The once popular video messaging service Skype has officially shut down.
Microsoft, the owner of Skype, shut down its services so users could it’s alternative video calling service Microsoft Teams.
The move by Microsoft came suddenly and left Skype users just 24 hours to save their contacts.
In recent years, Skype users dwindled exponentially as Zoom and Microsoft Teams have taken the market share by storm.
Skype has officially shut down pic.twitter.com/KXT4kaGpqt
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) May 5, 2025
Per The New York Post:
Pioneer video-calling site Skype is shutting down on Monday after 23 years as other popular apps like Microsoft Teams and Zoom have swiped market share in recent years.
Users of Microsoft-owned Skype were given just 24 hours to save their contacts, which could then be automatically transferred to Teams after logging in with their Skype username and password.
Skypers could also save their data manually by going to “Your Account” under “Settings” on Skype. A prompt allows them to choose whether to export contacts, caller ID numbers or chat history.
Microsoft did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
While there are several comparable alternatives for those mourning the downfall of Skype, from Microsoft Teams and Zoom to Google Meet and WebEx, Skype’s demise marks the passing of the early days of computer webcams and video chats.
🚨BREAKING: Skype has officially shut down. pic.twitter.com/0VjZeTu1G0
— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) May 5, 2025
Per MSN:
Skype users bade farewell to the online communication service Monday, reminiscing about late-night calls with friends, long-distance dates and free catch-ups with far-flung family — along with pixelated faces and “Can you hear me?” moments.
ADVERTISEMENTMicrosoft, its owner, has shuttered the service to focus on its alternative calling service, Teams.
“Skype was a broadening of horizons in my mind,” technology journalist and broadcaster Will Guyatt said in a phone interview Monday, recalling how he became a user when it first launched. At the time, he said, it was a novel way to keep in touch with friends who had moved abroad or were traveling. “It was quite eye-opening — the fact that you could make decent calls to people on computers and then pretty soon after that solid video calls,” he recalled. “It made it simple and easy to do.”
The news of Skype’s closure prompted a flood of nostalgia from other users online. For some millennials, Skype’s heyday coincided with coming-of-age moments, and its familiar bubbly ringtone conjured up core memories.
“Goodbye folks. It’s been a long, productive relationship. To finding love, to interviewing for the first job and many many more,” wrote one user on Reddit.
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