Dave, I’m so frustrated. I stay in touch with a few coworkers using Skype. We’ve used it forever and it’s always worked fine. On my new PC, however, it’s become Skype for Business and I need an Office365 subscription? I don’t want to pay, how can I get back to free Skype to stay in touch?
Over the last few years, Microsoft has poured an enormous amount of resources into its Microsoft Teams solution, it might be hard to understand why the company also continues to support Skype. But it’s for people exactly like you: Skype is the “consumer” video chat program from Microsoft, while Teams is the business solution that’s tied closely into the Office Suite, etc.
Why there’s a Skype for Business, however, might be a bit harder to understand given that it would make more sense to push those people onto Teams. But it’s not for us to fully understand all the nuances of corporate strategy! A few data points: Skype for Business was added to the Microsoft lineup in 2015 and a year later Teams was introduced, initially a competitor to Slack, not Zoom. Now there are so many different video conferencing options, it’s only because Microsoft’s so big that it can afford to have three different programs of its own!
But that’s the key: Skype split off into two different programs that use the same infrastructure: Skype, and Skype for Business. It appears that the latter is what’s included by default with modern Windows 11 computers, so you’re not the first person to try and start Skype just to hit that paywall. There’s a solution and it’s easy. Let’s have a look…
SKYPE FOR BUSINESS? NO GO.
I have a newer Lenovo Yoga Windows 11 laptop and sure enough, when I searched for “Skype”, it offered one match:
If you thought “it’s just a new name on the same program” you can be forgiven, but as soon as you launch it the truth becomes obvious:
The message is a bit confusing because it’s referring to two different versions of Microsoft 365: The error should more logically read that it isn’t included “with YOUR version of Microsoft 365”. What version do I have on this Lenovo? The free one. 🙂
You can use it free for a few days if you want to go through the hassle…
Fortunately, there’s a better solution…
DOWNLOAD SKYPE FOR NON-BUSINESS USERS
Open up the Microsoft Store and simply search for “skype”.
This is where those two versions of Skype become important: You can leave Skype for Business on your computer, no worries, because it can gracefully coexist with Skype, the free version of the program.
Click or tap on “Install” to proceed.
It’s a relatively small download, and once it’s installed, launch Skype.
That’s it. Same Microsoft account I’ve been using for many years. Note that there are some new features in this version of Skype too, including “Channels”, as shown on the left side. It also has some level of Microsoft Copilot integration if you’re interested in AI features and capabilities.
Now you know how to restore the old school non-business version of Skype onto your Windows PC so you can indeed stay in touch with your friends and colleagues from around the world. No Microsoft 365 subscription required!
Pro Tip: I’ve been using and writing about Skype for many years. Please check out my Skype Help Area for more tutorials on how to use this undersung, but robust and eminently usable video chat system.