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More than 20 years after Skype became the go-to video platform, Microsoft is shutting down the app. Amid a rapidly changing atmosphere in technology, people around the world have switched to using various alternatives to Skype for video calls. However, loyal Skype users were shocked at the company’s announcement, which was made on February 28, 2025. Per the tech conglomerate, Skype has “been an integral part of shaping modern communications and supporting countless meaningful moments.” So, why is Skype shutting down?
Find out everything we know about Skype’s incoming shutdown below.
When Is Skype Shutting Down?
Microsoft confirmed on February 28, 2025, that the company will shut down Skype on May 5, 2025. According to a blog post, labeled, “The next chapter: Moving from Skype to Microsoft Teams,” the company announced, “In order to streamline our free consumer communications offerings so we can more easily adapt to customer needs, we will be retiring Skype in May 2025 to focus on Microsoft Teams (free), our modern communications and collaboration hub.”
Why Is Microsoft Shutting Down Skype?
As Microsoft indicated, the purpose of shutting down Skype is to “focus on Microsoft Teams” and to “streamline” its “free consumer communication offerings.”
Microsoft President of Collaborative Apps and Platforms, Jeff Teper, told CNBC in a statement that the company has “learned a lot from Skype over the years that we’ve put into Teams as we’ve evolved teams over the last seven to eight years.”
“But we felt like now is the time because we can be simpler for the market, for our customer base, and we can deliver more innovation faster just by being focused on Teams,” Teper added.
Skype Alternatives
Microsoft intends to drive its customers and new users toward its Teams platform. Teams has been used by businesses and individuals to schedule and host video conference calls, similar to Skype.
On its website, the tech giant indicated how current Skype users can transition to Teams. Skype users currently have the option to sign into Teams for free “on any supported device using Skype credentials.” During this transition period, Skype and Teams users can communicate.
For those who do not wish to use Teams, they can export all of their Skype data.
