I won’t go into too much detail about what this program is. Almost every user uses this convenient means of communication. But sometimes you need to find out How to completely remove Skype from your computer and destroy all traces of it.
The reasons can be very different, and this is not about them. Let’s look at the removal method in more detail. I can bring own example– I think that a telephone is quite enough, and a parallel means of communication only takes up time. In principle, everyone must decide for themselves.
Okay, let's get down to business. On Windows 10, Skype is installed by default. You don't need to install it, it's built into Windows, just like the Microsoft Edge browser. The difference with the regular downloadable version is the rather original name. This is a tiled type called "Skype Preview".
Let's look at deletion. We eliminate it in the usual way, but, if, before starting the process, you need to exit it. Right-click on the tray icon and select the line “Exit”.
Win + R – keyboard shortcut to enter the appwiz.cpl command.
Open the “Programs and Features” window and look for your version. I have Skype 7.31 and activate the deletion by clicking the right button.
Sometimes you may see an additional window where confirmation is performed again.
This specific Windows security can appear or be disabled. But the next window will definitely hang and you have to wait until it disappears on its own.
Do not pay attention to the browser that opens, where they express regret that you deleted Skype, as well as a mess with a proposal to explain the reasons for this action.
I advise you not to waste time and just close it.
Does everything seem okay? But there is a possibility that there will be leftovers, which will remain for now. I’ll explain why I don’t recommend doing this for Windows 10. Searching for leftovers leads to the possibility of deleting some of the firmware files. It will not be possible to delete this version of Skype itself, because information about the lack of data for deletion will be displayed.
What to do in this case? The fancy gadget Windows PowerShell will help. To call it, right-click on the taskbar and activate the search. Then we enter this name and get such a window to appear.
Select the “Run as administrator” section after right-clicking on Windows PowerShell.
Click “Yes” after the next window appears on the monitor.
The next one will appear like this.
Everything here is similar to command line, where an entry is entered to delete the built-in Windows programs 10. After such an operation, it is impossible to return the tiled option. And why, by and large, is it needed? Regular Skype is still much better, and it can be uninstalled and installed an unlimited number of times. Clear? Then enter the command Get-AppxPackage *skypeapp* | Remove-AppxPackage.
Then in the window, after pressing enter, the following line appears.
This indicates that deletion is in progress. And finally you will see this image.
It seems like nothing is visible? So that's great! This means that no mistakes were made. By opening the Start menu, you can see that there is an empty space where Skype was.
Compare with what happened before.
Do you think you've already seen everything? But no! This removal was performed in a standard manner. But you still need to clean your computer of debris. I think the most effective program for this is . But let’s still do everything more reliably, that is, by hand. Open the system drive C and enter Skype in the search field.
All files with the specified word will be found. Quite a lot of them will appear, including those located on the desktop. Now you need to look carefully so that nothing you need is on the list. The search result will look like this.
All this without a doubt refers to garbage. But I highly recommend running a restore point. Right-click the Start icon and select System.
After checking the selection of the system disk, click “Create”.
I advise you to specify the name of the control point in the window that appears: “Before deleting Skype remnants.”
Another window will freeze on the monitor for a few seconds.
Finally, you will see a message indicating that the process completed successfully.
And at the end there will be a message about the successful creation of a restore point.
Now you can safely select and delete everything you see fit.
The Unlocker item is a designation for a program designed to delete files that normally do not want to be deleted. Having activated “Delete”, we receive a message where we click on “Yes”.
We put a tick in the box when we receive another message.
If this window starts to re-display, you can perform the Skip action. Deletion will not occur, but after right-clicking on the selected files and selecting Unlocker, in the new window click on the confirmation item.
The search must be updated for each folder and file by pressing F5. The procedure is quite long, but as a result we get the desired result.
The next stage is removing junk from the registry. Open the registry editor and write in the Skype search window. It is important to consider here that the search is performed separately for each document. The file is found, and the process immediately stops. Then the search is resumed only after the selection is deleted. Although the procedure is labor-intensive, it is reliable. No utility can remove garbage so thoroughly.
