Microsoft Skype for Business is a unified communications tool for Cornell faculty, staff, and students. It provides instant messaging presence (a combination of your availability and willingness to communicate; helps users approach their colleagues at the right time and through the right form of communication). Download Skype for Business apps and clients across mobile, tablet and desktop devices. Use the Skype for Business app on Windows, Mac, iOS & Android.
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- Skype For Business For Mac Latest Version
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Your presence information is a quick way for other people to see your availability status. Presence is automatically set based on your Outlook calendar, but you can change it manually if you want to.
As an example, if you have a meeting currently scheduled in Outlook, your status appears as 'In a meeting' in Skype for Business. When you're in a Skype for Business audio or video call, your presence indicator appears red, as Busy, and your status is updated to 'In a call.'
You can also manually set your presence status to include details you want others to see. your presence can also include a personal note that appears in your Contacts list and on your contact card. This gives people more information about what you're up to.
As an example, if you have a meeting currently scheduled in Outlook, your status appears as 'In a meeting' in Skype for Business. When you're in a Skype for Business audio or video call, your presence indicator appears red, as Busy, and your status is updated to 'In a call.'
You can also manually set your presence status to include details you want others to see. your presence can also include a personal note that appears in your Contacts list and on your contact card. This gives people more information about what you're up to.
Click the status menu drop-down arrow below your name on the Skype for Business main window, and then click the status you want to show other people.
To revert from the status you set and have Skype for Business automatically update your status, click the status menu and then click Reset Status.
![Skype For Business For Mac Skype For Business For Mac](/uploads/1/3/3/9/133941393/891257249.png)
Choose the appropriate status
Make sure you set your status accurately. The following table describes each presence status that other people may see for you, what each status means, and which ones you can set yourself.
Note: The presence statuses are pre-set in Skype for Business, which means you can't create a custom status, but you can give your contacts more details about where you are or what you're doing by adding a personal note.
If your presence is | It means you are | How this status gets set |
Available | Online and available to contact. | Set automatically for you based on your keyboard activity or Outlook calendar. You can also set this status when you want others to know you’re in your office even though the computer is idle. |
Be Right Back | Stepping away from the computer for a few moments. | You can set your presence to this anytime you want. |
Away/Appear Away | Logged on but your computer has been idle, or you’ve been away from your computer for a specified (set by you) period of time. | Set automatically for you based on your keyboard activity or Outlook calendar. Skype for Business sets your status to “inactive” when your computer’s been idle for five minutes, and to “away” when your status has been inactive for five minutes. (To change these default values, click the Options button, click Status, and then click the arrows next to Show me as Inactive when my status has been idle for this many minutes and Show me as Away when my status has been Inactive for this many minutes.) You can also set your presence to this anytime you want. |
Off Work | Not working and not available to be contacted. | You can set your presence to this anytime you want. |
Busy | Busy and don’t want to be interrupted. | Set automatically for you based on your Outlook calendar. You can also set your presence to this anytime you want. If you manually set it to Busy, it will revert back to your Outlook calendar status in 24 hours, if you do not change it before then. |
In a call | In a Skype for Business call (a two-way audio call) and don’t want to be disturbed. | Set automatically for you based on your phone activity. |
In a meeting | In a meeting and don’t want to be disturbed. | Set automatically for you based on your Outlook calendar. |
In a conference call | In a Skype for Business conference call (a Skype for Business meeting with audio) and don’t want to be disturbed. | Set automatically for you when you have joined a conference call or a meet now session. |
Do Not Disturb | Don’t want to be disturbed and will see conversation notifications only if sent by someone in your workgroup. | You can set your presence to this anytime you want. If you manually set it to Do Not Disturb, it will revert back to your Outlook Calendar status in 24 hours, if you do not change your status before then. |
Presenting | Giving a presentation and can’t be disturbed. | Set automatically for you when you are presenting in a Skype for Business meeting. You can change this setting in the Status options window. |
Out of Office | You are out of the office. | Set automatically for you based on your Outlook calendar. |
Out of the office(automatic reply is on) | You have set the automatic reply feature in Outlook. | Set automatically for you when you set automatic replies in Outlook. |
Offline | Not signed in. You’ll appear as Offline to people whom you’ve blocked from seeing your presence. | Set automatically for you based on your keyboard activity or Outlook calendar. |
Unknown | Your presence can't be detected. | This status might appear to contacts who are not using Skype for Business as their instant messaging program. |
Note: If you use Outlook and your turn of the out-of-office notification, the note you write in Outlook displays in Skype for Business as well, and a red star or asterisk (*) appears next to your presence status at bottom of your picture display area.
Confused about offline or out-of-office presence messages? These examples may help.
