The increase in the number of Skype users in the last two years has been constant, long ago surpassing the figure of 300 million subscribers in the world. According to data provided by Microsoft, creators of the application that has made several improvements to their service.
Although there are currently applications with functions similar to Skype, this continues to have an important position in the market as it is free, is available for multiple platforms and for having the option of being used both on the mobile phone and on the computer, thus offering different ways to communicate with our loved ones.
You will learn about the steps you must take to install Skype on your computer from scratch in this course, along with its main functions and characteristics. In addition to some tricks to fully exploit the capabilities of this instant messaging tool.
Learn step by step how to download and install Skype on your Windows 10 PC or MacOS computer from scratch
Unlike other communication and instant messaging tools, the first version of Skype was for the desktop, specifically on Windows. But then it took the step to be available in the rest of the operating systems. It was at the time the replacement for the famous Live Messenger.
If so far you do not know how to install Skype on your computer either with Windows or MacOS, here we tell you in detail each of the steps you must take to complete the process:
On Windows 10
Since 2022, Skype and Windows 10 merged into one product, bringing improvements and updates to the user to fully enjoy the experience.
This makes the download and installation very simple as we will see below:
-
We started entering
skype.com. - Once the page loads, we go to the section “Downloads”.
- A tab will appear in which we must select “Get Skype for Windows.”
- Clicking, the Skype installer starts to download.
- Once the download is finished, we look for the file in the respective directory.
- We open and then click on “Run”.
- Now we click on “Install”.
- At the end, a tab will appear inviting you to log in. We must put the email or password. If you do not have an account, click on “Create Account”.
On macOS
Although that operating system has an application for calls and chat, there you can also install Skype.
The safe and fast way to have this tool is by taking the steps described below:
- The first step is to visit the site
skype.com. - Upon entering, we enter the section “Downloads”.
- A pop-up window with an inverted triangle will appear, we click and search “Get Skype for Mac.”
- Clicking will start the installer download.
- Once it is fully downloaded, we look for the file in the folder where it was saved.
- Once we find the “dmg file”, we double click to open it and “We execute.”
- A tab will open with the logo of Skype and the folder “Applications”, to the latter you must drag the logo.
- Once the file is inside the folder, click on “Install”.
- Upon completion, a window will appear to complete the login. We put the email and password in case you already have an account created.
Skype functions and features What is all I can do with this tool on my computer?
Skype is currently presented as one of the main options for making a video conference or online calls to any user.
Although you may know some of the functions, here we are going to detail the most outstanding features of this application:
- Allows calls to phones: By acquiring one of the plans, you can make contact with any user at a mobile or landline number.
- Record calls: for up to 24 hours, you can make a record of an important meeting. Then you will have a maximum of 30 days to download it from the chat tray.
- Share files: You can send files to contacts of any type and size, although files larger than 300 MB are shared through OneDrive.
- Organize meetings: invite your contacts through a link to a chat to discuss any matter and for free.
- Smart messages: Along with the texts, emojis can be sent to make communication interactive.
- Shared screen: you can show the screen and everything that is done on it to people who are connected to a call. Very useful for family conversations or work meetings.
- Private messages: End-to-end encryption for conversations is available to protect user privacy.
- You can download an extension: some of these are valid for Mozilla or Chrome, through which you can log in.
List of the best Skype tricks on PC to get the most out of this instant communication tool
To handle Skype like an expert and improve productivity when using it, We bring you five tricks that will help you go further when making your calls, send messages or use the application for any task, whether at home, school or work.
Go for it:
Activate or mute notifications
You will make this decision according to your convenience, in this case active or deactivate notifications for certain contacts. It may be convenient for you that the application does not notify you of any message, file or image that has reached you.
This is accomplished with these simple steps:
- Search the chat to which you want to activate or deactivate notifications. Click on his name and enter the function “Chat settings”> “Notifications”.
Edit sent messages
You sent a message, but You realized that the spelling is not the best or in another case that what you want to say is not understood and can be misinterpreted. Even if you have already pressed send, you can edit and modify it if the text is recent.
To change it, follow these steps:
- Locate the chat and identify the message you sent.
- Press on the three points and select “Edit message”.
- Modify what you want to change and press “Send”.
Search for a text within the chat
During a conversation you received a piece of information important thing you need or some phrases that you need.
You have the option of finding specific content using the search field as follows:
- Opens the conversation you want to search on. At the top, place the magnifying glass “Look for” and press there. Type the keyword and hit enter.
Make calls to mobiles and landlines
This feature is only available with a paid plan. It gives you the possibility of calling a local phone or a mobile phone from the application using VoIP technology. One advantage is that only by paying a rate you can call anywhere and it will be much cheaper than doing it from the operator as you usually do.
Block contact
If you want to delete a contact and you don’t know how to do it, or you want to simply delete it from your Skype and not see when you are connected, you can do it easily without problems. You just have to look for the person and go to the top and click on the name and then go to “Chat settings” there you will find the option “Block contact”. In this option you even have the possibility to report said contact, whether for spam, pornography or another crime.