Skype Shuts Down Today, Users Have Until January 2026 To Export Data

The communication platform Skype, owned by Microsoft, officially shuts down today, May 5, after 22 years on the market. Users will no longer be able to use the platform to connect with friends and acquaintances, but they have until January 2026 to recover and export their Skype chat data.

Microsoft announced in February that it would retire Skype—launched in 2003—and end support for the platform this week. The tech giant, which acquired Skype in 2011, has encouraged users to switch to its Teams platform, which offers similar features and allows users to access their Skype data.

“In May 2025, Skype will be retired,” stated the document. “Skype users will have the option to move to Microsoft Teams Free, which offers many of the same core features and more.”

Users who don’t want to use Teams but still want access to their Skype data—and haven’t exported their information yet—can do so through Microsoft Teams until January 2026.

This has been a frequently asked question, recently clarified by official advisors in the Microsoft Community forum and updated this past Sunday.

“You can migrate your Skype data to Microsoft Teams Free after May 5th, 2025. Your Skype data will be available until January 2026 for you to export or delete,” wrote independent advisor John Jefferson Doyon. “Just keep in mind that while your Skype data will remain accessible in Teams Free until January 2026, Skype itself will stop working gradually after May 5, 2025.”

Users can still chat with other Skype users through Teams Free by logging in with their Skype credentials, but this feature is rolling out gradually and may not be available to all users yet.

The change affects both paid and free users. Microsoft announced that many features—such as Skype Credit, Skype Number, and the Skype Dial Pad—will no longer be renewed or extended within Skype. Only Skype for Business will continue temporarily.

According to Al Jazeera,  the decision comes after Skype lost popularity to other communication platforms like Zoom and WhatsApp, despite having reached over 300 million users in 2010. Last year, Skype was used to distribute a dangerous RAT malware and served as a tool in cyberattacks.