Scenario | Skype for Business message |
SIGNED OUT | |
THE VACATION | Miguel headed out on vacation for a week and turned on Automatic Replies in Outlook to announce it. He already cancelled or declinedany meetings during the week he'd be away, and left his laptop signed out and unplugged. |
SIGNED IN | |
THE CONFERENCE | Kayo is attending a conference this week a few hours away from town. She turned on Automatic Replies in Outlook to let her customers know she's out of town, but she'll still be getting online with Skype for Business from time to time. |
THE APPOINTMENT | Chris is having a regular working week, but needs to visit his doctor during his lunch hour. He blocked out his calendar as Office of Office for 30 minutes so that colleagues will know they shouldn't book his time during that period. |
THE EMERGENCY EXIT | Louisa has had an unexpected crisis at home and turned on Automatic Replies in Outlook to announce this. She didn't clear her diary yet, as she's not sure when she'll return. |
THE LOCK-AND-GO | Aadi took off on Friday afternoon for a weekend of fishing. He turned on Automatic Replies in Outlook to announce this, then locked his Windows desktop computer and left Skype for Business running. |
Add or remove a personal note
Type a personal note, such as 'Working from home,' at the top of your Skype for Business main window, to share current details about your status. The note will appear with your contact card. Change the note as often as you like.
To add a personal note
In the Skype for Business main window, click the note box above your name, and then type a note, such as 'Working from home' or 'Working on a deadline, please IM instead of stopping by.'
To remove your personal note
Click the note box above your name, and, on your keyboard, press BackSpace, and then press Enter. The text in the box reverts to the default message, 'What's happening today?'
Turn your out-of-office notification on or off
If you Skype for Business account is synchronized to your Outlook calendar, an out-of-office message displays as your personal note in Skype for Business whenever you turn off the out-of-office notification in Outlook. So, for example, when you're going to be on vacation, you might set up your out-of-office notification in Outlook indicating that you're on vacation (and sharing any relevant information, such as whether you'll be checking email and who your backup is). This notification is published in your contact card and other contact listings that are displayed to your contacts in Skype for Business.
Note: When you return for a vacation, remember to turn off the out-of-office notification. You have to go into Outlook to do this. You can't delete the note from Skype for Business.
Note: When you return for a vacation, remember to turn off the out-of-office notification. You have to go into Outlook to do this. You can't delete the note from Skype for Business.
To turn on the notification in Outlook
In Outlook, click File > Automatic Replies > Send automatic replies, and then write your out-of-office message and schedule it for display.
Skype For Business For Mac Yosemite
To turn off the notification in Outlook and thereby remove the message from your Skype for Business display
In Outlook, click File > Automatic Replies > Turn off. (It can take up to thirty minutes for the note to disappear from your Skype for Business display.)
To sync your Skype for Business and Outlook accounts
- In the Skype for Business main window, click Options.
- In Skype for Business - Options, click Personal.
- Select the Update my presence based on my calendar information check box.
- Select the Display my Out of Office information to contacts in my Friends and Family, Workgroup, and Colleagues privacy relationships check box to sync your Skype for Business and Outlook accounts.
Note: Currently, Skype for Business on Mac does not provide presence information based on your Outlook calendar. This will be available in a future update.
Click your photo, click the Available drop-down arrow below your name, and then click the status you want to show other people.
To revert from the status you set and have Skype for Business automatically update your status, click Automatic.
Skype For Business For Mac Latest Version
Make sure you set your status accurately. The following table describes each presence status that other people may see for you, what each status means, and which ones you can set yourself.
Note: The presence statuses are pre-set in Skype for business, which means you can't create a custom status, but you can give your contacts more details about where yo uare or wht you're doing by adding a status message.
If your presence is | It means you are |
Available | Online and available to contact. |
Busy | Busy or and don’t want to be interrupted. |
Do Not Disturb | Don’t want to be disturbed and will see conversation notifications only if sent by someone in your workgroup. |
Be Right Back | Stepping away from the computer for a few moments. |
Off Work | Not working and not available to be contacted. |
Appear Away | Logged on but your computer has been idle, or you’ve been away from your computer for a specified (set by you) period of time. |
Type a message, such as 'Working from home,' to share current details about your status. Changing the message as often as you like.
To add a status message
Click your photo, click Click to add status message, and then type a message, such as 'In training today' or 'Working on a deadline, please IM instead of stopping by.'
Click your photo, click the message you previously left, and then press Delete.
If you have any questions, come by the Help Desk at Hardman & Jacobs Undergraduate Learning Center Room 105, call 646-1840, or email us at [email protected].
