Skype for Mac

8.72.0.94

8.72.0.94

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Much better audio and video quality than in other apps but the recent updates make it run slower

Skype is awesome because I can see my friends from the USA!!!

I suppose that Skype will reattempt his success. Otherwise, the app will be threwed on scrapyard

now they force you to use their Edge browser to use skype in the browser. skype became a total fail ! (2021-04)

now you cant even copy and paste your conversations anymore. skype became a total fail ! (2021-04)

Not sure why anybody would be using Skype while Jitsi and BigBlueButton exist. If you have any interest in keeping your privacy, look for another solution.

Very sad nobody took care of Skype to keep the software up.. Now it is a disaster and I really don't enjoy using the app... Better go to Discord or Teamspeak. Sad...

Was good many years ago. Now its very bloated and slow.

It's a typical Microsoft program in that it works but will never be my favourite application. Some very clunky parts to the interface. We use an iPad usually to connect with son in Chicago on his (spit spit) Android phone at the same time with daughter here in the UK on her Mac or iPhone. She is often out walking her dogs in the countryside, or being driven somewhere, so her connection is via 4G. That in itself would have seemed like sci-fi not too long ago.

It's rubbish. Everyone knows it's rubbish. The 5-star reviews here are fakes.

What happened to the ability to change the background picture in Skype version 8.65.0.76?

I've been using Skype for many years, and it's become more stable over the years. It does have a pretty dated interface, but it does work, and it really has no real competition. I don't really have compliant with it.

annoying install.. pops up al the time when not needed....poor coding.

1 star reviews ??? because there are so many alternatives, better than Skype ??? Truth is, there are none. Not even one reliable high quality software as Skype.

One star is a generous gift for this app. A shining example of why Microsoft should not bother coding anything for macOS. Horrible quality stuttering video chats over Gigabit connections depending on the day. Inconsistent ability to see who is online and available. Just a steaming POS that somehow continues to be a necessary evil to keep on my computer.

Perfect!!!

Spoke to friends in Coventry and BC at the same time. Wonderful. No breaks in communication at all. Great service.

Version 8.56...Skype still stinks! Utterly untrustworthy. Constantly breaks down during conversations. Nothing changes with updates! The only positive is that it is free and can be managed if you have the patience to deal with its instability and quirkiness. If you have an alternative, use it!

Used to be great until Microsoft got their hands on it! Now, this latest version is so bad they can't even get a reliable DMG to mount! Anyone AWAKE at Microsoft?

MacUpdate Admin!! - link is pointing to the older .91 version! should be pointing to .123

Unreliable. And I absolutely hate that there is no longer a way to disable the video.

WARNING! There is a SERIOUS problem with this Version 8.52.0.138!! I have Skype version 8.51.0.92, but when I click on Check for Updates, it tells me that I have the latest version. When I go directly to the Skype website, it is version 8.51.0.92 that downloads!!!! When I click on MacUpdate's Download button, Version 8.52.0.138 downloads. WHY? I am NOT installing MacUpdate's Version 8.52.0.138 when it is NOT available from Skype itself!! Could this be a counterfeit, hacked, or virus-infected version from some unknown source? WARNING!

A necessary piece of crap If you need to communicate with someone using the services that Skype offers Then there is little alternative. Video and audio are freakishly undependable. One moment you hear the other person, the next you don't. Constant bad connection warnings when it is Skype that is the problem. Lots of updates but zip gets better!

It's getting worse. Recent versions have made things smaller such as the app icon and icon text. And there are still no simple improvements to app functions that are missing since this "new version" took over. Still waiting for autocorrect to come back - it can spell check while I type, why is autocorrect missing?

Skype is great

Too painful with microsoft logins.Jumping through hoops. Now use whatsapp and messenger for free.

skype was once a very good application, but since years microsoft works very hard on degrading it. there are weekly upgrades but never a visible change, the experience is terrible. things are not working. removed contacts are still visible. you cant reliably see your contacts status. etc etc. it is really a shame! microsoft should fire the complete skype team without notice!

It's rubbish. Has been since MS bought it. Glory days were when Skype 2.8 was the de facto app to use - great GUI and UX, small memory and screen footprint. MS contribution over the years has made Skype laughable product that is useless. So many better alternatives out there. So-called 'supporters' of Skype probably work for MS! ZERO stars if I could - it's rubbish!

