PSA: Microsoft is ending support for older versions of Skype on March 1st - tomorrow

Reading time icon 2 min. read


Readers help support MSPoweruser. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Tooltip Icon

Read the affiliate disclosure page to find out how can you help MSPoweruser effortlessly and without spending any money. Read more

If you’re on an older version of Skype today, its time to make arrangements to switch over to a newer version. Microsoft earlier this year announced that they would be shutting down older versions of Skype on the 1st of March – and that deadline’s finally here.

For users of Microsoft’s Windows 10 there’s no problem, Microsoft supplies Windows 10 users with a Skype Preview app which is automatically kept up to date by default in the Windows Store. However, Windows Phone 8.1 users might be out of luck. While the older Skype app was still usable even after going EOL in 2016, Microsoft stated that the app would no longer be able to work once the Skype transition to the cloud was complete – and we’ve reached that point.

Because we want to provide our users with the best possible Skype experience, necessary changes must be made along the way. So, beginning March 1, users running older versions of Skype for Windows desktop (7.16 and below) or Skype for Mac (7.0 to 7.18) will no longer be able to sign in. If you’re one of those users, all you’ll need to do is download the new update.

If you’re concerned you’re not on the latest Skype version, you can update to a newer version of Skype as long as you’re on Windows 10, MacOS,  Windows 10 Mobile (Anniversary Update+), Android Jellybean+ and iOS 8+. For those on unsupported devices who rely on Skype, perhaps its time to move on.

More about the topics: app, ios, macOS, skype, Skype Mobile, windows 10, windows phone