Skype will be shut down today
It’s the end of the road for Skype, as today the legendary communications platform is officially shutting down. Existing users can migrate to Microsoft Teams (free), with their credentials, contacts and chat history automatically transferred to the new platform. The data can still be exported until January 2026, after which it will be permanently deleted.
Microsoft’s official reason for the shutdown is “to streamline our free consumer communications offerings so we can more easily adapt to our customers’ needs.”
However, there are some downgrades in the free version of Microsoft Teams. Group video calls are limited to 60 minutes, and you also can’t use Teams on a credit-based basis for regular calls and texts like you can with Skype credit.
From its humble beginnings in 2003 and several major acquisitions, including Microsoft’s in 2011, Skype has been one of the most influential voice over IP (VoIP) platforms over the past two decades. Microsoft valued the company at a whopping $8.5 billion in May 2011.
