Microsoft to Shut Down Skype in 2025, Urges Users to Switch to Teams
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Microsoft has confirmed it will permanently shut down Skype in May 2025, ending a two-decade run of the once-dominant video calling platform and steering users toward its Teams service.
Skype, which launched in 2003 and gained widespread popularity as a video calling app, will cease operations for both free and paid users in May 2025, according to an announcement from Microsoft.
The platform's decline has been attributed to rising competition from free alternatives such as Zoom, FaceTime, Google Meet, and Telegram, as well as Microsoft’s own changes to the service following its $8.5 billion acquisition in 2011.
“Microsoft continued improving Skype even after the acquisition, but the efforts simply weren’t working,” the company said in a support blog post.
Microsoft Teams, launched in 2017 as a business-focused communication platform, is now being positioned as Skype's successor.
Users will be able to migrate to the free version of Teams, which includes messaging, file sharing, group calls, and calendar integration — core features that defined Skype.
However, Teams Free will lack Skype’s phone-call functionality and support for Skype numbers. Paid Skype users will retain access to the Dial Pad through the Teams web portal.
Microsoft 365 Personal and Family plans will lose access to Skype’s 70-minute call benefit starting March 2026.
Despite this, subscribers will still be able to host calls for up to 30 hours with as many as 300 participants via Teams Free.
Skype for Business users are not affected by the shutdown.
Microsoft has been promoting the transition on Skype’s official social media channels, making clear that Teams is the company’s long-term focus for communication services.
Skype will be permanently discontinued, with no plans for revival.
