Sep 12, 2018 First, visit this page, make sure you are under the Desktop tab, then click on the blue button Get Skype for Mac. Wait until the download is complete, then follow the instructions to get Skype re-installed on your Mac. Skype for Mac allows you to call your contacts and video chat with them, as well as make phone calls to landlines or cell phones. It's also capable of hosting conference calls and group video.
One of the few apps so ubiquitous that its name has become a verb, Skype has been around since 2003, dominating the video call and messaging space globally (being available in 108 languages) for the majority of that time.
Originally developed in Estonia by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, Skype was purchased by eBay in 2005, and then again by Microsoft in 2011 for a whooping $8.5 billion.
Although Skype accumulated more than 600 million users by the end of 2010, it started slowly losing its appeal to a number of alternative messengers, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, and Signal, all of which were mobile-centric right from the start and offered texting as well as video and audio calls.
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However, in 2017, Microsoft released a completely new version of Skype, reworked from the ground up to be run on Microsoft Azure infrastructure and redesigned with the latest trends of messaging in mind. In August 2018, Skype also added full end-to-end encryption to better meet privacy concerns of its users worldwide.
By now you might be wondering if Skype app for Mac is available and what’s the best way to download Skype for Mac. Simply follow this step-by-step guide to find out.
How To Use Skype On Mac Effectively
To begin, since Microsoft acquired Skype, they’ve created a few different Skype applications for Mac that cover interviews, video streams, classrooms, and most importantly Skype for Business.
While the regular version of Skype for Mac supports up to 50 participants at once, the business one can handle up to 250 and gives you additional features, such as joining through a URL, muting control, presenter selector, head-tracking video, and PowerPoint integration.
You can download Skype for Business Mac version and the basic Skype for Mac on the official Microsoft website. One caveat though is that you have to have an active MS Office 365 subscription to run the business edition, whereas the default one is free.
To get Skype on Mac:
- Visit skype.com
- Navigate to the Downloads tab for the regular Skype or Products > Skype for Business for the business one
- Click on Get Skype for Mac
- Double-click on the Skype download for Mac .dmg file
- Proceed through the installation process
Using Skype is as easy as any other messenger. All contact information is based around your username, so if you give it to someone they will be able to find you and add you to the list via search. Below the search field, you have Chats, Calls, and Contacts tabs. Going into any of them would switch the plus button below for creating a new chat, call, or adding a contact respectively.
Besides the basic functionality, all Skype chats support file attachments, money transfers, location sharing, call scheduling, and poll creation. There are also dozens of third-party bots and plugins that expand Skype capabilities even further.
So now that you know how to use Skype on Mac, let’s walk through a few widespread problems you might come across.
Troubleshoot Skype video not working
By far the most common problem you’ll have during conference (or personal) calls is Skype camera not working. There are generally a few ways to solve that. The easiest thing to do is just to use the camera icon to turn your camera off and back on again. If that doesn’t help, you can try dropping out of the call altogether and even restarting your Skype.
In case you see Skype video not working still, you need to check that the problem isn’t with your Mac’s camera. To do that:
- Launch Skype
- Click Skype in the menu bar and then Audio & Video Settings
- See if the camera is showing anything
- Alternatively, you can launch the default Photo Booth app and check there
If the camera isn’t working, you should take your Mac to the Apple store. If it is, then the problem is with Skype.
Before you try to reinstall Skype altogether, you can reset it to its factory settings first. You can do this manually:
- Go to Finder and type ~/Library into search
- Find all the Skype files and folders
- Delete all of them but the Skype itself
Another option when you want to do a factory reset is to use an optimization app like CleanMyMac X:
- In CleanMyMac X, navigate to the Uninstaller tab
- Choose Skype and select Reset
- Click on the Reset button
Get Skype App For Mac Download
When none of that works, you just need to reinstall Skype. If you’re not sure how to uninstall Skype on Mac, use CleanMyMac X that you’ve tried when resetting the app to factory preferences. Simply removing Skype from Applications doesn’t delete all the supplementary files, whereas CleanMyMac X completely wipes out the app from your system.
To delete Skype with CleanMyMac X, go to the Uninstaller tab, select Skype, and click on Uninstall.
If you’re experiencing a problem with your microphone instead of a camera:
Go to System Preferences > Sound
Navigate to the Input tab
Say something and see if the “Input levels” change at all
If the input levels are fine, repeat the steps above to reset factory settings and reinstall Skype to fix the problem. If not, a trip to the Apple store might be necessary.
Combine all messengers in one
Nowadays it’s likely that Skype isn’t your only messaging app. You might need to use it at work or for calling relatives’ landlines overseas, but that means you probably chat with friends through something else.
The point is that most of us have three, five, 10, or even more messengers active on a daily basis, and that message overload can get pretty tiring and actually distract us from doing something of value.
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One of the solutions here might be to ditch your Skype app for Mac altogether and get an instant message aggregator such as IM+.
IM+ allows you to combine dozens of popular messaging apps together, from Skype to Slack to Instagram, and manage them all through the same interface. With IM+ you can categorize every messaging service as either Home or Work and set common rules for notifications and online status for both.
Get Skype App For Mac Computer
Limit instant messaging overload
Sometimes, even when you’ve consolidated all your messaging into a single app, distractions get the best of you and you end up spending hours chatting instead of concentrating on your work.
Even when you don’t catch yourself being distracted, those one-off replies here and there tend to add up to more than you’d think. To see how much time exactly you spend on social media, you need an unobtrusive time tracker like Timing.
Timing observes how you spend time on your Mac in the background and then shows you detailed reports for every app or website launched and every project worked on. You can even use Timing to invoice your clients or log hours at work. But mostly, you’ll have the most accurate representation of where your time goes during the day, and after you gain knowledge you can come up with the action plan.
