Fortnite's latest update introduced a new text chat feature, but it has been met with frustration from players due to its hardcoded Enter keybind. The inability to rebind the chat function is causing significant problems, especially for those with custom key configurations.
The Problem: Hardcoded Enter Key
The new text chat is locked to the Enter key with no way to rebind it. This creates conflicts for players who already have the Enter key mapped to another function. If Enter is already bound to actions like crouching or interacting with objects, it now also opens the text chat.
Epic Games has acknowledged the issue and has confirmed that a fix is in development via the official Fortnite Status account:
(Quote from official Fortnite Status account or link if provided)
We're aware that the new Text Chat is bound to the ENTER key, preventing some other keybinds from being bound overtop it.
— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) December 10, 2024
We are working on a fix for this in a future update, and will let you know when this is resolved. pic.twitter.com/zS8DmUEs2s
Impact on Players
The hardcoded Enter key is particularly frustrating for:
- Left-handed players using custom keybinds.
- Players who have mapped the Enter key to another action.
- Players who experience conflicts (e.g., toggling between fullscreen and windowed).
One Reddit user shared their frustration: “It’s critical for us left-handed players lol, we always get shafted in games by non-rebindable keys.”
Another player highlighted that pressing Enter can also cause a toggle between fullscreen and windowed mode.
Another player on X (formerly Twitter) shared the impact on custom setups: “I’m left-handed, so I use left-handed keybinds. My crouch button is Enter, and now the new text chat feature is also Enter. So, I can’t crouch. Is there a setting I can change?”
Epic's Response and Future Plans
Epic Games has confirmed a fix is coming, but they haven’t provided a timeline for its release. For now, players are forced to find workarounds or temporarily use the default keybinds.
We will update this article when Epic Games announces further details.
