Set general options

This article describes the General options window, where you can set up formatting for your instant messages and choose other general Lync settings.

Set your conversation window preferences

When you open General options, the selections you make under Conversation window determine how text and emoticons are going to appear in your instant messages, whether or not your conversations will all appear in a single window, and whether Lync will preserve your conversation display between sessions.

• To show emoticons in instant messages, select the Show emoticons in messages check box. To display the typographical equivalents instead of emoticons, clear the check box.

• To change the default font size, style, and color of the instant messages you send, click the Change Font button, and make your selections on the dialog box. To apply those font preferences to the instant messages you receive, select the Apply settings to incoming messages check box.
  

Lync's tabbed conversations display option lets you keep track of several IM conversations at the same time. When you have more than one active conversation, you'll see a tab for each one in the upper-left corner of the conversation window. Just click the tabs to move back and forth among conversations.

• To enable tabbed conversations, select the Enable tabbed conversations check box.

• To limit the display of each tabbed conversation to one line, select the Make tabs one line only check box.

• To have Lync remember which conversations are in the tabbed display whenever you sign out and automatically reinstate that display the next time you sign in, select the check box labeled Reopen my conversations when I sign in to Lync.

Select options to help improve Lync

If your organization has enabled the feature, you can choose to participate in the Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP). If you choose to participate, your computer or device automatically will send information to Microsoft about how you use certain products. Information from your computer is combined with other CEIP data to help Microsoft solve problems and improve the products and features that customers use most often. To learn more about CEIP, see Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program at the Microsoft website.

• To participate in the CEIP, under Help us improve, select the Sign up for the Customer Experience Improvement Program check box.

You can also choose to automatically send error information to Microsoft specifically about Lync sign-in and Lync Meeting connection issues. This information helps get to the underlying cause of the problem.

• To contribute sign-in and Lync Meeting error information, on the General options window, select Automatically send Lync Improvement Program info to Microsoft.

Set your logging options to help your support team solve problems

System logs are sometimes used to analyze system problems. Your workplace technical support might occasionally ask you to collect logs to help with troubleshooting. If you're not asked, you usually don't need to be concerned with these options. If you're asked to change or confirm the logging settings, under Help your support team help you, make the requested changes.

• To change the logging level, in the Logging in Lync list, select Full, Light, or Off.

• To turn Windows Event logging on or off, select or clear the Also turn on Windows Event logging for Lync to collect troubleshooting info check box.

To learn how to find Lync log files and Windows Event logs, see More about logging in Lync.

Set your application window option

In Lync, when you click the Close (X) button in the upper right corner of the main window, Lync keeps running so that you can receive alerts of incoming calls or messages. By default, clicking the Close button minimizes Lync to the taskbar. But you can choose to have the Lync window minimized to the notification area (located at the far right of the taskbar) instead of the taskbar by selecting the check box under Application Window.

1. Under Application window, select the Minimize to the notification area instead of the taskbar check box.

2. In the Lync main window, click the Options menu, click File, click Exit, and then sign back in to Lync.

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