macOS: Universally Mute teams mic with keyboard

Issue

A lot of folks are tired of managing microphone mute/unmute when on teams calls. Since you have to go to teams call and than use a keyboard or hit the microphone icon. That a distraction if you are doing multitasking (which almost everyone is doing).

Solution

Use a universal keyboard shortcut to mute/unmute microphone in teams without going to teams app. Here how we do it:

Step 1

• Open up Automator app on your macOS
  • Keyboard shortcut: CMD + Space and than search for Automator
• Hot quick action document
• Hit Choose

Step 2

Let design the automation so that we can run it using a keyboard shortcut.

• Change the Workflow receive current option to no input
• Leave everything else to its default.
• On the left panel, look for the action Run Applescript
  • Double click on it so it moves to the right on your new action panel
• Replace the code in it with the below code

on run {input, parameters}

    tell application "Microsoft Teams"
        activate
        tell application "System Events"
            keystroke "m" using {shift down, command down}
        end tell
    end tell

    return input
end run

• Go to file on the top-left menu and hit save.
• Give it some name (example teams-mute)

Step 3

Let's get to the keyboard shortcut

• Go to System preferences -> keyboard -> shortcuts
• Click services in the left panel and scroll down to look for your service. It should be under the general section.
• Assign a shortcut to it.
  • I used F1

Troubleshooting

• When you execute the shortcut it might ask you for permission to change the system.
  • Provide that permission in System preferences -> security and privacy
  • select Accessibility in left panel and make sure Automator is present and select in the right right panel.
• If your action is not working than go to Accessibility (as mentioned in previous step) section and remove Automator and than add it back again using the +/- buttons

Hope this helps and share your thoughts.

Comments

[Rancu Marius]

It takes like ~2 seconds for the mute/unmute action to complete :(