Microsoft Teams: Choose your “Enter” key behavior in Teams Chat Settings

Originally posted by Microsoft Jan 14, 2026 Uncategorized 0 Comments

Microsoft Teams will add a per-user setting allowing users to choose if pressing Enter sends a message (default) or starts a new line (with Ctrl/Cmd + Enter to send). Shift + Enter always inserts a new line. This applies to Desktop and Web, rolling out February–March 2026, with no admin action needed.

Introduction

We’re adding a new setting in Microsoft Teams for Desktop and Web that lets users select what happens when they press Enter while composing a message. This update responds to customer feedback for more control and helps prevent accidental message sends. It also aligns Teams with behavior in other messaging apps, creating a familiar and predictable compose experience.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 537279.

When this will happen:

• Targeted Release: Rollout will begin in early February 2026 and complete by mid-February 2026.
• General Availability (Worldwide, GCC): Rollout will begin in mid-February 2026 and complete by late February 2026.
• General Availability (GCCH, DoD): Rollout will begin in early March 2026 and complete by mid-March 2026.

How this affects your organization:

Who is affected: All users of Microsoft Teams for Desktop and Web.

What will happen:

What you can do to prepare:

No admin action is required.

• Notify your helpdesk that users will see a new setting affecting how messages are sent.
• Update any internal documentation that references Teams compose behavior.
• Share this explanation with users: “Teams now lets you select whether Enter sends your message or creates a new line. The default is ‘Press Enter to send.’ You can change this in Settings > Chats and channels.”

There are no changes to Data Loss Prevention (DLP), compliance boundaries, or message retention.

Compliance considerations:

• A new setting will appear under Settings > Chats and channels: “When writing a message, press Enter to…”

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• Users can select:
  • Send the message (default for all users)
  • Start a new line (to send, press Ctrl + Enter or Cmd + Enter)
• Teams will show contextual hints near the compose box to remind users of the current behavior.

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• Additional behavior:
  • Shift + Enter will always insert a new line.
  • Teams will show contextual hints near the compose box to remind users of the current behavior.
• Applies only to Desktop and Web.
• This setting is per-user and will roam across devices.
• There is no admin control, policy, or Graph API configuration.

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.

Message ID: MC1217643