Now, if you want to keep Skype running but hide the app, you can click the X button to close this window. Setting your status can give your contacts a better idea of whether they can expect an immediate or a delayed reply from you when they send you messages. And once you're signed in, you can start making and receiving calls, sending and receiving instant messages, or you can set your status so people who have you in their contacts list can see your availability. In this case, I'll sign in with an account I already have. If you don't yet have a Microsoft account, you can click Create One to create one, and then walk through the steps to create your account. You can use any of these methods to sign into Skype. Some ways you might have already created an account are if you have a subscription to Microsoft 365, if you have a Hotmail or email address, or if you have an Xbox Live account. If you already have a Microsoft account, you can use that same account to log into Skype. So to use Skype, you'll need to log in with your account. I've already downloaded and installed Skype here on my Windows computer, and I've pinned it to the taskbar, so I can start it up right from here.

If you want to install Skype on your phone or tablet, visit the App Store on Apple iOS devices or the Google Play store for Android devices, and then you can search for and download the Skype app. If you're on a Mac, you'll see Get Skype for Mac.

For example, here I see Get Skype for Windows, so I could click that to download the version for the computer that I'm using. The site should automatically detect the operating system you're using. To use Skype, you'll need to download the Skype app to your desktop computer or mobile device by going to, and here you can click the Downloads link.

Install skype online