Skype account closure is overly complicated by Microsoft. It’s understandable that no online retailer would prominently promote account deletion. To permanently delete a Skype account, you’ll need to remove payment methods, cancel subscriptions, unlink your Microsoft account from your Skype account, and more. This tutorial will show you how to properly close your Skype account.
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Deleting your Skype account
If you aren’t able to delete your Skype account, it’s just because Microsoft has made it extremely difficult. But it is not impossible. Skype became part of Microsoft accounts after Microsoft acquired it. To close your Skype account, you must also delete your Microsoft account. Microsoft will then start a 60-day grace period. For now, you can recover your account by logging in and it will still be found in the search directory. Then they’ll permanently delete your Skype account.
Click your Skype name in the top left corner and select Settings.
Scroll down to Close your account on the right-side panel.
Re-enter your password to confirm.
Note that you will be closing your entire Microsoft account, so you may want to close a few other accounts before continuing. Click next when you’re sure you want to keep going.
Examine each item on the checklist, then click Mark account for closure after selecting the reason for deletion (or my reason isn’t listed). After 60 days, your Skype account, along with the rest of your Microsoft account, will be permanently deleted.
How to keep your Microsoft account while deleting Skype
If you don’t use any other Microsoft services, deleting your account will be a simple decision. If you use other Microsoft services or products, such as Xbox Live or Outlook, but want to stop using Skype, you may not want to completely delete your account. But, if you can’t delete your Microsoft account, how do you get rid of Skype? Unfortunately, the only way to avoid this is to keep your personal data to a minimum and then delete the app from all of your devices. You won’t be able to unlink your account because Microsoft won’t let you.
How do you get rid of Skype conversations?
Delete the entire Skype conversation history to ensure that no private or sensitive information is left behind.
On desktop:
This is a simple one. When you’ve found the conversation you want to delete, right-click it and a drop-down menu will appear. To delete a conversation, select Delete conversation.
On mobile:
In the Chats tab, locate the conversation you want to delete. If you keep your finger on it long enough, a pop-up menu will appear.
The conversation will be deleted if you choose Delete Conversation from the pop-up menu.
The consequences of closing Skype account
Any data associated with the account, including your Skype contacts, purchases, and chat history, is permanently deleted when the account is deleted. After you close your Skype account, Microsoft says it could take up to 30 days for your name to disappear from the Skype directory.
No one will be able to find you in Skype after 30 days. Unless your friends delete it, your name will remain in their contact lists, but they will be unable to contact you.
Consider changing your profile picture and mood message, setting your status to Offline or Invisible, and removing other personal information from your Skype profile if you want to prevent people from finding you before 30 days have passed.
