Skype: Activate push to talk - how it works

You can read about how to activate push-to-talk for Skype in the following practical tip.

Activate push to talk for Skype

If you want to save your conversation partner from loud background noise in Skype, you can conveniently use the push-to-talk function and thus simply mute the microphone while listening. To activate push to talk:

1. Sign in to Skype and choose Actions> Options from the menu above.
2. In the next window, click on "Advanced" at the bottom.
3. Then select "Keyboard shortcuts" below.
4. In the window on the right, check the box behind "Use keyboard shortcut system-wide" in the checkbox.
5. At the very bottom, check the box next to "Switch mute (push to talk)".
6. In the pop-up window, select a key combination such as [Ctrl] and [Space].
7. Then click on "OK" and in the large window on "Save".
8. You can then use a key combination to mute or switch on the microphone in the Skype call when you release the key.

Note that Skype follows a reverse logic: Typically, when pushing to talk, you press while talking. Not so with Skype - because here you have to press the button if you don't want the other party to hear anything. In another article, we'll show you how to set up a video conference in Skype.