Guide · What happened to Skype
Is Skype still available? What happened to Skype
No. Skype is not available in 2026: Microsoft retired it on May 5, 2025, and skype.com now redirects to Microsoft Teams Free.[1][2] A Skype account still signs in, but only to Teams Free, and Microsoft's support page still describes the Skype Dial Pad inside Teams Free for leftover Skype Credit, which I could not confirm still connects calls.[1][3] The Skype app, new Skype purchases, SMS, voicemail and call forwarding are gone; all Skype Number subscriptions ended in May 2026; Microsoft began deleting Skype data on April 1, 2026; and the last day to request a Skype data export was June 15, 2026.[1] Microsoft said it retired Skype to streamline its free consumer communications offerings and focus on Teams Free.[4] Skype usage had fallen to about 36 million people in 2023, according to NPR.[5] I checked all of this against Microsoft's support page on October 25, 2026.
After Skype is published with support from TwinPhone; rankings reflect my criteria. Methodology and disclosure.
On this page
Skype in October 2026, in one minute
- Status: retired on May 5, 2025; skype.com redirects to Teams Free.[1][2]
- Your account: a Skype account signs in to Microsoft Teams Free.[1]
- Your chats: kept in Teams Free only for people who were active on Skype between December 2024 and February 2025 and used Teams Free before December 1, 2025.[1]
- Your data: deletion began on April 1, 2026; the export window closed on June 15, 2026.[1]
- Paid features: Skype Numbers ended in May 2026; leftover Skype Credit works only through the Skype Dial Pad, according to Microsoft.[1][3]
Is Skype still available in 2026?
No, Skype is not available, and you cannot still use Skype in 2026. Microsoft's support page says: "As of May 5th, 2025, Skype is retired."[1] Typing skype.com into a browser opens the Microsoft Teams Free page, and web.skype.com opens Teams on the web.[2] Skype is no longer a thing in the sense of an app you can open: the account lives on, but inside Teams Free.
Skype ran for about 22 years, from 2003 to 2025.[5] Microsoft announced the retirement on February 28, 2025 and asked users to move to Teams Free before the retirement date, May 5, 2025.[4][1]
Searches such as "is Skype dead", "does Skype still work" and "is Skype still around" have the same answer in October 2026: the service is retired, and nobody can install it, buy credit for it or call from it. What survives is narrow: the Microsoft account that was the Skype account, the chat history of people who moved to Teams Free in time and, according to Microsoft, the Skype Dial Pad for spending leftover credit.[1][3] People who still use Skype in 2026 are in fact using Teams Free with a Skype sign-in.
Skype shutdown timeline: every official date
2025: announcement and retirement
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| February 28, 2025 | Microsoft announces it will retire Skype in May 2025 and focus on Microsoft Teams (free).[4] |
| April 3, 2025 | Skype calling and Skype Number subscriptions stop renewing; new purchases of Skype Credit, Skype Numbers and subscriptions end.[1] |
| May 5, 2025 | Skype is retired. SMS, call forwarding, voicemail, Skype Credit gifting and Caller ID setup stop the same day.[1] |
| December 1, 2025 | Deadline for keeping Skype chat history: only people who used Teams Free before this date keep it there.[1] |
| December 31, 2025 | Swedish Skype Numbers are terminated because of regulatory changes.[1] |
2026: caller ID, deletion, numbers and the export deadline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| February 15, 2026 | Existing Skype caller ID setups are shut down.[1] |
| March 2026 | Microsoft starts removing Skype minutes from Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions.[1] |
| April 1, 2026 | Microsoft starts deleting Skype data.[1] |
| May 1, 2026 | The Skype subscription service ends; remaining subscriptions are converted to Skype Credit, or refunded on request.[1] |
| May 2026 | All Skype Number subscriptions end, and Skype Numbers can no longer be ported out.[1] |
| June 15, 2026 | Last day to request a copy of Skype history from the export portal; data of inactive users is deleted after this date.[1] |
| October 25, 2026 | My latest check: Microsoft's page shows no newer entry than June 15, 2026 and no last-updated date.[1] |
The sources behind each date are listed at the end of this page; the sources and how I verify dates page explains how I check them.
What still works and what doesn't
This table lists every Skype feature and its status on October 25, 2026, according to Microsoft's support pages and my own redirect checks.
| Feature | Status in October 2026 | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Skype app | Retired; skype.com redirects to Teams Free.[1][2] | May 5, 2025 |
| Signing in with a Skype account | Works, but opens Microsoft Teams Free.[1] | May 5, 2025 |
| Free Skype-to-Skype calls | Gone; calls between former Skype users now happen in Teams Free.[1] | May 5, 2025 |
| New Skype purchases | Not available: no Skype Credit, Skype Numbers or subscriptions.[1] | April 3, 2025 |
| Skype Dial Pad | Microsoft says leftover credit can still be spent through it in Teams Free; not independently confirmed.[3] More: Skype Credit after the shutdown. | — |
| SMS, voicemail, call forwarding | Ended.[1] | May 5, 2025 |
| Caller ID | Setup ended in 2025; existing setups shut down.[1] | February 15, 2026 |
| Skype Numbers | Ended; port-out no longer possible.[1] See what to do about a lost Skype Number. | May 2026 |
| Data export | Request window closed; whether the portal still returns data is unverified.[1] | June 15, 2026 |
| web.skype.com | Redirects to Teams on the web.[2] | — |
Your Skype account, chats and contacts now
A Skype account still works as a sign-in, but for Teams Free instead of Skype. What happened to the content of an account depends on whether, and when, its owner moved to Teams Free.
