diff --git a/contrib/company-mode/README.md b/contrib/company-mode/README.md
index 5fe69651c..2c8db909a 100644
--- a/contrib/company-mode/README.md
+++ b/contrib/company-mode/README.md
@@ -25,6 +25,18 @@ Basically, Spacemacs now has better Clang/C++ than any other Emacs config.
 <kbd>C-M-/</kbd>     | filter the company dropdown menu
 <kbd>C-d</kbd>       | open minibuffer with documentation of thing at point in company dropdown
 
+## Settings
+
+To use tab instead of enter to complete your selection, `dotspacemacs/init` set `company-mode/use-tab-instead-of-enter-to-complete` to true, for example:
+```
+(defun dotspacemacs/init ()
+  "User initialization for Spacemacs. This function is called at the very
+ startup."
+  (setq company-mode/use-tab-instead-of-enter-to-complete t)
+  )
+
+```
+
 ## Maintainer
 
 This contrib layer was written by and should be maintained by @trishume, everyone else is
diff --git a/contrib/company-mode/packages.el b/contrib/company-mode/packages.el
index 3035fe73e..fc2b91429 100644
--- a/contrib/company-mode/packages.el
+++ b/contrib/company-mode/packages.el
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@
 (defvar company-mode/enable-yas t
   "Enable yasnippet for all backends.")
 
+(defvar company-mode/use-tab-instead-of-enter-to-complete nil
+  "use tab instead of enter for completion in company-mode")
+
 (defun company-mode/backend-with-yas (backend)
   (if (or (not company-mode/enable-yas) (and (listp backend) (member 'company-yasnippet backend)))
       backend
@@ -25,15 +28,22 @@
   (use-package company
     :config
     (progn
-      (defun company-mode/keyword-cancel-transformer (candidates)
-        "company frontend that cancels completion when a keyword is typed
+      ;; this isn't needed if we use tab instead of enter
+      (if (not company-mode/use-tab-instead-of-enter-to-complete)
+          (progn
+            (defun company-mode/keyword-cancel-transformer (candidates)
+              "company frontend that cancels completion when a keyword is typed
 so that you don't have 'do' completed to 'downcase' in Ruby"
-        (if (member company-prefix company-mode/completion-cancel-keywords) '() candidates))
+              (if (member company-prefix company-mode/completion-cancel-keywords) '() candidates))
+            (setq
+             company-transformers '(company-mode/keyword-cancel-transformer company-sort-by-occurrence))
+            )
+          (setq company-transformers '(company-sort-by-occurrence)) ;else
+          )
 
       (setq company-idle-delay 0.0
             company-minimum-prefix-length 2
             company-require-match nil
-            company-transformers '(company-mode/keyword-cancel-transformer company-sort-by-occurrence)
             company-dabbrev-ignore-case nil
             company-dabbrev-downcase nil
             company-tooltip-flip-when-above t
@@ -42,10 +52,8 @@ so that you don't have 'do' completed to 'downcase' in Ruby"
 
       (global-company-mode 1)
 
-      ;; Fix integration of company and yasnippet
-      (define-key company-active-map (kbd "TAB") nil)
-      (define-key company-active-map (kbd "<tab>") nil)
-      (define-key company-active-map [tab] nil)
+      ;; set completion key
+      (company-mode/set-completion-key)
 
       (company-mode/setup-keybindings)
 
@@ -80,3 +88,19 @@ so that you don't have 'do' completed to 'downcase' in Ruby"
     (define-key company-active-map (kbd "C-M-/") 'company-filter-candidates)
     (define-key company-active-map (kbd "C-d") 'company-show-doc-buffer)
     ))
+
+(defun company-mode/set-completion-key ()
+  (if company-mode/use-tab-instead-of-enter-to-complete
+      (progn
+        (define-key company-active-map (kbd "TAB") 'company-complete-selection) ;have tab stand in for enter
+        (define-key company-active-map (kbd "<tab>") 'company-complete-selection)
+        (define-key company-active-map [tab] 'company-complete-selection)
+        (define-key company-active-map [return] nil) ;disable enter
+        (define-key company-active-map (kbd "RET") nil)
+        )
+      (progn
+        ;; Fix integration of company and yasnippet
+        (define-key company-active-map (kbd "TAB") nil)
+        (define-key company-active-map (kbd "<tab>") nil)
+        (define-key company-active-map [tab] nil)
+        )))