Never had any problems with Skype since its inauguration 20 yrs ago.
NOTHING to complain about.
Suits my needs just perfectly. People complain because too many people expect too many features to be implemented. If that happens, then the same people will complain why Skype is so slow, sluggish....blah blah bleh bleh.. You can't please everyone.
Skype was and still is The BEST internet video communication system for vast majority of people.

Zoom is an EXCELLENT professional alternative to faltering, blundering Skype. You can find it here on MU:
https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/52421/zoom

Apparently, there's a bug in the MU interface such that the Zoom "cloud video conferencing solution for meetings" does NOT show up in the list when attempting to suggest software similar to Skype. It used to! I added it as a suggestion in Februrary! Now it's gone, with only the 'Zoom' game showing up in the list. Inexplicable, particularly since Skype shows up as an alternative to Zoom. Hmm.

Now that Skype 7.x has been cut off we are forced daily to use this monstrosity. It just looks terrible, like it was created for 14 year old girls. Just today I realized that there is no longer any autocorrect. It underlines misspelled words but doesn't correct them like it used to. This is a system-wide feature and Skype only has to include it in the menus but doesn't.

I don't understand why MacUpdate doesn't allow Zoom to be listed as Similar Software, which it is. :(

Skype used to be the only game in town, and a wonderful thing. But it not only seems it’s not improving (sometimes even seems to be getting worse), there are better such apps. I’ve been using Zoom for over a year, and am much happier. I need group meetings for my work, so I have a paid account with Zoom, but even the free version is probably adequate for many.

LOL, by now Skype doesn't even show the online status of your contacts anymore .-) I can't understand why M$ is still working on this app. With every release it gets worse and reverting to a backup from 2010 instead would fix all problems...

I used to love Skype. It was great when it was decentralized with a compact user interface. It has become ugly, bloated, inefficient, and constantly try to overrun a large part of the screen. it is the anti-Facetime. It's hard to say how much I despise what they did to a once-great program but hey, they find ways of monetizing everything and making us unhappy. They have succeeded at this and it sucks.

The problem is likely me. I am a senior and could not get this to work. I could see the other person but he could only see my "desk top screen". Hit every icon on the screen but no change. finally just used Face time on phone. Maybe EASY for GEEKS but not for normal people. Dave

The link downloads Skype 3.34. Someone messed up again. Too bad we can't rate MacUpdate. One and half stars at best here.

It happens too often here..Don't know who to blame: The System Requirements are WRONG (again)!! It is not OS X 10. 9 and above, but it is OS X 10.10 and above.........

Skype 8 no longer works under Mac OS 10.14 Mojave. This is a known issue according to Skype's support site.

Skype has many issues, but if you want to talk to someone using Windows or an Android phone, Skype is the only game in town. Problematic though it may be, it deserves more than one or two stars.

Present version is 8.32.0.44

Really??? People are still using Skype?? God-awful POS GUI and UX thanks to Microsoft's efforts to destroy what was once (before they bought it) an excellent product. MS software 'engineers' live in an alternative reality from us - they actually believe the product works! 0 (ZERO) stars if I could.

Another example how to ruin a formerly awesome service: While the "core" – communicating – works very well – simple details like adding a new contact (not registered at Skype) or changing a contact's number don't work – or are at least "hidden". Who is responsible for UX design or quality assurance in those companies…

Infected with the Osx.Trojan.AppleJeus virus! Thanks MacUpdate!

8.29.0.50 is crap! In Version 7 you could use Command > W to close the JUST window of the person you were talking to and leave the main App window open. Now Command > W Crashes the App. Complete POS! Does MS just monkeys to work on their Clients? Actually, I bet Monkeys would do a better job.

Skyp;e started going downhill WAY before Microsoft acquired them, but, indeed, Skype has become an abhorrent abortion of a program ever since Microsoft acquired them. Among the first stupid ideas they tried was Facebook integration, and now it is this abysmal GUI that makes the Office ribbons quaint by comparison.

Every update seems to make the user experience more difficult. What was once an enjoyable experience is now a frustrating challenge of trying to remember where they hid a utility or menu option that one time was intuitive...

I need Skype unfortunately to do my job. The user interface is SO BAD. It's unusable. I could luckily downgraded to version 7.59 that is way better. MS when will you fix this sh%t

Economists wonder why US productivity continues to decline despite the proliferation of IT. I would argue that IT is not inherently more productive. Indeed, one might argue that the likes of Facebook, along with increasingly poor software user interface design, makes us all less and less productive. Skype, in its Microsoft incarnation, is a good example of really poor design trumping over what used to be a pretty useful software app.