Signing in with a Skype account
Microsoft says: "You can log in to Teams Free with your existing Skype account".[1] Microsoft says Skype credentials sign in to Teams Free on any supported device.[1] Teams Free is a different app with its own limits; this site compares how Teams Free compares with Skype feature by feature.
Who kept their chat history in Teams Free
Skype chat and call history stays visible in Teams Free only when both conditions are met:[1]
- You were an active Skype user between December 2024 and February 2025.
- You then moved to, and used, Teams Free before December 1, 2025.
Anyone who missed either condition should not expect old Skype chats in Teams Free. Microsoft began deleting Skype data on April 1, 2026.[1]
What never moved to Teams
Some Skype content did not migrate to Teams Free even for eligible users, according to Microsoft:[1]
- chats with Teams work or school accounts;
- history with Skype for Business users;
- chats with yourself and private conversations;
- content from Copilot and bots.
The export window (closed June 15, 2026)
Microsoft accepted requests for a copy of Skype history until June 15, 2026, and warned that exports might not reflect full history after April 1, 2026.[1] The old export short link, go.skype.com/export, now redirects to a Teams data-export address.[2] Whether that portal still returns any Skype data after the deadline cannot be checked without signing in to an account that has some, so I treat it as unverified.
Why did Skype shut down?
Microsoft's stated reason
Microsoft's announcement on February 28, 2025 said: "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)."[4] In other words, Microsoft had two free consumer calling apps and kept one of them.
Microsoft's support page adds that Teams Free "offers many of the same core features and more", and that contacts and chats transfer automatically when a Skype user signs in with Skype credentials.[1] Teams Free does not replace every Skype feature: Microsoft says the free version of Teams has no paid calling plans to phone numbers.[1]
Why Skype lost users (why did Skype fail)
Skype was much smaller at the end than at its peak. Voice&Data, a trade publication, put Skype at more than 300 million monthly users at its peak in the mid-2010s.[6] NPR reported about 40 million users in early 2020 and about 36 million in 2023, without saying whether those were daily or monthly users.[5]
For comparison, WhatsApp, a free calling and messaging app, passed 3 billion monthly users by May 2025.[7] Microsoft has not said that competition caused the retirement; its own explanation is the one quoted above.
Did Skype shut down everywhere, and is there a new Skype?
Yes, everywhere. Microsoft's retirement notice is not limited to any country, and skype.com redirected to Teams Free when I checked it on October 25, 2026.[1][2] The only country-specific step was in Sweden, where Skype Numbers were terminated on December 31, 2025.[1]
There is no new Skype. Microsoft's replacement for consumers is Microsoft Teams Free, and on October 25, 2026 I found no Skype app in the US App Store or Google Play: both former listing addresses returned "not found". Skype for Business was a separate product that Microsoft said was not affected by the consumer shutdown; its own end is covered under Skype for Business retirement.[1]
What to use now
For free calls and video with people who have moved on, Teams Free is where Skype accounts went, and the hub page ranks the best Skype alternatives in 2026. For calls to landlines and mobiles, which Teams Free cannot make, see how to call phones abroad without Skype.[1] If you had a Skype Number, the status table above links to the options.
Skype shutdown FAQ
Does Skype still exist?
When did Skype shut down?
Why did Skype shut down?
How many people used Skype before it shut down?
Can I still access my old Skype chats and contacts?
Can I still log in to my old Skype account?
Can I still transfer my Skype account to Teams?
Signing in to Teams Free with the Skype account is the only transfer Microsoft describes, and it still works.[1] Chat history, however, stays only for users who used Teams Free before December 1, 2025, and Microsoft has been deleting Skype data since April 1, 2026.[1] I could not confirm what a first sign-in brings over in October 2026.
Can I still create a Skype account or download Skype?
No. Microsoft says Skype is no longer available, and skype.com's former download page redirects to Teams Free.[1][2] On October 25, 2026, the former Skype listings in the US App Store and Google Play returned "not found". A Microsoft account can still be created at signup.live.com, but no Skype app remains to use it with.
Can I use Skype on my phone?
Related guides
Sources
- Microsoft Support: Skype is retiring in May 2025: What you need to know (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Skype: skype.com (redirects to Microsoft Teams free) (no visible update date). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft Support: Make a call with Skype Dial Pad in Microsoft Teams (personal). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Microsoft 365 Blog: The next chapter: Moving from Skype to Microsoft Teams (Jeff Teper) (February 28, 2025). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- NPR: Skype shutting down (May 5, 2025). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- Voice&Data: Skype shuts down after 22 years of transforming digital communication (May 5, 2025). Accessed October 25, 2026.
- TechCrunch: WhatsApp now has more than 3 billion users a month (May 1, 2025). Accessed October 25, 2026.
Gladstone Walters
Editor, After Skype
I'm Gladstone Walters, and I live in the United Kingdom. I write and maintain the After Skype guides. Every price, limit and date here comes from the vendor's own pricing, help or rate pages; I note the day I read each one and put a dash wherever I can't verify a number. TwinPhone supports this site, so I hold it to the same criteria as every other app and list its weak points next to its strengths.
Gladstone on Trustpilot (opens in a new tab)Reviewed and updated · Next review January 2027 · Author page · Methodology