Skype No Longer Available After Jan. 31

Jan. 11, 2021

You can begin using Microsoft Teams immediately.

Microsoft will be discontinuing Skype for Business. All members of the campus community who currently use Skype should transition to an alternate application by January 31, 2021.    

Microsoft Teams is an Office 365 application that includes chat (IM) and many additional features, and was built by Microsoft to replace Skype for Business.

You can begin using Microsoft Teams immediately. You do not need to be a member of a Team to use the chat feature, calendar or audio/video meetings.

How to Open Teams

  • To use it on the web, click on the Teams tile in Office 365 or go directly to the Microsoft Teams link.
  • If you downloaded the Microsoft suite recently, Teams is already installed on your computer.
  • If Teams is not in your applications, you can download it directly.

What Can Teams Be Used For?

  • Start individual text chats or group conversations, similar to Skype for Business.
  • Launch audio/video meetings, similar to Zoom.
  • Store Team-based shared files, similar to Box and Google Drive.
  • Link other resources to your conversations such as Word documents, Excel sheets or PowerPoints, all in one Teams application.

More Information and Support

Find Frequently Asked Questions and a summary of how to use "Skype functions" in Teams on the Skype to Teams page.

Your departmental IT staff can assist with your transition.

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