Microsoft announced on Friday that it will discontinue Skype, the pioneering internet voice and video calling service, marking the end of an era for a platform that helped define online communication in the 21st century.
The company, which acquired Skype in 2011, confirmed the news in a brief post on social network X (formerly Twitter). “Starting May 2025, Skype will no longer be available,” the post read. Microsoft instructed current Skype users to switch over to its Teams platform, which already integrates chat, video calls, and collaborative tools favored by business and educational institutions.
“We recognize Skype’s legacy in connecting people worldwide,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in an accompanying statement. “However, we believe Teams offers a more modern, secure, and integrated environment to meet users’ evolving communication needs.”
Launched in 2003, Skype revolutionized online calling with free computer-to-computer voice and video features, becoming a household name and forging a path for today’s internet telephony and conferencing services. Microsoft’s purchase of Skype in 2011 was seen as a strategic move to bolster its communication offerings—particularly to compete in an evolving landscape alongside emerging services like Zoom and Google Meet.
Over the past few years, Microsoft has increasingly focused on Teams, bundling the service with its Office suite and promoting it as an all-in-one hub for chat, video conferencing, and file sharing. Skype’s user base, meanwhile, faced changes and updates that often reflected Microsoft’s corporate priorities, including tighter integration with Office 365 and Outlook.
With the announcement of Skype’s closure set for May 2025, the company is encouraging those who rely on the platform for personal and business calls to transition well ahead of the deadline to ensure their contacts and conversation histories migrate smoothly into Teams.
Microsoft has not disclosed specific details on how it will handle data migration or user support during the transition period, but more information is expected to be released through its official support channels in the coming months.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft has grown into one of the world’s leading technology companies, renowned for its Windows operating system, Office productivity suite, and its Azure cloud services. The decision to end Skype marks a strategic shift that further consolidates Microsoft’s communications services under the Teams banner—a move that may prove beneficial for the company’s unified product offerings in the years ahead.