Let's go back to creating software and systems that solve real-world problems rather than simply focus on creating a captive customer base (ie, users have little choice) and increasing economic "rents" for their owners.

Why oh why is the current Skype user interface so bad?

As far as I can tell 8.28 is pretty much the same as the last 8 Version. Same BS problems: Now Skype Signs you in Automatically rather than offering a Blank Sign-in Window that allows you to sign-in as any of your accounts. ...and you can't talk to anyone who's not your "Friend..." ...and there's NO WAY to TURN OFF THE DAMN' EMOTICON SUGGESTIONS!!! The Command > W to close the Current Window but Leave the Generic Window open to see you "Friend" List loss is really a pain too... ...and so much more.

It just works now and the one star rating is no longer, if it ever was, a fair assessment of the product.

I have downgraded to the older Skype version.

The latest interface is so poorly conceived, I find the app unusable in its current form.

In recent years I find, an understanding of effective human computer interface design principles has been cast aside by many corporate app developers. The apps seem to reflect more marketing departments' ill conceived notions than good practical design. Shame really. Skype (Microsoft) is among the worst offenders to date.

In fact, in a period long since passed - before Microsoft acquired the product - the Skype user interface was pretty good and certainly very useable. Whatever happened??

OMG - what an utterly disgusting and counter-intuitive UI this software has. We just finished a Skype conference and all we were trying to do was clear the screen of cruft to maximize the screen sharing space but everything was so counter-intuitive we just couldn't figure anything out. You'd click on one icon and an unexpected popup window would appear and none of us could figure out how to close it. Same thing with the huge toolbar across the top. All of us in the room (all engineers) were cursing at how awful Skype was. Before even trying to fix it, they should literally fire everybody at Microsoft who worked on it because they have proven beyond all doubt they are incapable of making a GUI usable by normal humans. This software is a complete cluster fuq...

Still one of my fav apps for video calling. Thanks to recent updates, the UI is now cleaner but some features have become very unstable. Does anyone know of another app that can auto answer calls?

Version 8 blows: masses of white space eating up screen real estate, every message has a distracting smily on it, only a single window, lost Away status, can’t shift-click to select multiple contacts, removing contact is buried in their profile, no setting for saving chat history, settings like view Skype contacts instead of All contacts aren’t sticky, date format doesn’t follow system preferences, emoji picker plays awful tunes, AppleScript support removed, can’t copy text out of a quoted message, no automatic spelling correction, and updates are now compulsory.

I have not used Skype for at lease 6 months, so I was very surprised when I was alerted that I must first sign-in or create a Microsoft account. At any rate, having a Microsoft account is a deal-breaker for me. Both my future actions vis-à-vis Skype and views towards Microsoft are easily predictable...

This new Interface is crap. You can no longer use Command > W to close JUST the window you're chatting in, leaving the basic App open... ick<

Also, my "You are on the latest Version of Skype," is 8.25.0.5 and it won't automatically D/L 8.26.0.70 from within the App.

There are usability issues with Skype, but it works. Since many people use PCs, Skype is essential to talk face to face.

The added a fuqqing menu bar icon that can't seem to be removed. WHYYYYY do you clog up the menu bar after you already appropriate so much screen real estate?? WHYYY? I really can't stand what MS does to good programs.

Problematic!

Not anymore in the dashboard. Consumes a lot of memory and CPU. I only use when I need. Is there any good alternative, among those in "similar software" ? Any recommendations ?

Yes, this once very useful piece of software has been rendered down to almost junk software by none other than Microsoft.. the masters at creating software that have problems and bugs from day one.. Kind of shame what they have done to Skype..

Pretty clear the verdict is in - despite all the pretty fan boys posting 5-star "reviews" on their first and only 'review' here.
App has gone from 5 stars to barely 1 over time, with the loss of ratings/reviews accelerating since Microsoft bought Skype and started tweaking/'improving' what was once great software to the point where it is irrelevant today.
Great job M$! Yet another resounding failure to your name!

Skype of old had excellent GUI and UX with minimal memory and screen footprints. Skype today is garbage software with poor GUI, terible UX and horrendous screen and memory footprints.

For all those Skype-devotees claiming 'no alternative' because their friends/family use Skype - move on and make the effort. Skype is a walking dead app. Start using an alternative now so that when Skype finally dies, you won't be left stranded.