Keywords: | skype for business windows mac change your password statusSuggest keywords | Doc ID: | 74085 |
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Owner: | John B. | Group: | New Mexico State University |
Created: | 2017-06-15 10:59 MST | Updated: | 2017-11-03 11:25 MST |
Sites: | New Mexico State University | ||
Feedback: | 111CommentSuggest a new document |
It’s finally here! Microsoft has at last released the new Mac client for Skype for Business.
(Okay, it was released on October 26. But I was on vacation.)
(Okay, it was released on October 26. But I was on vacation.)
As soon as I saw the announcement, I grabbed a copy and one of our test Macs. The same Mac on which I’d tested the Skype Preview earlier in the year (and had several issues). Fortunately, the new Mac client installed & ran smoothly.
Get the Mac Client
Download Skype for Business on Mac here: Skype for Business on Mac – Microsoft Download Center
(Curious note: Microsoft has a page up for Skype for Business apps: Download Skype for Business across all your devices. The Mac client version available here? It’s still Lync for Mac 2011. Somebody didn’t do their update…)
So what do we have for our Mac friends? The new client is, I’d say, a fair and equitable companion to the Windows Skype for Business client. There are some differences, and (as of now) a few limitations. But overall, I think our Mac customers will enjoy this client very much.
What the Mac Client Has
You wouldn’t expect any Skype for Business client not to have all the basics. The Mac client is no different. Presence status, IM, making/receiving phone calls, Meetings (Meet Now and Scheduled Skype Meetings), video calling, screen sharing…all are included. It even has a couple new features: One-click Meeting Join. Full-screen sharing.
All within a nice clean typical-Mac-UI interface.
Being a Windows guy, I thought for a moment that they’d stripped out many of the options. Until I realized that those options were available in the Skype for Business navigation menus instead.
Which actually led me to finding some notable differences between client versions.
Skype For Business For Macbook
Differences from Windows Client
Microsoft Skype For Business For Mac
In keeping with the Mac’s “streamlined UI” motif, several items you’d find right away in the Windows client aren’t showing in the Mac client. At least, not at a glance.
For instance, Call Forwarding. You can set Call Forwarding options in 2 places on Windows – in Skype for Business’ Options, and in the Call Forwarding dropdown along the bottom of the Windows client.
The latter option is not available in Skype4B on Mac. You can only set Call Forwarding in the Preferences window, under Calls.
(As you see here, setting your Voicemail Greeting is also under Calls.)
Also, Device selection. Through which device will you make & receive calls? On Windows, Skype for Business lets you choose this in the same 2 places as Call Forwarding. On Mac, Skype for Business only lets you do this in Preferences, under Audio/Video.
By default, Instant Messaging windows open in the main Skype for Business window, under “Chats.” Chats also serves as Conversation History in the Mac client.
(If you want separate windows for Instant Messaging conversations, check the “Show conversations in separate windows” box in the Preferences/General window.)
Limitations & Known Issues
This is a V1 client. I’m sure Microsoft could have held it back longer for more feature additions, but they opted not to. Kind of glad they did; Mac users have dealt with Lync for Mac for too long.
That said, the new Mac client does have limitations. A few features Windows users enjoy are not available…at least not at this stage.
- No Application Sharing (yet).
- Persistent Chat is NOT integrated.
- No Delegate management.
- No initiating calls to Response Groups.
- Call Park is not available.
In terms of known issues, Microsoft has already published a list: Known Issues – Skype for Business on Mac
One to note here: you can’t have both Lync for Mac and Skype for Business on Mac clients installed side-by-side. If you use Lync for Mac, uninstall it before installing Skype for Business.
I came across one of the issues almost immediately. If you’re logged into Skype for Business with one account, but logged into Outlook with another, Skype Meeting functionality doesn’t come up in Outlook.
Even when you’re logged in with the same account, you may need to use the “Online Meeting” button to add Skype Meeting URLs/dial-in numbers to a Meeting invite. When I first opened a new Meeting, I had a blank invite. I clicked the Online Meeting button, and you see the result below. Instant Skype Meeting.
It’s Finally Here! Go Install Skype for Business on your Mac
Final impressions: I’m glad Microsoft did the Preview. This client was all-new, and it definitely had bugs. Leveraging the Skype4B community is a good way to hunt them down quickly.
The new Mac client is stable; I’ve had it running for over 36 hours now with no errors or crashes. It has a good feature set. It’s ready for day-to-day use. And we’re all happy for that!
For a full feature list, check the now-updated client comparison table: Client Comparison Tables for Skype for Business Server 2015
(Just remember to uninstall Lync for Mac first. And the Skype Preview client, if you tried that out!)
What do you think of Skype for Business on Mac? Please comment below or email in your thoughts.