As previously reported, Microsoft has officially shut down the Skype messaging service as of May 5th. Unfortunately, the app no longer garnered sufficient user interest to remain operational.
If you were among the few who still relied on Skype in 2025, you might be curious about your next steps. Microsoft encourages users to transition to Teams, which is free, pre-installed on all Windows PCs with Microsoft 365, and designed for collaborative work. However, there are alternative options if you prefer not to adopt Teams.
Migrating from Skype to Teams
Microsoft facilitates an easy transition for Skype users to Teams by allowing them to log in with their existing credentials, ensuring that chats and contacts are automatically migrated.
Until the final shutdown, it was still possible to communicate through Teams with users who hadn’t yet migrated from Skype. This option is no longer available. If you have an active Skype subscription, it will remain usable until your next billing cycle. Additionally, any Skype Credits can still be utilized through the Dial Pad feature in Teams.
If the automatic migration didn’t go smoothly, follow these steps to transfer your contacts from Skype to Teams:
- Launch Microsoft Teams.
- Click the three-dot menu and select Settings.
- Navigate to People.
- Under Synchronize contacts, click on the Manage button.
- You will find an option to synchronize Skype if you are using the same Microsoft account with Teams.
You may also want to back up your Skype data:
- Log into Skype and visit My Account.
- On the settings page, choose the Export contacts option to download your contacts in CSV format, which you can then edit in Excel.
- To download your chats and media, go to go.skype.com/export and select the items you wish to save (messages, images, videos, recordings, etc.).
- Confirm your choices and wait for the export to complete; you will receive a download link under Available exports.
As of now, it’s not possible to delete your Skype account independently without also closing your associated Microsoft account, as described on their support page. Microsoft had indicated a future option for deleting only the Skype account, but details are still pending.
Alternative Messaging Apps
If you are seeking different communication tools, consider these alternatives to Skype and Teams:
- Zoom (feature-rich platform for meetings, calendar, chats, and calls, ideal for organized communication)
- Google Meet (formerly Google Hangouts; supports video calls and meetings across various devices)
- Slack (focused on team collaboration with support for chats, video meetings, and group communication)
- WhatsApp (popular for private messaging, group chats, and video calls)
- Cisco Webex (designed for web and video conferencing, mainly for professional use with optional premium features)
- Discord (ideal for communities with chat, voice, and video call capabilities)
- TeamSpeak (text and voice communication platform, primarily used in gaming but suitable for team-based tasks)
