Microsoft shuts down Skype after 22 years, shifting users to Teams
Skype is no more, as Microsoft is retiring the once-popular video calling service on Monday.
Shutting down Skype will help the software giant focus on its homegrown Teams service by simplifying its communication offerings, Microsoft announced back in February.
To ease the transition from the platform, its users will be able to log into the free version of Teams using their existing credentials, with chats and contacts migrating automatically.
"Skype has been an integral part of shaping modern communications and supporting countless meaningful moments, and we are honored to have been part of the journey," Jeff Tepper, Microsoft president of collaborative apps and platforms, said in a statement.
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Those who do not want to use Microsoft Teams Free can export their Skype data. Those who do nothing will have their data deleted in January 2026, Microsoft's website says.
Skype first launched in 2003. When Microsoft acquired it in 2011 for $8.5 billion, the service had around 150 million monthly users. When the popularity of Zoom surged during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, that number had fallen to roughly 23 million.
The decline was partly because Skype's underlying technology was not suited for the smartphone era.
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Microsoft Teams launched in 2017. While Microsoft declined to share the latest user figures for Skype with Reuters, the company said there would be no job cuts due to the move and that Teams has about 320 million monthly active users.
Fox News' Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report and Reuters contributed to this report.