diff --git a/src/angle_hybrid.cpp b/src/angle_hybrid.cpp
index 12bc9aa97a..41f46ae878 100644
--- a/src/angle_hybrid.cpp
+++ b/src/angle_hybrid.cpp
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ void AngleHybrid::settings(int narg, char **arg)
       error->all(FLERR, "Angle style hybrid cannot have none as an argument");
 
     styles[nstyles] = force->new_angle(arg[i], 1, dummy);
-    force->store_style(keywords[nstyles], arg[i], 0);
+    keywords[nstyles] = force->store_style(arg[i], 0);
 
     istyle = i;
     if (strcmp(arg[i], "table") == 0) i++;
diff --git a/src/bond_hybrid.cpp b/src/bond_hybrid.cpp
index dad1010a1e..3139d9ecd8 100644
--- a/src/bond_hybrid.cpp
+++ b/src/bond_hybrid.cpp
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ void BondHybrid::settings(int narg, char **arg)
     if (strncmp(arg[i], "quartic", 7) == 0) has_quartic = m;
 
     styles[nstyles] = force->new_bond(arg[i], 1, dummy);
-    force->store_style(keywords[nstyles], arg[i], 0);
+    keywords[nstyles] = force->store_style(arg[i], 0);
 
     istyle = i;
     if (strcmp(arg[i], "table") == 0) i++;
diff --git a/src/dihedral_hybrid.cpp b/src/dihedral_hybrid.cpp
index 24a18e6783..0f72f999c9 100644
--- a/src/dihedral_hybrid.cpp
+++ b/src/dihedral_hybrid.cpp
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ void DihedralHybrid::settings(int narg, char **arg)
       error->all(FLERR, "Dihedral style hybrid cannot have none as an argument");
 
     styles[nstyles] = force->new_dihedral(arg[i], 1, dummy);
-    force->store_style(keywords[nstyles], arg[i], 0);
+    keywords[nstyles] = force->store_style(arg[i], 0);
 
     istyle = i;
     if (strcmp(arg[i], "table") == 0) i++;
diff --git a/src/force.cpp b/src/force.cpp
index 6b7e9033ca..928b95ee78 100644
--- a/src/force.cpp
+++ b/src/force.cpp
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ void Force::create_pair(const std::string &style, int trysuffix)
 
   int sflag;
   pair = new_pair(style,trysuffix,sflag);
-  store_style(pair_style,style,sflag);
+  pair_style = store_style(style,sflag);
 }
 
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ void Force::create_bond(const std::string &style, int trysuffix)
 
   int sflag;
   bond = new_bond(style,trysuffix,sflag);
-  store_style(bond_style,style,sflag);
+  bond_style = store_style(style,sflag);
 }
 
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -427,7 +427,7 @@ void Force::create_angle(const std::string &style, int trysuffix)
 
   int sflag;
   angle = new_angle(style,trysuffix,sflag);
-  store_style(angle_style,style,sflag);
+  angle_style = store_style(style,sflag);
 }
 
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ void Force::create_dihedral(const std::string &style, int trysuffix)
 
   int sflag;
   dihedral = new_dihedral(style,trysuffix,sflag);
-  store_style(dihedral_style,style,sflag);
+  dihedral_style = store_style(style,sflag);
 }
 
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -581,7 +581,7 @@ void Force::create_improper(const std::string &style, int trysuffix)
 
   int sflag;
   improper = new_improper(style,trysuffix,sflag);
-  store_style(improper_style,style,sflag);
+  improper_style = store_style(style,sflag);
 }
 
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -658,7 +658,7 @@ void Force::create_kspace(const std::string &style, int trysuffix)
 
   int sflag;
   kspace = new_kspace(style,trysuffix,sflag);
-  store_style(kspace_style,style,sflag);
+  kspace_style = store_style(style,sflag);
 }
 
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -729,14 +729,14 @@ KSpace *Force::kspace_match(const std::string &word, int exact)
    if sflag = 1/2/3, append suffix or suffix2 or suffixp to style
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
 
-void Force::store_style(char *&str, const std::string &style, int sflag)
+char *Force::store_style(const std::string &style, int sflag)
 {
   std::string estyle = style;
 
   if (sflag == 1) estyle += std::string("/") + lmp->suffix;
   else if (sflag == 2) estyle += std::string("/") + lmp->suffix2;
   else if (sflag == 3) estyle += std::string("/") + lmp->suffixp;
-  str = utils::strdup(estyle);
+  return utils::strdup(estyle);
 }
 
 /* ----------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/force.h b/src/force.h
index 09e13c7bd1..cc9ad06282 100644
--- a/src/force.h
+++ b/src/force.h
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ class Force : protected Pointers {
   KSpace *new_kspace(const std::string &, int, int &);
   KSpace *kspace_match(const std::string &, int);
 
-  void store_style(char *&, const std::string &, int);
+  char *store_style(const std::string &, int);
   void set_special(int, char **);
 
   double memory_usage();
diff --git a/src/improper_hybrid.cpp b/src/improper_hybrid.cpp
index d3a9403a6b..0354f8e92e 100644
--- a/src/improper_hybrid.cpp
+++ b/src/improper_hybrid.cpp
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ void ImproperHybrid::settings(int narg, char **arg)
       error->all(FLERR, "Improper style hybrid cannot have none as an argument");
 
     styles[nstyles] = force->new_improper(arg[i], 1, dummy);
-    force->store_style(keywords[nstyles], arg[i], 0);
+    keywords[nstyles] = force->store_style(arg[i], 0);
 
     istyle = i;
     if (strcmp(arg[i], "table") == 0) i++;
diff --git a/src/pair_hybrid.cpp b/src/pair_hybrid.cpp
index e962e02c9e..8c0326d7b8 100644
--- a/src/pair_hybrid.cpp
+++ b/src/pair_hybrid.cpp
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ void PairHybrid::settings(int narg, char **arg)
       error->all(FLERR,"Pair style hybrid cannot have none as an argument");
 
     styles[nstyles] = force->new_pair(arg[iarg],1,dummy);
-    force->store_style(keywords[nstyles],arg[iarg],0);
+    keywords[nstyles] = force->store_style(arg[iarg],0);
     special_lj[nstyles] = special_coul[nstyles] = nullptr;
     compute_tally[nstyles] = 1;
 
diff --git a/src/pair_hybrid_scaled.cpp b/src/pair_hybrid_scaled.cpp
index 0a4be44be0..68a6199e19 100644
--- a/src/pair_hybrid_scaled.cpp
+++ b/src/pair_hybrid_scaled.cpp
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ void PairHybridScaled::settings(int narg, char **arg)
       error->all(FLERR, "Pair style hybrid/scaled cannot have none as an argument");
 
     styles[nstyles] = force->new_pair(arg[iarg], 1, dummy);
-    force->store_style(keywords[nstyles], arg[iarg], 0);
+    keywords[nstyles] = force->store_style(arg[iarg], 0);
     special_lj[nstyles] = special_coul[nstyles] = nullptr;
     compute_tally[nstyles] = 1;