Goodbye Skype: Microsoft officially retires iconic app after 22 years

After almost 22 years of being in service, Microsoft has officially shut down Skype on May 5, 2025, marking the end of an era for one of the world’s most iconic communication platforms of the early internet age. The decision which was announced earlier this year showcased the strategic shift of Microsoft to focus entirely on its new platform Microsoft Teams.  

"Goodbye Skype, hello Teams," the Skype website now reads. To facilitate the shift to Teams, Microsoft will allow all users to sign in using Skype credentials. Once signed in, users will see all their Skype chats and contacts appear in Teams. 

According to the information, the company aims to encourage everyone to use Teams which is its modern collaboration and communication platform. Launched in 2003 by a team of Estonian developers, the video and voice calling application Skype, revolutionised online communication by allowing users to make free voice and video calls over the internet.  

The application was in its peak in 2011, and it boasted more than 150 million monthly active users. It was acquired by Microsoft for a whopping $8.5 billion however, during recent years, the user base of Skype dropped significantly, declining to just 23 million by 2025 as competitors including WhatsApp, Zoom and Microsoft Teams gained prominence.  

Microsoft has facilitated a seamless transition for the users of Skype to Microsoft Teams and users also had the option to migrate their chats and contacts to Teams through their existing Skype credentials. For the ones who prefer not to switch, the company has also provided options to export Skype data before January 2026 after which all the remaining data will be deleted permanently.  

While Skype for Business is still in service on a temporary basis, Microsoft is recommending all the users to transition to Teams for a better integrated and modern communication experience.  

The company further informed all users that all Skype accounts will be deleted after December 2025 and users can export their data and chat history until that time. Also, Microsoft Teams will be supporting most core Skype features, added the company.