Disable control+enter when typing a message in Lync

Question

Is it possible to disable or re-configure the control+enter keyboard shortcut that starts a video call to the user I'm chatting with?

I've used this keyboard shortcut to send messages in other IM-clients for years. I have to use Lync at work, and I'm driving my colleagues (and myself) crazy by starting a video call invite for every second message I write...

Preferably I'd like to re-configure this shortcut to mean "send", but I'd go with disabling it if that's the only option.

Solution 1

This has been driving me mad too, since in any other app Ctrl+Enter means 'Send'.

Anyway, I found a post about disabling Ctrl+Enter for Outlook with a registry hack; I thought I'd give it a try for Lync, and to my surprise it did work.

So:

• Open Regedit
• Navigate to HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft
• Right-click Microsoft and add new key Office
• Right-click 'Office' and add a new key named 15.0 (or whatever your Office version number is)
• Right-click the version number key, add a new key and call it Lync
• Right-click Lync and add the new key DisabledShortcutKeysCheckBoxes
• Right-click the DisabledShortcutKeysCheckBoxes key and select new string value
• Name it CtrlEnter
• Right-click CtrlEnter, select modify and set the value to 13,8 (that's thirteen comma eight)
• Restart Lync (I killed the Lync process and then started it up again)

Now Ctrl+Enter should no longer do anything.

[Update] If you also want to disable Ctrl+Shift+Enter, which by default starts an audio call, you can add a CtrlShiftEnter string value with data set to 13,12.

---

To quickly apply both above changes you can create a file with a .reg extension (e.g. FixLync.reg), fill it with the content below and run it.

Note: version number 15.0 corresponds to Office 2013, tune this value if necessary!

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Lync\DisabledShortcutKeysCheckBoxes]
"CtrlEnter"="13,8"
"CtrlShiftEnter"="13,12"

Solution 2

I was unable to get the registry hack to work on SfB 2016 with Windows 10 v1703 (first Creators Update). However, the following AutoHotKey hot string works as well (assuming you have AutoHotKey installed):

#IfWinActive ahk_class LyncConversationWindowClass
Control & Enter::Send {Enter}

Comments

[Andrey Regentov]

Would be okay if i can assign "send message" to ctrl+enter. But that's microsoft...

[andrybak]

It should be noted that Lync might appear under another name "Skype for business".

[Yaba]

Thank you, andrybak. I had the Lync key, however it did not work until I added the same under "Skype for business"

[shurik]

Skype for business 2016 - this solution still works. thanks

[Alec Istomin]

For Office 2016/Skype for business 2016 use "16.0" instead of "15.0" under Office key

[Adam Caviness]

Any idea what value to assign for CtrlShiftS? That glorious combo closes screen sharing so "save all" fails every time.

[joro]

"15.0" string is suitable for "MS Lync 2013 (15.0.x) ... Skype for Business 2015"

[outjet]

To verify which naming you need, you could peek under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office and verify the version number and if it's called Skype for Business or Lync

[Andreas]

Doesn't seem to work with on Windows 10/Skype 2016 :( Is the key name really "Skype for business"??

[Andreas]

Tried different variations of the key name with no luck.

[itsho]

AMAZING! works on W10/S4B 2016. But where did you got the magic strings from? ("13,8" and "13,12")

[itsho]

Magic strings table can be found at the bottom of this: MS article page

[HaveSpacesuit]

I can get it to work for other shortcuts, but not for 32,12 (Ctrl+Shift+Space). This highlights the share screen toolbar, but is annoying when also using Visual Studio and you want to use the natural shortcut there. It seems this specific shortcut is built in a different way.

[mlhDev]

The registry hack worked originally then stopped working. This AHK setting worked for me after I changed it to #If WinActive("ahk_class LyncConversationWindowClass") or WinActive("ahk_class LyncTabFrameHostWindowClass") then restarted Lync.

[Yaba]

Thank you. I am using your suggestion now as the registry key got frequently deleted from time to time.

[hudsonsedge]

Tried it manually. Tried the .reg file (correcting for 16). I'm on Win10/O365/Office2016. Anyone tried this lately?

[kotchwane]

A more complete Strings Table can be found on this Microsoft API documentation.