Skype is dead, long live Teams
Microsoft has closed down Skype, but users can still continue their chats on Teams
Day of death, May 5th, 2025. Skype is gone. After almost 22 years of operation, the app has been closed. Now, Microsoft has a new communications app to push, one with a larger user base and more mainstream popularity. Skype is dead, long live Teams.
Thankfully, Skype’s users still have the option to continue their chats. If Skype users log into Teams using their Skype credentials, they can regain access to their Skype call and chat data. Chats can even be continued on Teams, assuming all chat users move to the Teams platform.
Microsoft will retain Skype’s data until January 2026. That means that Skype users will have until then to move to the platform. Otherwise, their data will be deleted.
Your Skype data will be available until January 2026 for you to export or delete. If you log in to Microsoft Teams Free by then, your Skype call and chat history will be available to you. If you take no action, your Skype data will be deleted January 2026.
Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion, which is a lot of money. In 2021, it would purchase ZeniMax Media, a massive gaming company, for $7.5 billion. Skype’s potential saw Microsoft spend more on it than it did for DOOM, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout and more.
While Skype had potential, Microsoft couldn’t capitalise on it. It lost out to WhatsApp, Zoom, Discord, and Slack. When Microsoft revealed Teams in 2017, Skype’s days were numbered. Now, Skype’s end had come. Rest in Peace, Skype.
You can join the discussion on Skype’s closure on the OC3D Forums.
