Microsoft is officially shutting down Skype on May 5, 2025, to focus on Teams. In an announcement, the company says the decision will enable it to “streamline our free consumer communications so we can more easily adapt to customer needs.”

Microsoft is making the transition smooth, and Skype users can use their account credentials to log in to Teams on any supported device. Chats and Contacts from Skype will be automatically migrated to Teams, and users from either Teams or Skype can call and chat with each other until the latter is finally shut down on May 5th. Users who decide not to migrate to Teams can still export their data, including chats, contacts, and call history on Skype.

As the service shuts down, Microsoft will no longer offer paid Skype features to new customers, including subscriptions and Skype Credit, which allow users to make and receive international calls. Users with active subscriptions can continue to use them until the end of the next renewal period, and Skype Credit users will still be able to exhaust their remaining Credit. After May 5, 2025, the remaining paid users from the Skype web portal and within Teams will still be able to access Skype Dial Pad.

Skype launched more than 21 years ago in 2003, and Microsoft later acquired it for $8.5 billion in 2011 to replace its Windows Live Messenger. With the emergence of services like Zoom, WhatsApp, FaceTime, Messenger, and even Teams, it became difficult for Skype to compete.

“As we take this next step with Teams, we’re excited about the opportunities ahead,” Microsoft shared. “We look forward to continuing to support people’s everyday connections, starting by making it easy to log into Teams with their Skype account.”