Microsoft to retire Skype in May 2025, pushes users to Teams

In a move that marks the end of an era, Microsoft has announced that Skype, the once-dominant communication platform, will be retired starting in May 2025. 

The decision, spotted by a keen-eyed reader and confirmed by tech outlet XDA, comes with a clear directive for users: transition to Microsoft Teams. A message embedded in the latest Skype for Windows preview reads:

“Starting in May, Skype will no longer be available. Continue your calls and chats in Teams.” 

The note also highlights that some of the users’ contacts, based on their Skype network, have already migrated to the free version of Teams, signalling a shift Microsoft has been working on for years.

Tracing Skype’s decades-long journey

Skype’s journey began in 2003 as a pioneering voice-over-IP service. It quickly became a household name for video calls and messaging. Microsoft acquired it in 2011 for $8.5 billion, aiming to bolster its communication offerings. Initially, the company folded legacy products like Windows Live Messenger into Skype and, in 2015, attempted to integrate it into Windows 10. However, the road since then has been anything but smooth.

The Windows 10 integration, launched with version 1511, split Skype into separate apps for video, messaging, and phone calls. This experiment lasted just nine months before Microsoft reversed course in 2016, introducing a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app as it shifted away from the ageing Win32 framework. However, the UWP version was short-lived; Microsoft later killed it and reverted to a Win32-based app. These flip-flops reflected Skype’s struggle to find a stable identity within Microsoft’s ecosystem.

Meanwhile, Microsoft had bigger plans brewing. In 2017, it launched Teams, a collaboration platform built on Skype’s technological foundation but tailored to compete with Slack and other workplace tools. Teams quickly gained traction, especially after Skype for Business was phased out in 2019, leaving many to speculate that Skype’s days were numbered. Yet, periodic updates kept it afloat, often prompting surprise among users and analysts who wondered, “People are still working on this?”

Skype’s decline can be attributed to several factors. Apple’s FaceTime carved out a dominant niche in personal video calling, while Google’s ever-evolving suite of communication apps—Hangouts, Duo, Meet, and more—chipped away at Skype’s market share.

Microsoft’s missteps, including the failure of Windows Phone, did not help. By the time Windows 11 rolled out in 2021, it shipped with Teams integration instead of Skype, a clear sign of where the company’s priorities lay. Unlike the fleeting Skype integration in Windows 10, Teams came with a free personal version, further sidelining its predecessor.

The May 2025 shutdown is not entirely unexpected. Microsoft has been aggressively pushing Teams as a unified solution for both personal and professional use, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated demand for remote communication tools. 

According to Microsoft’s fiscal reports, Teams boasted over 300 million monthly active users as of mid-2024, dwarfing Skype’s dwindling base. Web searches and posts on X reveal a mix of nostalgia and indifference among users, with some lamenting the loss of a once-iconic app and others shrugging it off as overdue.

For now, Skype users can expect to see in-app notifications about the transition soon. The message in the preview build suggests Microsoft is preparing a seamless handover, leveraging contact data to ease the shift to Teams.

As Skype’s sunset approaches, it closes a chapter that began over two decades ago. While it revolutionized how people connected across the globe, its retirement underscores Microsoft’s focus on consolidating its communication strategy under Teams. Come May 2025, Skype will fade into tech history, remembered as a trailblazer that could not keep pace with the modern era.