Skype is Shutting Down in 2025: What You Need to Know
Microsoft is retiring Skype on May 5, 2025, as it shifts focus to Teams. Find out how to transfer your chats, contacts, and credits before the shutdown.
After more than two decades of pioneering internet-based calling, Skype is officially shutting down on May 5, 2025, as Microsoft shifts its full focus to Teams. If you’re still using Skype, you’ve got about 10 weeks to decide your next move.
Why is Skype Being Retired?
Skype’s decline has been happening for years. Microsoft acquired the platform in 2011, but by 2016, they were already shifting towards Teams—a workplace-focused collaboration tool that integrates messaging, video calls, and third-party apps.
- 2015 – Microsoft launched Skype for Business, but it didn’t last long.
- 2016 – Teams was introduced, signaling a major shift in strategy.
- 2020s – As remote work surged, Teams took center stage, leaving Skype in the background.
With Teams offering almost everything Skype does (and more), Microsoft is now officially pulling the plug.
What Happens to Skype Users?
Microsoft hasn’t confirmed how many users will be impacted, but the most recent data from 2023 reported 36 million active users—a steep drop from its peak of 300 million.
If you still use Skype, here’s what you need to know:
- Sign in to Teams with your Skype credentials (Microsoft will begin enabling this soon).
- Your contacts and chats will automatically transfer to Teams.
- You can export your Skype chat history using the built-in export tool.
- Skype credits will still be usable within Teams.
- Microsoft will discontinue new Skype subscriptions.
Why Now?
According to Jeff Teper, president of Microsoft 365, this move allows Microsoft to simplify its messaging and innovate faster by focusing all its efforts on Teams.
“We’ve learned a lot from Skype over the years that we’ve put into Teams… but now is the time to be simpler for the market and deliver more innovation faster.”
In short, Skype failed to keep up in the mobile era and never saw a real resurgence—even during the pandemic when video calls were more important than ever. With countless other messaging and calling apps available, most people had already moved on.
What’s Next?
Starting soon, Microsoft will help Skype users transition over to Teams, ensuring that contacts and conversations aren’t lost in the process. If you still rely on Skype, now’s the time to make the switch—or find an alternative before May 5, 2025.
