22 years of history are over: Skype is officially closed, Microsoft Teams will replace it

Skype, which brought people together around the world for 22 years, has officially ceased operations. On May 5, Microsoft announced that it was closing all versions of the familiar and beloved messenger - Skype. This was reported by the NDTV World news agency.

Skype, which has long been one of the most popular platforms for video calls and online communication, will now be replaced by Microsoft Teams. Microsoft announced the closure of Skype in February and urged users to switch to Microsoft Teams.

Service closed for everyone

The closure of Skype applies not only to free but also to paid accounts. Skype for Business users will be automatically transferred to Microsoft Teams without any manual action.

Thus, Microsoft plans to fully integrate Skype into the Teams ecosystem.

What will happen to my Skype account?

Users can sign up for Microsoft Teams with their Skype credentials — chats, contacts, and other data will be automatically restored.

If a user no longer wants to use Teams, they can export or delete their Skype data. This option will be available until January 2026. After that, the data will be automatically deleted.

How to save Skype data?

- Go to the Skype data export page using your Microsoft account;
- Select chats, files, or both;
- Submit a request and specify the data you need to export;
- When finished, click the “Download” button.

What caused Skype to shut down?

Skype has been actively working for a long time, integrating into mobile, desktop, and console platforms. But the frequent changes in the interface, various updates and the development of competitors have affected the platform.

Especially during the pandemic, platforms such as Zoom, Webex, Discord and Slack have become very popular. Skype, on the other hand, lost 23 million of its monthly active users in 2025.

Skype has become history. It has been replaced by Microsoft Teams. The service, which once brought together 1 billion users, is now described as part of the Microsoft ecosystem, which is entering a new phase.

For users, this means a new stage, new habits and opportunities to update the form of communication and the platform. Are you ready to switch to Teams? Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!