Feel closer with voice and video calls
Get the new Skype for Windows on your computer.
Calling other people on Skype is free so you can talk whenever you want to – not just on special occasions. Call to check in with mum when you’re travelling, give your partner a goodnight kiss via video call when they’re away on business, or use it for your regular calls and catch ups. And, if you know people who don’t use Skype you can call them too at really low rates.
It’s easy and it’s free to download. Using Skype at work? Get the business version
New in this version
- Call and text friends from your Facebook News Feed and Phonebook.
- Group video beta: get together with loved ones and colleagues over video.
- Automatically recover dropped calls.
- New, easier to use design.
Start your free trial for group video calling beta
Sign in to Skype 5.0 for Windows. Click on a contact, add more people to the conversation, click the Video call button, and select Get group video from the pop-up message.
Note: group video calling is a beta feature which means it's still work in progress - but please go ahead and try it.
Remember: everyone on the call needs Skype 5.0 for Windows for group video to work.
See the full set of release notes
Main features
- Free Skype-to-Skype calls.
- Call phones and cell phones.
- Free instant messaging.
- Send text messages (SMS).
- Voicemail.
- Free video calls.
- Forward calls to a phone when you’re offline.
Skype-to-Skype calls, video calls and instant messaging are free, any time of the day or night, anywhere in the world. Call phones and cell phones and send SMS messages at great value Pay As You Go rates, or call unlimited* to certain countries with a subscription.
Using Skype at work? Get the business version
We want your feedback
Visit our feedback page to tell us what you think of the new version. Or you can respond to one of our user surveys, or add a comment to our blog. We really appreciate you taking the time to tell us what you like and what you don’t so we can keep making Skype better.
- System requirements
- PC running Windows® 2000, XP, Vista or 7, both 32- and 64-bit operating systems. (Windows 2000 users require DirectX 9.0 for video calls).
- Internet connection – broadband is best (GPRS is not supported for voice calls).
- Speakers and microphone – built-in or separate.
- For voice and video calls we recommend a computer with at least a 1GHz processor, 256 MB RAM and of course a webcam.
- For best quality on group video beta calls, we recommend that calls include up to five people.
- For group video calling everyone on the call needs Skype 5.0 for Windows plus webcams. You'll also need a high-speed broadband connection (we recommend sustained 512 kbit/s downlink or more) and a computer with a 1 GHz processor (minimum) or Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz (recommended).
Technical details
Version 5.0.0.152 File size 20 MB. Official release. Release date: October 14, 2010. File name: SkypeSetup.exe
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* A fair usage policy applies. Excludes service, special, premium and non-geographic numbers.