FAQ about presence, contacts, and instant messaging
This FAQ provides answers and information about questions that most frequently come up when dealing with presence, contacts, and instant messaging.
Most frequently asked questions
How do I set up an archive of my messages and conversations?
By default, Microsoft Lync 2010 communications software saves all incoming and outgoing conversations in a Microsoft Outlook Conversation History folder, so you can review previous conversations.
If your conversations are not being saved in this Outlook archive, and you want to set up an archive for future conversations, follow these steps:
- Verify that you are using Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 or Microsoft Outlook 2010.
- In the Lync main window, click the Options button, and then click Personal.
- Click the Save instant message conversations in my email Conversation History folder button, and then click OK.
How do I view my archived messages and conversations?
Lync 2010 can save all incoming and outgoing conversations in an Outlook Conversation History folder, so you can review previous conversations. Also, the View Conversation History and Find Previous Conversations options might be available in Lync, depending on how Lync is configured in your organization. See if they are by doing the following:
- To view your conversation history, click the Show Menu arrow, point to File, and then click View Conversation History. Outlook opens and displays the Conversation History folder. You can then sort conversations or search for a conversation by keyword or contact.
- To find a previous conversation for a specific contact, in the Contacts list, right-click the contact, and then click Find Previous Conversations.
Where are the menus?
Many of the menus in Lync appear when you click a small down arrow (such as the one beside the Options button in the main window). You can also open the main menu by doing any of the following.
- To see the menu in the Lync main window, press Alt, or click the Show Menu arrow, next to the Options button.
- To see the menu in a conversation window, press Alt.
- To permanently display the menu bar in the main window, press Alt, and then click Show Menu Bar.
- To permanently display the menu bar in a conversation window, press Alt, click View, and then click Show Menu Bar.
You can also see menus for performing frequent tasks for contacts, groups, and other items by right-clicking on the items.
Can Lync play a sound to notify me of incoming instant messages?
Lync uses the sound options (scheme, events, etc.) that you specify in Windows to notify you of incoming messages. To disable sounds in Lync and configure other sound settings, do the following:
- In the Lync main window, click the Options button, and then click Ringtones and Sounds.
- In the Sounds section, configure the appropriate settings.
Questions about using presence
Why doesn’t my Out of Office note appear in Lync?
Calendar information (free/busy, meeting subject and time) and the Out of Office note can take as long as thirty minutes to appear in Lync. Additionally, you must be running Lync on a device that can connect to Microsoft Exchange Server.
Why can’t I set my presence status to "Appear Away"?
Some organizations remove the Appear Away state because it can interfere with presence predictability. For example, if a significant number of users use this status, the value of presence in Lync would be greatly reduced. Keep in mind that you can use privacy relationships as a way of avoiding interruptions. For example, if you don’t want to be disturbed by most people, you can set your status as Do Not Disturb and then grant certain people permission to interrupt you by adding them to your Workgroup.
How do I set my presence status options?
You can accept the system administrator settings for presence status, or override them by specifying the number of minutes (of idle activity that elapses) before your presence status changes to Inactive and Away.
To set your presence status options
- In the Lync main window, click the Options button, and then click Status.
- Click the up and down arrows to specify the number of minutes before your presence status changes to Inactive.
- Click the up and down arrows to specify the number of minutes before your presence status changes to Away.
- Click the appropriate button to control general status (override default settings or accept them), and then click OK.
Questions about managing contacts
How do I add federated contacts to my Contacts list?
Because Lync 2010 and Microsoft Lync Server 2010 communications software support the ability to federate (connect) with other organizations, you can add contacts from those organizations to your Contacts list and communicate with them by using any of the communication modes that are supported by both organizations. Check with your support team to determine if a person’s organization is federated with your organization.
To add a federated contact, follow these steps:
- In the Lync main window, in the search field, type the email address of the contact.
- Hover over the search result, and then click the Add to Contact List button (+) to add the contact. Or, right-click the search result, and then click Add to Contact List.
How do I add an outside contact who is not federated to my Contacts list?
To add a contact who is not at a federated organization, try adding her name and home, mobile, and other phone numbers to Outlook Contacts. You can then call the contact’s phone numbers by using Lync, but IM, video calls, and audio/video meetings might not work correctly.
Which communication modes are supported with public IM contacts?
With Lync, you can send and receive instant messages from people who have accounts on the MSN network of Internet services, and the Windows Live network of Internet services, AOL, and Yahoo!. Communication with public IM contacts is limited to IM. File transfer, Lync (Voice over IP, or VoIP) calls, video calls, and audio/video meetings might not work correctly.
How do I find contacts within my organization?
You can find contacts in one of two ways:
- Search by name or number
- Search by keyword
For steps on finding a contact, see Use Lync 2010 Search.
How do I delete contacts from my Contacts list?
To delete a contact from your Contacts list:
- Right-click the contact you want to delete, and then click Remove from Contacts List.
How do I block contacts from reaching me via Lync?
While your name and email address are still displayed to blocked contacts, they can’t reach you through Lync.
To block a contact in Lync
- Right-click the contact you want to block, click Change Privacy Relationship, and then click Blocked Contacts.