The death of Skype: when it closes and what you need to do

(Image credit: Microsoft)

By Britta O'Boyle

published 4 March 2025

in News

Quick Summary

Skype is shutting down in the next couple of months, but Microsoft is making the transition to Teams easy.

You will be able to sign into Teams with your Skype credentials and get access to all your contacts, calls and chats.

There was a time when Skype was the platform to use if you wanted to catch up with loved ones in another country or speak to colleagues over video. It launched in 2003 and for a long time, it was the go-to video calling service.

But Zoom – which initially launched in 2011 – gained traction during the global pandemic and Microsoft's Teams service that arrived in 2017 started to be used more too. With both effectively offering the same as Skype but with more features, Skype started to dwindle into the background.

Five years after Zoom's boom and another few years of Teams gaining popularity in the workspace, Microsoft – which owns both Teams and Skype – has announced that it will be retiring the older service in the next couple of months, in order to focus its attention on Teams.

Skype will be available to use until 5 May 2025, and there will be a transition period between now and then to help you move over to Teams. Here's what you need to know.

How to move from Skype to Teams

Microsoft has said in a blog that it has started rolling out the ability to sign into Teams with your Skype credentials. Users will be able to sign into Teams on any supported device.

"By logging in to Teams with a Skype account, chats and contacts will automatically appear in the app so you can quickly pick up where you left off," the blog post explains.

The Next Chapter: From Skype to Teams - YouTube

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Over the next couple of months until it closes, you will be able to call and chat across Skype and Teams, with inter-connectivity – it doesn't matter which of the platforms you or the person you are calling is on. That'll help everyone get used to the transition.

And if you don't want to move to Teams, you can export your data including chats, contacts, and call history.

For those paying for Skype, you will be able to use Skype Credits and subscriptions until the end of your next renewal period. Skype Credit users will also be able to carry on using their remaining Skype Credit.

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Britta is a freelance technology journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. She's covered all consumer tech from phones, tablets and wearables to smart home and beauty tech, with everything in between. She has a fashion journalism degree from London College of Fashion and previously did a long stint as deputy editor of Pocket-lint, but you’ll now find her byline on several titles including GQ, the Express, the Mirror, TechRadar, Stuff and iMore. You'll never find her without her Apple Watch on, aiming to complete her rings so she can justify the extra bar of chocolate and she loves a good iPhone trick.