Microsoft’s announcement of Skype’s impending demise marked the end of an era. Learn why the formerly well-liked app was taken down.
Microsoft is shutting down Skype more than 20 years after it became the most popular video platform. People all around the world have shifted to adopting different video call alternatives to Skype due to the quickly evolving technological landscape. However, when the corporation made its statement on February 28, 2025, devoted Skype customers were taken aback. Skype has “been an integral part of shaping modern communications and supporting countless meaningful moments,” according to the tech giant. What is the reason for Skype’s shutdown?
See below for all the information we currently know regarding Skype’s impending demise.
When Is Skype Shutting Down?
Microsoft announced their intention to shut down Skype on May 5, 2025, on February 28, 2025. The company stated in a blog post titled “The next chapter: Moving from Skype to Microsoft Teams” that it would be discontinuing Skype in May 2025 in favor of Microsoft Teams (free), its cutting-edge communications and collaboration platform, in an effort to simplify its free consumer communications offerings and better meet the needs of its users.
Why Is Microsoft Shutting Down Skype?
Skype is being shut down in order to “focus on Microsoft Teams” and “streamline” its “free consumer communication offerings,” as Microsoft stated. The business has “learned a lot from Skype over the years that we’ve put into Teams as we’ve evolved teams over the last seven to eight years,” according to a statement released by Microsoft’s Jeff Teper, President of Collaborative Apps and Platforms, to CNBC. “But we felt that this is the time because we can make things easier for our customers and the market, and we can deliver more innovation faster just by focusing on Teams,” Teper continued.
Skype Alternatives
Microsoft wants to encourage both current and potential users to use its Teams platform. Teams is comparable to Skype in that it allows both people and corporations to plan and conduct video conference calls. The internet company explained on its website how existing Skype users can switch to Teams. Users of Skype may now access Teams for free “on any supported device using Skype credentials.” Teams and Skype users are able to communicate during this transitional phase.