Goodbye to Skype soon: this is the exact date on which the video-calling platform will cease operating

Skype users have only two more months before the online voice-calling, video-calling and instant-messaging service is retired, Microsoft says.

In a statement late last week, Microsoft revealed that it will be shutting Skype down in May 2025, bringing an end to the platform’s almost quarter-century of existence.

What next for Skype’s remaining users?

Once the service has been retired, ‘Skypers’ will be able to use their credentials to sign in to Teams, a Microsoft platform with capabilities like those offered by Skype.

“With Teams, users have access to many of the same core features they use in Skype, such as one-on-one calls and group calls, messaging, and file sharing,” Microsoft says.

“Additionally, Teams offers enhanced features like hosting meetings, managing calendars, and building and joining communities for free.”

Skype user data, such as contacts and ongoing chats, will automatically migrate to Teams accounts, the tech giant explains. If you don’t want to migrate to Teams, you also have the option of exporting your Skype data.

On what exact date will Skype be retired?

Microsoft says Skype will be available until Monday, May 5.

Skype user numbers plummet from nine-figure high

Skype’s influence on early-21st-century communication is such that it is among the tech platforms whose name is now a recognized verb.

However, Microsoft’s decision to discontinue the service comes amid plummeting user figures. At its peak, Skype boasted some 300 million users, per TechCrunch. However, Microsoft revealed in 2023 that its client base had fallen to around 36 million.

Launched in August 2003, Skype was founded by the Scandinavian entrepreneurs Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, before being sold to eBay two years later, in a deal worth around $2.5 billion. In 2011, Microsoft purchased the platform for $8.5 billion.

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