Now that you know how to install and how to how to uninstall Skype on Mac, you can use it for work and chats with friends effortlessly. And if there’s ever a problem, just factory reset the app with CleanMyMac X. Additionally, unite all your messengers in one with IM+ and keep an eye on your productivity through Timing.
Best of all, CleanMyMac X, IM+, and Timing are available for a free trial through Setapp, a platform of more than 150 best-in-class Mac apps that could take on any problem and make your days as productive as they can be. Is it time for a conference call?
Are you having problems using Skype on your Mac? Maybe it’s conflicting with another app, or it shows the ‘quit unexpectedly’ error when you launch it?
This might be due to the associated files and folders of the older version interfering with your downloads. Perhaps something went wrong with the macOS update and you need to completely uninstall your current Skype before reinstalling the latest version.
Maybe you want to delete Skype for a good reason. Perhaps your friends have moved to Oovoo and Discord and you simply want to get rid of Skype from your Mac completely to free up a bit extra storage.
Whatever your intent is, you have come to the right place. We’ll show you how to uninstall Skype three different ways, each with step-by-step tutorials.
The first method shows you how to manually remove Skype from your Mac and reinstall. The other two methods are more efficient but come with the trade-off of installing another app.
Anyway, just choose which method best fits your situation. Let’s get started.
Using a PC? Also read: How to Uninstall Skype on Windows 10
1. Uninstalling Skype with the Traditional Way (Manually)
Note: This method is best suited if you have extra time on your hands and do not mind taking extra steps to do it manually.
Step 1: First, you need to quit the Skype app. You can do this by moving your cursor to the top-left corner, clicking on the menu, and selecting “Quit Skype”.
Alternatively, if you prefer to use Mac shortcuts, hit “Command+Q” on your keyboard. If you are experiencing problems with quitting the app, simply force quit it. To do this, click on the Apple icon and hit “Force Quit”.
Step 2: Delete Skype by dragging it from your Applications folder to the Trash.
Step 3: Remove Skype from Application Support. Go to Spotlight Search at the top-right corner of your screen. Type “~/Library/Application Support” and hit Enter.
You will be directed to the place where all application files are stored. Locate the “Skype” folder and drag it to the trash.
Note: This will delete all your Skype chat and call history. If you want to keep them, skip this step.
Step 4: Remove the remaining associated files. Go back to Spotlight Search at the top-right corner again, then type “~/Library/Preference”‘ and hit Enter.
Now type ‘Skype’ in the search box. This will show you the folders associated with the app. Ensure that your filter is set to Preferences and not This Mac. Proceed to drag the associated folders into the trash.
Step 5: Open Finder and enter “Skype” in the search bar to do a final check on the remaining items related to Skype. Move all of the results to the trash. Then empty your trash to delete all the files.
That’s it! If you do not have the extra time to remove Skype manually, or Skype can’t be uninstalled using this method, try the following methods instead.
2. Uninstalling Skype with AppCleaner (Free)
Best For: If your Mac is not in desperate need of clearing massive storage space and you just need a one-time uninstallation of an app.
AppCleaner, like its name says, is a free third-party uninstaller app that allows you to thoroughly remove unwanted apps in a drag-and-drop manner. We had a detailed review of the app in this article. You will see that on the right-hand side of the webpage, there are different versions to download.
Make sure you check your macOS version first and download the correct version of AppCleaner accordingly. You can do this by clicking on the Apple icon at the top right, then clicking on About This Mac. There you’ll be able to find the info as seen below.
Once you download and install AppCleaner, you will see the main window.
Next, open a Finder window and go to Applications. Proceed to drag your Skype application into the AppCleaner window.
The app will locate all of Skype’s associated folders for you. See? 24 files totaling 664.5 MB in size were found. Then all you have to do is click ‘Remove’ and you’re all set.
Not happy with AppCleaner? No problem! We’ve got another great option for you.
3. Uninstalling Skype with CleanMyMac (Paid)
Best For: Those of you who need to free up more storage space on your Mac — i.e. not only do you want to remove Skype, you also want a list of other apps to uninstall and you want to do this in a batch.
CleanMyMac is one of our favorite solutions. We run the app regularly to clean up our Macs and the app never fails to deliver its promise. In addition, it actually includes a dozen features that allow you to do many things, including uninstalling third-party apps in bulk.
To uninstall Skype (and other apps you don’t need anymore), start by downloading CleanMyMac and installing it on your Mac. Then follow the four steps as indicated in the screenshot above.
On the main screen, click on Uninstaller. The default filter is Sort by Name so everything is listed in alphabetical order. You should easily find Skype by scrolling down. Check the box beside the icon. CleanMyMac will search for Skype as well as all of its associated files. You simply check all the boxes. Finally, hit Uninstall.
Done!
It’s worth pointing out though, that CleanMymac isn’t free; however, it has a free trial that allows you to test drive. If you like the app, you can purchase it with a one-time payment of $39. You can then use it to clean unnecessary files on your Mac on top of deleting applications. Read our detailed review on CleanMyMac here for more.
How to Reinstall Skype on Mac?
So now you have successfully removed Skype from your Mac machine, and you want to reinstall. Here’s how to do it:
Note: Skype is not available on the Mac App Store. You need to go to the official Skype website to download the app.
First, visit this page, make sure you are under the Desktoptab, then click on the blue button Get Skype for Mac.
Wait until the download is complete, then follow the instructions to get Skype re-installed on your Mac. The installation process should be very straightforward; we won’t elaborate here.
That wraps up this article. We hope you find it helpful. Let me know if you have any further questions. Leave a comment below.