Version 8.24.0.2 is missing input selection (Microphone) form Audio & Videos Settings. Switching output (Speakers) is buggy.

Farther cartoonification. More wasted space. A messy and busy interface. It really is getting worse with every "upgrade". Microsoft, just stop it. Make it plain and functional. Get rid of the theme garbage. Stop pretending it is friendly. It isn't. It is visually annoying.

In my experience, Skype's user interface is getting worse and worse with each new major release. For me at least, it's now virtually unusable. Bolded text appears large and blurry, for example. And there is a lot of bolded text. Perhaps the app simply does not show up well on my speedy iMac running High Sierra, with 32GB of RAM and SSDs??

Other's having the same problems?

Recently tried to have a business conversation with someone in Asia. The latest Skype proved so problematic on both sides we reverted to using another messaging and video service, Viber.

Viber was their choice, not necessarily mine.

where is older version of skype to download

I actually like the new Skype and it works fine for me. I would rather use FaceTime over Skype, but for things that I have to do at work, I have to use Skype. The new dark mode is really nice as well.

Ok, so they have fixed two of my previous criticisms and drawbacks, Kudos. The app no longer fills the screen and remembers its size and position, and it also now remembers your password. A huge improvement that makes it useable now.

This piece of software has become a nightmare to use. Its definitely not user friendly, and its been well and truly overtaken by better chat apps. They seem to have shot themselves in both feet with their bloated and confusing updates.

Are you $%^&ing kidding me with this %^&* you're putting in my mouth, Microsoft? Holy Jumping Jack Flash! You know, I had some DIM hope that Skype 8.0 on the Mac would be better because it was finally supposed to reintroduce the real time translator. Instead of true integration though they ported it all over to the translator bot, requiring you to do an awkward group conversation that is clunky and convoluted to use. What a disgrace. Every time I get angry at Apple and think of moving to Microsoft I go and see this travesty of a garbage app and I stay right where I am. In addition to a cartoonish interface, it's even more bloated and slower than before, with a notable lag from the time I send a message to the time it shows up. GIFS and other image uploads that I've generally taken for granted on other apps like iMessage and even FB Messenger are a clusterboink of epic fail on this fossilized feces of a crapola Microsoft pile of baboon anal fail. I have deleted Skype once and for all off my Apple devices and the Mac. Good bye and good riddance.

It still works for making paid calls but is much more expensive than any other voip service. The app resizes itself to fill 75% of your screen on every startup. You have to re-enter your login information on every startup. They have made the desktop app as bad as they made the mobile app. Do they actually want people to use this or are they trying to drive everyone away?

It's become overly complicated and very non user friendly.. and every update appears to make it less user friendly. I use to use this almost every day. I'm currently considering ditching it for something that is more user friendly.

Once this was a 5-star app, universally loved and used by millions over the world. I recall Skye 2.x that was rock-solid, well-designed GUI and UX, small footprint on screen and memory. These days it is bloated dysfunctional 0-star garbage destroyed by M$. ***no-one*** believes the 5-star 'reviews' here - desperate M$ employees posting positive reviews to keep the ratings in positive territory.
Looking for alternatives? WhatsApp, Viber, are two to consider, plenty of other chat/video apps out there - check them out but you can leave Skye behind forever.

What a crappy app I wish I had an alternative

I liked Skype a lot, but the new interface consumes a lot of space, is useful in full screen but in a window is bad, it consumes a lot of unnecessary space I am using less every day, like the platform but not the interface. On iPhone the new design is cool, on iPad is not on par yet, but on Mac is not nothing is pleasant to use.

I just hate it now. I cannot remember the steps I took to find anything, there are so many, it takes hours to search and find the right button or option to press! Even half a star is too much for this crap!

I'm on Mac 10.9.5. When I opened Skype, it said I could not login because my version is not update. I clicked on update Skype, it downloaded a newer version. When I opened Skype again, it said I cannot use the update version, because it requires Mac 10.10. Crap.

Skype 8 has introduced a pile of bugs. Be certain to update to the latest version if you've run into them. I personally avoid Skype when I can. But it limps along and many people still like it. If only Microsoft was a reliable developer. I've never found they were.

Skype was always my favorite... but I wouldn't recommend anyone that new update

0.5 becouse i can't give 0 for v.8. can't see who is online, can't have 2 or more Chat window (just one window fo all even Preverences!!). m$ + FB generation logic… we are so doomed

Skype has a big security flaw that could let an attacker gain control of Mac, Windows, and Linux computers. What’s worse is that Microsoft isn’t planning on fixing the flaw, at least for now, because it amounts to rewriting the entire app update installer.That means the auto-updater system in Skype is a security risk should anyone decide they want to exploit it, and it’ll stay that way until the rewritten version is released—and users install it.

I have never had any serious problem with Skype from day one it first appeared in (2000?). Except a small problem when picture of me doesn't show on the other end. This happens almost every time. Very annoying. But what are the alternatives? all of them come and go. Doesn't seems to be any.

What did they do with this application !? You can not even close the window because it closes the entire program. Who designed it? Do they have no idea how applications work on a Mac?

Utter rubbish. Thank heaven I kept version 7 handy to roll back.

I don't know about the password problems that some people are mentioning, but from my point of view Microsoft has simply destroyed a once-decent interface and removed all the customisation features that I used to like. Skype stands out as being the one piece of software whose interface has gone from good to awful, getting progressively worse over time with each revamp. Early versions were great. Then social media and adverts got integrated, which I hated, but the interface was still passable. But now they've thrown away the traditional interface completely (so there's nothing left that looks or works like macOS), they've removed ALL the customisable features that I cared about (like the ability to use custom sounds etc.), they'd dumbed down the whole interface to such a degree that there's essentially nothing left, and the result is a complete disaster. I've reverted to what they now call 'Classic Skype', and I shall stick with that version until it no longer works. And if they haven't done a U-turn on the terrible interface by then, I'll simply cease using it. After all, there's FaceTime as an acceptable alternative, at least with fellow Apple owners.

Everybody has already said it all about the "new SnapSkype" and I don't know anyone who uses it any more, so I will just leave my half-star rating before saying "Good bye, Skype" and uninstalling it.

Last version of the Skype 7 branch before things went horribly wrong with the UI can be found here (7.59.37): https://filehippo.com/mac/download_skype_for_mac/download/4da7d2f760741078f850fbd65b10c884012454601df312fd7da32ded5a8ad7e5/

Thankfully, this version also does not (yet) nag you with requests to autoupdate to version 8.

Horrible.

Skype for Mac v. 8 cannot dial phone numbers formatted with spaces as separators. Since by default Apple's Contacts includes parentheses as well as spaces phone numbers cannot be dialed directly from the dropdown menu it displays. Terrible. interface and wretched support.

Wie alles was Microshrot in die Hände nimmt, ist es so richtige Abfall geworden.

Version 8 is a joke. Nothing works anymore. Sending files is gone or not possible to figure out, how to. You cannot even see your credits anymore. Have to find something else, but what...?

Does not work.

After installing there's just a loading symbol on start. The loading symbol never goes away.

There's no way to contact/receive technical support by e-mail.

Technical support website often does not work due to web server errors and some support links go to dead pages or send you in a loop back to the original support pages you started at.

Support forums are filled with frustrated users reporting all sorts of problems, and rarely does anyone from Microsoft ever seem to chime in. If someone from Microsoft does "answer" a post, they ask for numerous details the original poster already gave them in their initial post. After the OP gives the details [again], there's no follow up from them explaining the underlying cause of the problem or how to fix it. Most questions seem to just go unanswered, leaving the forum as basically a wasteland of wandering lost souls trapped in the endless purgatory of Skype technical problems with no hope of salvation..

this is great #1 app for video calls

idiotic interface, removal of favorites functionality simply crazy.

I just hate the new Skype version...there is so much that is wrong with it. Does anybody know a good alternative that offers video and text chat within one app just like Skype?

The new GUI in Skype 8 is not only bulky and non-functional, it also feels extremely laggy and slow. It's a disaster to work with. I will completely move to another messenger. Goodbye, this was it!

This version of Skype is the worst 'upgrade' I have ever seen.

It's almost unbelievable that Microsoft screwed up the GUI of Skype 8 so terribly, and it's good to know that there are alternatives available. That I cannot set the default view to seeing my contacts, sorted by online status, makes me not want to use Skype anymore.

To think that people will use in great numbers Skype for messaging (which seems to be the idea behind this latest design change) is simply delusional.

First they did this to the iPhone app. Everybody hated it ... so a few months later they do the same thing to the desktop version?! The arrogance of Microsoft has no limits - but my patience does. Deleting this disaster after a good decade of using it, time to move on. And no it doesn't deserve even one star but apparently I can't post the review without giving it at least that...