How to Uninstall Skype or Disable It on Windows 10

Simply type “Skype” in Cortana's search bar on the bottom-left corner. Once the application pops up, right-click, then hit “Uninstall”. This ... HowtoUninstallSkypeorDisableItonWindows10BYMohammedSiddiqui UpdatedMar24,2021•37commentsIusedtoloveSkype.Thequalityofvideoconferencingwasunparalleled.Skypeusedtobethebuzzwordweusedwhenwewantedtoconnectwithfriendsorcolleagues.Notanymore!SinceMicrosoftacquiredSkypein2011,thecommunicationplatformhaschangedrapidlyfromthesleek,friendlysoftwarethatweusersonceadored.Skypewasonceaverb,joiningcompanieslikeGoogleandFacebookwhoseservicesaresoimportanttous.WeGooglequestions;weWhatsAppfriends…butwenolongerSkype.Sad?Perhaps.Butastechnologyadvances,wesometimeshavetomoveforwardbecausewealwaysprefertotrybetterthings,right?Don’tgetmewrongthough,IstilluseSkypeoccasionally.OnethingIfoundreallyannoyingabouttheappisSkypeopeningonitsown.SkypekeepsstartingautomaticallyeverytimeIopenupmyHPlaptop(Windows10,64-bit).Worseyet,sometimesitraninthebackgroundina“sneaky”way,over-consumingsystemresources(CPU,Memory,Disk,etc.)onmycomputer.Doesthissoundfamiliartoyou?WhydoesSkyperandomlystart?Howdoyoudisableit?HowtouninstallSkypeonWindows10?Questionslikethesecaneasilygetintoourheads.That’swhyI’mwritingthisguide,sharinganumberofdifferentwaystohelpyougetridofSkypeonyourPC—soWindows10canstartupfasterandyougetmoreworkdone.UsingaMac?Alsoread: HowtoUninstallandReinstallSkypeonMacHowtoStopSkypefromStartingAutomaticallyWindows10LikeIsaid,SkypeusesalotmoreresourcesonaPCthanitshould.IfyouwanttokeepSkypeinstalledonyourPCbutjustwanttopreventitfromopeningonstartup,youcandisableiteasilyviaTaskManager.Here’showtodoit:Step1:OpenupTaskManagerapponWindows10.Youcaneitherdoaquicksearchtolaunchitorright-clickthemenubarlocatedatthebottomofyourdesktopandselect“TaskManager”.Step2:You’llseeaTaskManagerwindowliketheonebelow.Thedefaulttabis“Process”,buttoturnoffSkypesoitwon’tautorun,weneedtogototheStartuptab.Step3:Clickonthe“Startup”tab,thenscrolldownuntilyouseetheSkypeicon.Clickoncetoselectthatrow,thenrightclickontheprogramandhitDisable.That’sit.Skypewon’topenuponitsownwhenyoustartyourcomputernexttime.Tip:Payattentiontothoseappsshownas“Enabled”undertheStatuscolumn.Theymaybepre-installedprogramsjustlikeSkype.Ifyoudon’tneedthemtorunautomatically,disablethem.Thefewerprogramsorservicesthatareonthatstartuplist,thefasteryourPCwillbe.Nowyou’vestoppedSkype(orotherapps)fromrunningautomaticallyonWindows10.WhatifyouactuallywanttocompletelyremoveSkypeonyourcomputer?Wearegoingtoshowyouafewdifferentwaystogetthejobdone.4WaystoCompletelyUninstallSkypeonWindows10Important:YouneedtoquitSkypefirstandmakesureitsservicesaren’trunninginthebackgroundbeforeyoustartanyofthemethodsbelow.First,closeSkypeifyouhaveitopen.Justclickon“X”inthetop-rightcorner,whichshouldbehighlightedinredwhenyouscrolloverit.YoushouldthenlookdownandfindtheSkypeiconintheWindowsnavigationbar.Right-clickontheiconandclick“QuitSkype”.Great!Nowyoucanproceedtotheuninstallationprocessusingoneofthefollowingmethods.Note:Method1-3isrecommendedifyoudon’twanttoinstallanythird-partyuninstallerprograms.Method4isrecommendedforothersituations,suchaswhenSkypecan’tbeuninstalledusingthetraditionalways(akamethods1-3).Method1:UninstallviaControlPanelUsingtheControlPanelistheeasiestwaytouninstallSkypeoranyotherapps.Thisway,youwon’taccidentallydeleteshortcutsorotherprogramssuchasSkypeforBusiness.Additionally,itmustbenotedthatthereisbothaDesktopapplicationandaWindowsapplicationforSkype.YoucandownloadtheDesktopversionfromtheSkypewebsiteandinstalltheappfromtheWindowsStore.We’llcoverhowtouninstallbothofthem.OnceSkypeisclosedcompletely,gototheleft-handsideoftheWindowsnavigationbarandfindtheControlPanelbytypingitintoCortana’ssearchbar.OncetheControlPanelisopen,clickon“UninstallaProgram”onthebottom-left.ScrollthroughthelistofprogramsonyourPCtolocateSkype.Right-clickonitandselect“Uninstall”.WindowswillthenuninstallSkype.Youwillreceiveapromptonceitisdone.Method2:UninstallSkypeDirectlyAlternatively,ifyouknowwheretheSkypefileisstoredonyourPC,youcanuninstallitdirectlyfromthere.Formostusers,it’sstoredintheProgramsfolder.ThefilemostofusseeonourDesktopisusuallyaShortcut,nottheactualfileyouwanttouninstall.Simplytype“Skype”inCortana’ssearchbaronthebottom-leftcorner.Oncetheapplicationpopsup,right-click,thenhit“Uninstall”.ThismethodappliestotheSkypeappwhetheryoudownloadedtheinstallerfilefromSkype.comorfromtheMicrosoftStore.Method3:UninstallthroughSettingsType‘programs’inCortana’ssearchboxandclickonthe“Addorremoveprograms”option.Onceyouopenitup,clickonApps&FeaturesandscrolldowntowardstheSkypeapplication.Asyouseefromthescreenshotbelow,bothversionsappearonmycomputer.ClickononeofthemandhittheUninstallbutton.Thendothesamewiththeotheroncethefirstisdone.RemovingResidualFilesAssociatedwithSkypeAlthoughyou’veuninstalledtheSkypeapp,it’sverylikelythatsomeresidualfilesrelatedtoSkypearestillstoredonyourPCtakingupunnecessaryspace.Tofindanddeletethem,pressthe“Windows+R”keysandtypein“%appdata%”inthedialogboxthatappears.Note:theWindowsbuttonisbetweenALTandFNonmostPCs.Onceyouclick“OK”orhittheEnterkey,thefollowingwindowshouldappearinWindowsExplorer:ScrolldowntofindSkype,thenright-clickandselectDelete.Notethatthiswilldeleteyourchathistoryaswell.Ifyouwanttosaveyourhistory,openthefolderandfindthefilewithyourSkypeusernameinside.Copyandpastethatfilesomewhereelse.Thelaststepistocleanoutentriesinyourregistry.Pressthe“Windows+R”combinationkeysagain.Type“regedit”andhitenter.Thefollowingfileshouldpopup:SelectEditandthenFind.TypeinSkype.You’llseeupto50entriesappear.Right-clickanddeleteeachoneindividually.NOTE:Youshouldbeextremelycautiouswhenmodifyingyourregistryasseriousproblemscouldarise.ItisalwaysagoodideatobackuptheregistryinWindows10beforechangingtheregistry.Method4:UseaThird-partyUninstallerOnceyou’veexhaustedtheotheroptionsandfindSkypeisstillnotuninstalling,youmaywanttoturntoathird-partyuninstaller.I’llsharetwogoodoptions.Whiletheyarenotfree,theyofferfreetrialswhichshoulduninstallmostprogramsincludingSkype.IObitUninstaller—Onceyoudownloadandinstalltheprogram.Itshouldshowyoualistofallprogramsuponstartup.Type“Skype”inthesearchbarorscrolldowntofindit.Onceyou’vedonethat,clicktherecyclebiniconontherightsidetouninstallSkype.CleanMyPC—Onceyougettheprograminstalled,navigatetothe“MultiUninstaller”featurethroughtheleftpanel.Soon,youshouldbetoseealistofalltheprogramsyou’veinstalledonyourcomputer.ScrolldowntofindSkype,thencheckthelittleboxontheleftside.Clickthegreen“Uninstall”buttonwhenitpopsup.ReadourdetailedCleanMyPCreview.SomeExtraThoughtsSkypeisn’tusedthatmuchanymore.AlthoughmanycorporateclientssuchasGEandAccenturestillsignupforSkypeforBusinessandstandbythenewsoftware,ordinaryusershavefoundreplacements.Forexample,ApplefansgotoFaceTime,gamersuseDiscordorTwitch,andover1.5billionpeopleworldwide(includingmyself)useWhatsApp.OtherservicessuchasWeChatandTelegramare“stealing”usersfromtheonce-iconicSkype.ManyconsumersdislikeSkypebecauseofitsrelativelybadconnectivity,outdatedUI,andpushingamessage-basedplatforminsteadoffocusingonwhatmadeitabigname:videocalls.Forthesepurposes,WhatsappandFacebookMessengeraretwoapplicationsthatperformverywellforanordinaryuser.WhatsAppwasmadefamousasamessagingandvoicecallingapplicationthatcoulduseWi-Fi.Ithasexpandedtoincludevideocallingandremainsfreeforusers.Ithasaverysimpledesignandiseasytonavigateforfirst-timeusers.Groupchatsareseamlessandcanincludeamaximumof256members.It’salsogreatforinternationaltravelandwillautomaticallychangetoyournewphonenumberundercertainplanswithanewSIM.SomedataplansincountriessuchasSingaporeincludeunlimitedWhatsAppusage.Additionally,thereisalsoawebversionthatallowsuserstotextfromourlaptops.MessengerbyFacebookofferssimilarservicesbutisintegratedwithFacebookandismorefocusedonthemessagingexperience,althoughitoffersvoiceandvideocallingfeatures.WecandirectlymessageourFacebookfriends.TheprimaryconcernswithMessengerareitsheavydatausageandbatterydrain.However,FacebookhasreleasedaLiteversionofMessengertoaddresstheseconcerns.FinalWordsAlthoughIhavefondmemoriesofcallingfriendsorchattingwithfellowMMORPGplayersoverSkypeasachild,I’vefoundMessengerandWhatsAppmuchmoreconvenientforcallingthesedays.Skype’sadvantageovertheothersistheMicrosoftecosystem.Itsooftencomespre-installed,ifnoteasilyaccessibleorhighlyrecommended,onWindowsPCs.Thepointis,mostofusstillhaveSkypeonourPCsbutusageandengagementprobablywon’tbethathigh.Andifyouareactuallyreadingthis,chancesareyouarelikeme:you’reannoyedbySkype’sauto-runningandwantedtodisableoruninstallit.IhopeyouruninstallationofSkypewentsuccessfullyandyouareabletofindanalternativeifyoudecidetopermanentlyleaveSkype.Pleasedropacommentbelowwithfurtherquestionsorconcernsandletusknowhowitwentforyou.37CommentsSueLaRocheonDecember15,2018at8:08pmInMSEdge,canyoutellmehowtostop‘SkypeforBusiness’turningnumbers–phonenumbers,bankaccountnumbersandmore–intohyperlinkstoSkype!?!ReplyAlyChimanonDecember31,2018at7:43pmHellothere,MynameisAlyandIwouldliketoknowifyouwouldhaveanyinteresttohaveyourwebsitehereatsoftwarehow.compromotedasaresourceonourblogalychidesign.com?Weareinthemidstofupdatingourbrokenlinkresourcestoincludecurrentanduptodateresourcesforourreaders.Ourresourcelinksaremanuallyapprovedallowingustomarkalinkasado-followlinkaswell.Ifyoumaybeinterestedpleaseinbeingincludedasaresourceonourblog,pleaseletmeknow.Thanks,AlyReplyRichardJ.WarrenonJanuary10,2019at6:43amIwanttodisableskypeforthesamereasonsyoumentionbecauseIhavenocontrolovermycontacts.Ican’tdeleteanyofthemthatIdon’twant.Andsomeofthemare“scams”fromforeigncountriesIneverintendedtotalktoever.ReplyJanonJanuary21,2019at9:59amThankyousomuch.IhavetriedforsolongtopermanentlydeleteSkypeandnothingseemedtowork.Youreasytofollowstepsareablessing.ReplySkypeonFebruary2,2019at5:23amThanks,thanksforthearticlewhichhelpedmeindeletingSkypefromWindows10.ReplysamonFebruary9,2019at6:02pmThemethodspostedherehavebeenobsoletedbylaterupdatesofWindowswhichhavemadetheControlPanelentriesdisappear.MicrosoftseemshellbentonmakingitimpossibletouninstallSkype.ReplySuzanneLoebonFebruary23,2019at6:18pmThanks!Yourexplanationandinstructionsaresoclear!IavoidSkypelikeaplague!MylatestMicrosoftforBusinessOffice365subscriptioncamewithSkypeforBusinesspre-installed.Icouldnotfigureouthowtogetridofit.Abouttwoyears,malwarewasintroducedintomycomputerthroughSkype.IwanteditgonewhenIgotanewcomputer.IcouldnotfindwhereSkypewasinstalledonmycomputeruntilIfoundyourinstructions!IwasfinallyabletokickSkypetothecurbbyuninstallingthoughApps&features.Iamnowafollowerofyours!Thanksagainforsuchexcellenttutorials.ReplyRafiqonMarch2,2019at9:40amThanksfordetailededucationforme.ReplyPelinA.onMarch6,2019at10:56amHi.MySkypeproblemisabitmoreinsistent.Itisnotinmystart-upprograms,installedprograms,orinIobit’suninstalllist.Yet,itstillstartseverytimeIrestartmyWin-10.Andthereismore.