Goodbye, Skype: Once-popular video calling service shuts down for good

(NEXSTAR) – After a 21-year run, the once widely-used video chat app Skype is now officially a memory, as of May 5.

"Rest in peace, Skype," one person wrote on X. "You served us well."

"Listen to that iconic Skype ringer one last time," another urged, adding a clip of the bubbly, slick tone.

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Luxembourg, Microsoft-owned Skype has been credited with making video calls easy and affordable for millions of people.

"Skype has been an integral part of shaping modern communications and supporting countless meaningful moments, and we are honored to have been part of the journey," Jeff Teper, president of collaborative apps and platforms at Microsoft, in a statement.

Teper said the decision to shut down Skype comes as Microsoft looks to "streamline our free consumer communications offerings so we can more easily adapt to customer needs."

What happens now for Skype users?

Skype users will no longer be able to log into their accounts, but they can use the same credentials sign into Microsoft Teams Free on any supported device.

One's contacts and chats will be automatically transferred and the user will also see a notification in the Skype app "prompting you to take action to migrate your data," according to Microsoft.

Microsoft notes that the following data doesn't migrate to Teams Free:

• Chats between Skype users and Teams work or school accounts will not be migrated. Users can use Teams Free to start a new conversation with Teams work or school users and enjoy even more functionality.
• Skype to Skype for Business chat history will not be migrated. 
• 1:1 chat with self history will not be migrated.
• Private conversations data will not be migrated. 
• Copilot and bots content will not be supported in Teams Free and no chat history will be available.

For loyal Skype users who aren't interested in hopping over to Teams, there is also the option to export one's Skype data.

Anyone who takes no action and fails to log in to Teams by January 2026 will lose their data.

Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion.