How to download Skype
Skype is the biggest VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service in the world, and it’s probably the easiest way to talk to your friends for free over the internet – through text, voice (just like a phone call) or even video.
Downloading and installing Skype on to your computer can be a little complicated, but luckily we’re here to take you through it step by step.
You’ll need:
- a computer with a broadband internet connection (a dial-up connection is too slow for Skype).
- speakers and a microphone. Many computers will have these built in (especially laptops), and many webcams (see below) also have microphones built in. You can also use a headphones-and-microphone headset that can be bought quite cheaply.
- a webcam. This is a small camera that connects to your computer through a USB port, if it isn’t already built into your screen. A webcam isn’t compulsory, but video calls are a key function of Skype, and you can’t make them without one.
Our guide is specifically for Windows computers, but Skype is also available for Apple Macs.
Follow these step-by-step instructions to download Skype now
Step 1: Go to the Skype.com home page.
Step 2: Hover your pointer over ‘Get Skype’ in the bar at the top. A list of computer platforms will appear. Click the one that matches your computer (most likely ‘Windows’).
Step 3: You now have a choice. You can sign up for Skype Premium, which will cost you (but allows group video calls), or you can opt for Skype Free. If you decide to go for the latter, click Download Skype.
Step 4: A page will appear where you can either sign in (if you’ve registered already) or input your information to create an account.
By clicking Connect with Facebook, you can register for Skype using your Facebook account, if you have one.
There are also a number of boxes to fill in to create an account:
- To begin, fill in your first name and last name and your email address (and repeat it). These are all required. No one will be able to see your email address.
- Profile information All this will be available for anyone to see on Skype, except for your mobile number, which will be restricted to your own contacts.
- You can choose to tell Skype how you intend to use its service by clicking one of the options in the drop-down menu.
- Skype Name Enter the name that you want your Skype friends to see and which you’ll use to log in to Skype. Whether you use your real name is up to you. None of the 650 million users of Skype can have the same Skype name, so if your own name is a common one, you might want to change it a little – for instance, by adding your year of birth. The system will automatically check to see if your name has been claimed by anyone else and, if it has, will suggest alternatives. Don’t worry if your name isn’t available – you can easily modify it until you come up with a unique moniker.
- Password Enter (and repeat) the password you’d like to use. It must consist of 6 to 20 characters and contain both letters and numbers.
- If you don’t want promotional emails from Skype, untick the two boxes towards the bottom.
- The ‘captcha’ box: This is designed to make sure that you are you and not a naughty computer. Look at the text in the first box and then type it into the box below – in this case, ‘deouotThere’. If you can’t read the text, click the Refresh button and you’ll be given another bit of text to copy.
- Finally, read the terms of use and privacy statement and, if you have no objections, click I agree – Continue.
Step 5: You’ll be taken to a page headed ‘Thanks for choosing Skype’. Depending on your web browser, your download should start automatically or a window should appear asking you to confirm the download. In this instance, you should click OK.
Step 6: Your browser should have downloaded the Skype install file on to your computer – to your desktop, to your ‘Downloads’ folder or to wherever you have chosen to send downloaded files. Go to the relevant place and double-click the file labelled Skypesetup or simply Skype.
Step 7: A window will pop up asking you which language you wish to proceed in. You can also check the end user licence agreement, privacy statement and some basic options. When you’re ready, click I agree – next to move on.
Step 8: A new window will open. This contains a progress bar that will fill up while the Skype program downloads and installs. Once it’s done, Skype will automatically start.
Step 9: Another window opens in which you should sign in. If you already have a Skype account, enter your Skype name and password here. If not, click Create a new account.
Step 10: You’ve now reached your Skype home page, which gives you two options: Find friends on Skype and Dial a number.
Done!
Alex Duin is a freelance writer specialising in technology.
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