Goodbye, Skype: Once-popular video calling service shuts down for good

by

(NEXSTAR) – After a 21-year run, the once widely-used video chat app Skype is now officially a memory, as of May 5.

“Rest in peace, Skype,” one person wrote on X. “You served us well.”

“Listen to that iconic Skype ringer one last time,” another urged, adding a clip of the bubbly, slick
tone
.

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Luxembourg, Microsoft-owned Skype has been credited with making video calls easy and affordable for millions of people.

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“Skype has played a crucial role in molding contemporary communication methods and facilitating numerous significant events, and we feel privileged to have been a part of this expedition,” stated Jeff Teper, who serves as the president of collaborative apps and platforms at Microsoft, in an official release.

Teper mentioned that the choice to discontinue Skype stems from Microsoft’s intention to “simplify our free consumer communication services, allowing us to better adjust to customer demands.”

What occurs next for Skype users?

Skype users will no longer be able to log into their accounts, but they can use the same credentials sign into Microsoft Teams Free on any supported device.

One’s contacts and chats will be automatically transferred and the user will also see a notification in the Skype app “prompting you to take action to migrate your data,” according to Microsoft.

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Microsoft
notes
the following information does not transfer to Teams Free:

  • Conversations between Skype users and Teams work or school accounts won’t be transferred. Individuals can utilize Teams Free to initiate new chats with Team’s work or school members and take advantage of additional features.
  • Skype to Skype for Business chat history will not be migrated.
  • 1:1 chat with self history will not be migrated.
  • Data from private conversations will not be transferred.
  • The content from Copilot and bots won’t be supported within Teams Free, and there will be no availability of chat history.

For dedicated Skype users who have no interest in transitioning to Teams, they still have the choice to continue using Skype.
export one’s Skype data
.

Any individual who does not take any action and does not sign into Teams before January 2026 risks losing their information.

Microsoft
acquired Skype
In 2011 for $8.5 billion.


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