ıuseanEnglishcopyofeverything,yetthisrogueSkypeissomehowinstalledinthelocallanguageofmygeographicallocationwhichIdonowuseanywhereinmyPC.Atthispoint,virusesareeasiertogetridof.Thanksifyoucanofferanotherstepintheguideforthelikesofme.ReplySimonClacksononMarch11,2019at9:07amSuper!Reallyhelpful.Yourcommentsarespoton,andtheHow-Toguidethesame.Onesuggestion:sincemodifyingtheRegistryissopotentiallydodgy,couldIsuggestthatthe‘Note’aboutbackingitupfirstisplacedBEFOREtheHow-Tosectionratherthanafter!Ifsomeonejustfollowsyourinstructionsastheygoalong,it’sabitlatetoreadthecautionafterwards!Again–thanksv.much.InmycaseIwillprobablyre-installit,butonlyifitdoesn’tthendemandallsortsof‘securityquestions’(i.e.snoops)beforelettingmeproceed.Itcurentlydemandstosendacodeforsomethingtoanemailaddresswhichwascloseddownpermanentlyayearago—withnooptiontochangethataddress!Utterlyirritating.Bestwishes–andthanksagain.ReplyWilliamMcConnellonMarch27,2020at11:24amThanksforthepostMohammed,morehelpfulthattheinstructionsIfollowedfromtheSkypehelpdeskanditstilldon’tuninstallwiththeirmethodsbutusingyourmethodstofirstdisableSkypethenwentforthewholethingandusedtheIOBitUninstallerandlikeyousaid,removedallresidualfilestoo,thanksagain.ReplyJohnMontanezonMarch22,2019at1:02pmIjustdon’twantitrunningunlessIgiveitpermission,and“Microsoftfirstkissesmybutt”!Itis“MY”computer.And,IhadtopayMicrosoftgoodmoneyforuseoftheiroperatingsystem.SoIamnotonlythe“boss”onmycomputer,butI’malsoacustomer.And,“thecustomerisalwaysright”.ReplyZoroonFebruary10,2020at4:45amDudeiknowEXACTLYwhatyoumean,alsoihavethesameissue,itsometimes(withoutbeingbeinginstalled)makessomeprocessesspikeupmyCPUforliterallynoreasonatall.Andiwantittostop,likeyousaid,itis“MY”pc.Idecideifataskhaspermissiontorun,ifidon’twantitto,idon’tacceptthefactthatwindowsdoesnotpermitmetodeleteit,itneedstogo,that’swhatmadePC’ssuperiortoothersystemslikeconsolesandmobilephones.ReplyKennyonMarch30,2019at5:16pmSkypeisrunningrightnowonmyPC,butitisnotinthetaskmanagerstarupgroup.Win10.Anyotherideas?ReplyJuanonApril1,2019at2:37pmThankyou.Wellwrittenandusefulpost.AnytimeanAppwithaccesstomyaudioandvideoopensonitsownItakeissue.ReplystevelesteronApril5,2019at2:18ammycircumstanceswereverymuchlikeyours,withskypebeingveryintrusive,runninginthebackground,usingalotofresources.thankyouverymuchforthedetailedexplanationyougave,Ihadtogotothenumber3optionbecauseforsomereasonskypedidnotshowupinthecontrolpanellist.onceagain,thankyouverymuchforyourhelpReplyDennyDzurinkoonApril6,2019at12:04amThanksforthegreatinstructionstogetridofSkype.Itisresponsibleforalargepercentageofmydiskusage.Hopefully,afterIdotheuninstallprocedure,I’llgetbacktonormal.Thanksforthehelp.Ineverknewaboutallthelittlefilestuckedawayindifferentplaces.ReplyJohnAikensonApril6,2019at4:49pmThisarticleisnolongerrelevant.ReplyBillTreloaronApril20,2019at3:04amInmySysTray,Skypeislistedbutthere’snooptiontoQuitasyousuggest.InTaskManagerStartuptab,Skypeisnotlisted.InAddorRemoveProgramsinControlPanel,there’snolistingforSkypetoletmeuninstallit.Itseemsimpossibletogetridofit!ReplyBertonApril26,2019at5:48amThiswasunhelpful,Skypeisstillre-installingitself.ReplyIanonMay18,2019at9:00amThisarticleappearstobewelloutofdate.Iwasunabletouseanyofthetipsbecause(a)SkypedoesnotappearintheTaskManagerstartupslistand(b)therearenooptionsonanyoftheSkypedropdownstouninstallit.Skypeisnotlistedasaninstalledprogram,soIcannotuninstallitbyconventionalmethodseither.I’vetriedstoppinganddisablingtheSkypeservice,butit’sstilltherenexttimeIbootthePC(whichisrunninglikeaslug).ReplyKevinAngusonMay23,2019at4:37pmCurrently5/24/2019noneoftheabovestepsworkwiththecurrentWindows10Pro.SkypeandSkypeforBusinessareintheWindowsMenubutthereisnothinginservicesorprogramstodisableorremove.ReplyKevinBrownonJune21,2019at4:29amItwasanabsolutenightmaretogetSkyperemoved,asI’vedonesomanytimesbutitmysteriouslyseemedtoreappear,fullyinstalledasthelecherousappthatitis.Muchlyappreciatedwiththeadditionalhelptofinallysenditto/dev/nullwhereitbelongs.Asanaside,youmentionedFacebookandWhatsApparegoodalternatives–soisDiscord,init’sownrightbasedontheabilitytodovoice/videochatandsharefilesallinone.ReplywebleeonJune29,2019at3:39pmThanksforthisarticle.Weasusersmuststarttodemandcontroloverresourceswehavetopayforlikeinternetbandwidthandstoragespaceandmostimportantly,ourprivacy.ReplyJanEOaksonSeptember1,2019at6:58pmSorry,thiswasjustalltoomuchformetoabsorb,thoughIwishtouninstallstupid,uselessSkype.Stillsittingtheremockingme….ReplyIvoFodoronSeptember24,2019at12:38pmIuseSkypemainlytocallfixedlinephonesormobiles.Thereisafee,bytitisveryreasonable.Iamnotawareofanyothersystemofferingthisservice.ReplyFeliciaBarberonOctober16,2019at3:29pmHeyMOHAMMEDSIDDIQUIHowicaninstallskypeonwindows10,iwantthisbecauseofpreinstalledskypehaveaproblem.ReplyDarrelBevanonFebruary26,2020at5:35pmThiswasperhapsthemosteasy-to-understandarticleever.Thankyou🙂ReplyWilliamTiptononMarch22,2020at12:51pmAllthisisseriouslyoutdatedatthispoint…obviouslyintentionalonMicrosoftspart.Imnotexactlycomputerilliterate.IcanlikelyfindwhatIneedtodelete,butitsVERYclearthatMSisliterallyTRYINGtokeepSkypefrombeingdeletedforsomereason….otherwiseit’dbeonthedamnedapplicationlistinthefirstplaceforEASYremoval.ReplyKathleenonMarch25,2020at10:14pmThankyou.IneveraskedforSkype.Itjustshoweduponmytoolbarandbeencausingdifficultyinthisoldcomputereversince.Finally,gonenowIthink.ReplyScottChamberlinonMay13,2020at8:28pmItjustworkedformeandtodayis13May2020.Thanksmuchforyourwork.Skype,whichIneverusedasitwasreplacedbyamuchbetterapp,hadhijackedmyemail.ReplyAsumariEnockonJune23,2020at6:59amhowcanonedisableandenableskypeinacomputer??ReplyBrianMonAugust14,2020at4:16pmMakeaFacebookpagecalledStopautoinstallingAppsonmyWin10.WindowsisanOperatingSystemnotapoint-of-saleAPP.ReplyNargonAugust20,2020at12:45pmYouwhinersneedtobegladthisisWindows.Youhavefullcontroloverit,IFyoudecidetotakeit.Siteslikethishelpyoutakethatcontrol.Bethankfulinsteadofbitchy.ReplyAceonNovember5,2020at3:01amFinallyuninstalledskype.Nooneelsehelped.Thankyou–verydetailedandamazingwithpictures.ReplyAnthonyonJanuary15,2021at10:16pmYouradvisefordisablingSkypethoughTaskManagerandStartuptabdoesnotwork.I’vedonethisandtheprocessstillappearsfromtimetotimeinthetaskmanagerprocess.ReplyAnononFebruary19,2021at11:50amHavedisabledSkypeprocessesinstartup,buttheprocessstillappearsinthetaskmanager.Yourinformationdoesn’twork.ReplySubmitaCommentCancelreplyYouremailaddresswillnotbepublished.Requiredfieldsaremarked*CommentName*Email*Website