Why can't I sign in to Skype?

Open your browser and surf to a few websites like www.skype.com and www.microsoft.com. If websites load quickly, your internet is working – move on to step 2. If you can’t load any websites at all, make sure your device is properly connected to your network and check with your internet service provider whether there are any service faults in your area.

If your internet connection is working well, the problem might be an issue on our end. Check the Heartbeat blog to make sure Skype is running normally.

If there are no issues reported on Heartbeat, move on to step 3.

If you can get to a point where you’re asked to enter your sign-in details, continue to step 4.

If you can’t get to the sign-in screen, there might be something wrong with the way Skype is installed. Try uninstalling and reinstalling Skype.

If you can’t get to the sign-in screen because Skype is already signed in with a different account, click Skype > Sign out in the menu bar (File > Sign out on a Mac) and then sign in with the account you want to use.

If you get an error saying Skype is already signed in on this computer, restart your computer (making sure there are no pending operating system updates first). This usually solves the issue. If it doesn’t, try uninstalling and reinstalling Skype. If you still get the error, contact Skype customer service.

A good test to make sure your username and password are working is to sign in to Skype for Web. There are a number of issues which might stop Skype software from connecting that won’t affect you signing in to Skype for Web. If you can sign in to the web version, it means your credentials are fine – and you can go ahead and make calls or send messages direct from your browser.

If you can’t sign in to Skype for Web either, this guide to resetting your password should get you back up and running.

Your computer’s software or hardware may be causing an issue.

• Check that your system meets the minimum requirements for running Skype.
• Make sure you have the latest software updates and hardware drivers for your computer.

Skype uses a configuration file called shared.xml, and in some cases deleting this file can solve sign-in problems. The file is re-created when you sign back in to Skype.

Find out how to delete the shared.xml file.

If you’ve gone through all of the above steps and you’re still having problems, there are a few more things that could be stopping you from signing in.

• Check that your firewall isn’t blocking Skype. If it is, you can change your firewall settings to allow Skype to get through. Check out our guide to updating your firewall.
• If you think your router might be blocking Skype, contact your system administrator.
• If you connect through a proxy, make sure that Skype can connect to your proxy server.
• For Windows desktop, check that the ports which are required by Skype are open.
• Make sure Skype isn’t already running in the background.