Microsoft is shutting down Skype, its video-calling and collaboration service, in May 2025. The company has said it is drawing the curtains on this service starting in May 2025 to focus more on Teams, which has evolved into a strong player in the video-based collaborative tools post-Covid-19.
If you are a user of Skype, you don’t need to worry about the contacts that you have built over a period of time, including your chats and other data. You will get all of it if you move to Teams during the transition period.
If you don’t want to move to Teams, you can export your data, including chats, contacts, and call history.
“If you choose not to move to Teams, you can export your data, including chats, contacts, and call history.
Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion in 2011, seeing value in the real-time video and voice communication. Skype, which was founded in 2003, was first acquired by eBay in 2005, and then acquired by an investment group led by Silver Lake four years later.
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All the Skype users will be allowed to move to Teams, where “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,” Jeff Teper, President (Collaborative Apps and Platforms) at Microsoft, has said.
“Beyond the core features offered by Skype, Teams offers enhanced features like hosting meetings, managing calendars, and building and joining communities for free,” he said.
He argued that millions of people already use Teams to collaborate with their colleagues and friends, helping them stay connected and engaged at work, school, and at home.
“In the past two years, the number of minutes spent in meetings by consumer users of Teams has grown 4X, reflecting the value Teams brings to everyday communication and collaboration,” he said.
Transition plan
The Skype users can move to Teams for free. They will be able to log in to Teams using Skyupe credentials. “By logging in to Teams with a Skype account, chats and contacts will automatically appear in the app so you can quickly pick up where you left off,” he said.
During the transition period, Teams users can call and chat with Skype users, and Skype users can do the same with Teams users. This helps ensure you can stay connected with everyone, regardless of the platform you’re using during this transition.
Skype will remain available until May 5, 2025, giving users time to explore Teams and decide on the option that works best for them.
How to migrate to Teams
Microsoft advises Skype users to download the Teams app on their devices from the Teams’ official website and log in using their credentials.