Skype users will be able to migrate their accounts to Teams for free or simply choose to download their data.
The end of an era is approaching. Microsoft has announced that it will close Skype, the messaging, calling and video calling service that once was one of the kings of connectivity, on May 5, 2025. The goal of the technology giant is to focus its efforts on continuing to promote Teams.
” To optimize our free communications offerings for consumers and more easily adapt to their needs, we will retire Skype in May 2025 to focus on Microsoft Teams (free), our modern communications and collaboration hub,” the company explained in a post on its official blog.
Two options: migration to Teams or data download
In light of the closure of Skype, Microsoft is offering its affected users two options: migrate their data to Teams for free or download their Skype data to keep it, but without switching to Teams.
In the first case, people with a Skype account who want to switch to Teams will be able to log in to this platform for free with their Skype credentials. This way, their chats and contacts will be automatically loaded into Teams, allowing users to resume their activity quickly and without complications.
Until May 5, Teams and Skype users will be able to chat and make calls with each other, ensuring that users remain in contact during the transition.
Microsoft says: “ With Teams, users have access to many of the same core features they use on Skype, such as one-on-one and group calling, messaging, and file sharing. Plus, Teams offers enhanced features like hosting meetings, managing calendars, and creating and joining communities for free .”
As for the second option offered by the technology company, it will allow users to export their Skype data (chats, contacts, call history, etc.) using the export tool integrated into the application.
The truth is that we don’t know for sure how many people this measure will affect, since the latest figures for Skype users published by Microsoft date back to 2023. At that time, the platform had more than 36 million users, a figure far removed from its golden age, when it reached a peak of 300 million.
Regarding Teams, the technology company has assured that, ” in the last two years, the number of minutes that Teams users spend in meetings has quadrupled, which reflects the value that Teams brings to everyday communication and collaboration .”
A brief history of Skype
Swedish-Danish entrepreneurs Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis created Skype in 2003 as a free Internet calling service. They used P2P (peer-to-peer) technology to develop it, similar to that which had driven the success of Kazaa, another project of the founders.
Later, in September 2005, Skype was acquired by none other than eBay for 2.6 billion dollars. The marketplace saw Skype as a way to improve communication between buyers and sellers within its platform. However, its plans did not work out as users preferred to continue using email and other traditional means of contact.
Following this, in November 2009, eBay sold 70% of Skype to a consortium of investors led by the Silver Lake investment fund, the private equity firm Andreessen Horowitz and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. The platform was valued at $2.75 billion in the transaction.
Finally, in 2011, Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5 billion. Skype thus became the technology company’s powerful online communication platform, allowing phone calls and, later, video calls over the Internet.
In 2015, Microsoft introduced Skype for Business, a product focused on enabling business and professional communications. It replaced Lync, the company’s former business communications tool. However, Microsoft’s focus on this service was short-lived, as it introduced Microsoft Teams in 2016.
Since then, the company’s efforts have focused on the development of Teams, leaving Skype increasingly forgotten. We thus arrive at this tragic outcome, which will become effective on May 5, 2025, with the disappearance of Skype.
The news has generated various reactions on social media, and has awakened nostalgia in more than one person. Even competitors like Discord have wanted to pay tribute to this platform that has accompanied us so much throughout our lives.
thank you for walking so we could run 😭rip to the og gaming chat app https://t.co/YQusowFtep
— Discord (@discord) February 28, 2025
Skype is shutting down for good pic.twitter.com/Ri88C71Jgx
— memes (@memescentrai) March 1, 2025
