Outlook Calendar for Slack.
Choose it if “In a meeting” is enough. You don’t need a paid tool for that.
Method 2: A dedicated tool such as Don’t Interrupt (custom, no code)
Don’t Interrupt reads your Google, Outlook, Zoom or iCal calendar and sets your Slack status for each event. You set the rules once, with no code.
Step 1: Sign up with Slack
Choose Sign up FREE with Slack and approve the permissions. Slack requires a user token to change a status and to snooze notifications, which is why the app asks.
Step 2: Add your calendar
Add the calendar from the dashboard. Your calendar and your Slack account are separate connections.
Step 3: Choose what a meeting does
In the calendar’s Event/Meeting settings, switch on Status and write the text, with an emoji if you like. Put {{name}} in the text to include the meeting’s name. Switch on Do Not Disturb to snooze Slack until the event ends.
Step 4: Add rules if you want them
A Calendar Rule matches a word in an event’s name, such as lunch or focus, and gives it its own status. Basic has 1 rule, Plus 5 and Pro 20.
Choose it if you want the meeting name, your own emoji, Do Not Disturb with the meeting, or Microsoft Teams as well. Basic is free. Plus is \(4 a month and Pro \)7.
Method 3: Zapier, Make or your own script (configurable, DIY)
Zapier has a Slack “Set Status” action with text, an emoji and an optional expiry, and Google Calendar triggers for when an event starts or ends. Make has a “Set a Status” module for Slack. Zapier’s docs don’t list a Slack Do Not Disturb action, though Slack’s API supports it for a user token, so a script can do both.
The costs are your time and delay. You build and fix each flow yourself, Zapier’s calendar triggers poll (every 15 minutes on the free plan, every 2 on Professional), and Zapier’s free plan is 100 tasks a month with two-step Zaps only.
Choose it if you want rules across several apps, or enjoy building them.
How they compare
| Slack’s calendar apps | Don’t Interrupt | Zapier, Make or a script | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup | Add the app | Sign up and connect a calendar | Build a flow for each case |
| Meeting name in the status | No | Yes, optional | If you build it |
| Your own emoji | Not described in Slack’s pages | Yes | Zapier’s Set Status takes an emoji |
| Do Not Disturb with the meeting | Not described in Slack’s pages | Yes, optional | Zapier: not documented. A script can call Slack’s API |
| Calendars | Google or Outlook (one app each) | Google, Outlook, Zoom, iCal | Whatever the tool’s triggers support |
| Cost | Free | Free Basic, then \(4 or \)7 a month | Zapier Free or Make Free, or your own time |
| Delay | Not documented | About five minutes | Zapier polls every 15 minutes on the free plan |
Details checked against Slack’s, Zapier’s and Make’s own pages on 2 October 2026. For the long version, see Don’t Interrupt vs Slack’s scheduled status and vs Zapier and Make.
Practical details
- Privacy. A meeting name in your status is visible to people in your workspace, and Slack says a status can be visible to other organisations in shared channels, depending on settings. Don’t Interrupt shows the name only if you put
{{name}}in the text, and events marked private always show “Private event”. If your meetings have sensitive titles, use a fixed phrase instead. - Permissions. Changing your status and snoozing notifications both need a Slack user token for your account. A workspace admin can restrict apps, so you may need approval.
- Calendars. Outlook is the one to watch: many companies now make an IT admin approve calendar access for new apps (error
AADSTS90094). An iCal link is the fallback. - A status you typed yourself stays. Slack’s apps leave it alone, and Don’t Interrupt does too unless you switch on the Override status option.
- Timing. Don’t Interrupt changes land within about five minutes, because event times are rounded up to five-minute boundaries.
- Two tools at once. If you use Don’t Interrupt, switch off the status sync in Slack’s calendar app so the two don’t fight over your status.
More: put the meeting name and Do Not Disturb in your Slack status, schedule Do Not Disturb in Slack and set your status from Outlook.
Frequently asked questions
Can Slack change my status automatically when a meeting starts?
Yes. Slack’s Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar apps set “In a meeting” or “Out of office” for you. You add the app to your workspace first, and the status doesn’t include the meeting’s name.
How do I show the meeting name in my Slack status?
Slack’s calendar apps can’t. Don’t Interrupt can if you put {{name}} in the status text. You can also build it with Zapier or a script.
Can it turn on Do Not Disturb during the meeting?
Slack’s pages for its calendar apps don’t describe it. Don’t Interrupt can snooze Slack for each event. Zapier’s docs don’t list a Slack Do Not Disturb action, but a script can use Slack’s API.
Do I need a paid tool?
No. For “In a meeting”, Slack’s own apps are free. Don’t Interrupt has a free Basic plan for 1 Slack or Teams account, 1 calendar and 1 rule, and paid plans start at $4 a month.
Is it safe to put meeting names in my status?
It is visible to others, so it depends on the meeting. Use a fixed phrase for sensitive ones. Don’t Interrupt never shows the title of an event marked private.
Why didn’t my status change?
Check that the event is accepted or marked Busy (for Slack’s Outlook app), that you haven’t set a status by hand, that a second tool isn’t setting the status, and that a few minutes have passed.