How to fix Skype Not Working

When people think of video calls, they think of Skype. While it now faces intense competition between things like Google Meet and Zoom, especially when we're all locked down in our homes, it's Skype that has brought a wave of connecting with our loved ones through a video chat platform. And it is not only a platform for personal communication, but also a helping hand in the professional sphere.

Skype has stopped working on Windows 11/10.

Users have repeatedly reported Skype bugs and today we want to fix one of them - an issue that prevents it from crashing and stopping Windows 11/10. There are several possible causes, so we'll cover each of them and discuss how to fix them.

• Change Skype privacy settings
• Start Skype in Windows clean boot state
• Fix or restart Skype.
• Completely uninstall and reinstall Skype.

1] Change Skype privacy settings

A very common reason for Skype not opening your system may be that you have not been granted access to your computer's webcam. This can be easily fixed by visiting your computer settings and configuring it differently. Make sure Skype is not running in the background before making any changes.

• Open Computer Settings.
• Find privacy and select Camera in the Permissions section below on the left sidebar.
• You'll find Skype among the apps that can control your computer's webcam, and if your privacy settings really caused the problem, Skype shouldn't have access to it.
• Please enable Skype Access, close the settings window and try to start Skype.

2] Delete Skype app data

You need to start Windows 10 in safe mode with a network first.

Press Windows + R to open the startup dialog and type "msconfig.exe" before pressing Enter.

This will open the system settings.

Click Boot from the options above.

In the Boot section, you will find boot options that would normally be disabled.

Turn it on and then select Network.

Click Apply and then select "OK" to install these settings.

Start your device, try to start Skype and see if the problem is resolved. You shouldn't quit just yet if that doesn't help.

Open the Run dialog box using the key combination described above and space type "%appdata%.

In the window that opens, find a folder called Skype with this command.

Right click on the Skype folder and rename it to Skype_2.

Close the window and check if Skype is working properly.

3] Repair or restart Skype.

To reset Skype -

Go to settings

Open apps and features

Find Skype

Click Advanced Options.

Scroll down to Repair if you don't want to lose data

If that doesn't work, select Reset.

windows 10

skype has stopped working

Go to Settings > Applications

Find Skype

Click Advanced Options

First, use the Repair button and see

If that doesn't work, use the Reset button.

RELATED: Skype won't open, won't work, and won't make voice or video calls.

4] Completely uninstall and reinstall Skype.

If none of the above solutions work for you, then the last solution is to completely uninstall Skype and reinstall it on your computer. To avoid crashes and system damage, make sure Skype is not running in the background until you remove it.

Open task manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc and if Skype is running right click to complete the task.

Press the Windows + I keys together to open Windows Settings.

Click Programs and find Skype in the list of programs installed on your computer.

Click on it and select Delete below.

Confirm the process and close the window.

When you're done, press the Windows and R keys together to open the startup dialog.

Enter "%appdata%", find and delete the Skype folder.

Similarly, go to C:\Program Files (x86), locate the Skype folder and delete it.

Then open Registry Editor by typing "regedit" in the startup dialog. Select the file and click Export to back up the log files.

Then from the Edit option, click Search and search for Skype.

Right-click the key this search points to and delete it. Repeat the process over and over again until all keys related to Skype have been removed.