Once completed, you will see a window.
On the one hand, it will take a lot of time and patience. But there’s nothing too complicated either. And there is more confidence in the results if the entire process was done with your own hands with visual control.
If you have a problem with software like Skype messenger, you should try uninstalling it. So, “How to delete Skype?”
Why is the program not uninstalled?
If you find a critical error that your device displays when you try to delete Skype and all files associated with it, you need to find (if possible) the reasons why this is happening.
Here are the options:
- Firewall operation.
- Antivirus program operation.
- Outdated version of Skype.
- After the imaginary deletion, traces of the installation and other files of this program remained on the computer (laptop, tablet).
To check the last point, go to “Program Files” and look for the Skype folder there. If it remains, not everything was removed. Check under the rights of whom exactly you are going to perform the cleaning. You need administrator rights.
Removing from Startup
To restore the program or improve the software of your device, you must first remove this “annoying” program (Skype) from automatic download. It is performed every time the system is put into operation again.
What to do?
First way:
- Follow this path: “Start” – “Tools” – “Settings” – “Basic Settings”.
- Having reached the last point, find the place where you can uncheck the box: “Start Skype when Windows starts.”
- Check that the check mark is no longer there.
Second way:
- Go one by one: Menu, Tools, Settings, Advanced, Advanced.
- Next, you need to uncheck the extra checkbox: “Keep Skype on the taskbar.”
- If you do this option, the program will simply not download automatically all the time, but will not be removed from the device.
Removal to restore functionality
So that Skype that is “capricious” or does not want to open can be installed again, that is, updated old version, you should do this:
1. Make a backup first:
- Go to command control(the “Run...” window in “Start” or pressing the combination of the “Windows” keys (on the keyboard) and the letter “R”).
- Enter the following command into the field: “%appdata%\skype”.
- Click OK.
When you go to this folder, copy everything to another location. By the way, it is the deletion of the above folder that allows you to remove “traces” of your presence on someone else’s computer.
2. Exit the program to remove it from your laptop, computer, or other device. To do this, in the tray (bottom right among the small icons, sometimes under the arrow suggesting a drop-down list), click to exit the context menu (usually with the right mouse button) and select “Exit”.
3. Check if you have left. To do this, press the key combination “Ctrl”, “Alt”, “Del” and call “Task Manager”. Check to see if there is a process called “Skype” among the currently running (running) processes. If there is such a process, select it and click on “End process...”.
4. Go to “Run...” again and enter “appwiz.cpl”, click confirmation - “ok”.
5. In the list that appears, you will need to find your old Skype login, which you no longer need, and delete it. After this step, reboot your device to ensure the removal process proceeds correctly.
6. Download the most latest version of this program (new Skype) at the official address - http://www.skype.com/go/download.
Uninstall using Windows tools
If you need to remove a communication program forever where the Windows operating system is installed, you can use the most convenient and the right way– software removal.
For this:
1. Go to Start.
2. Select Control Panel.
3. Find “Uninstall programs” or “Add or remove programs” or “Programs and Features”. It all depends on the type of OS and the external interface chosen as the form for displaying components and programs, as well as their icons.
For Linux you need to go a slightly different route:
- "System".
- "Administration".
- "Synaptic Package Manager".
- Select Skype and delete.
- Skype can be completely removed from Mac OS using special programs. For example, such a program could be “APP Cleaner”.
- If you need to delete an account specifically, you should look at this material: “”.
After uninstalling the annoying messenger, check whether all its files are destroyed. To do this, download one of the following programs: CCleaner or Revo Uninstaller. In theory, if there are not too big errors in the operation of your device, each of these light and simple “cleaners” will help get rid of everything unnecessary that could remain after Skype: program components, registry entries.
How to remove a program from the registry as well
To remove Skype from your computer, regular or “for business” (that is, the option for business), you need to do the following:
1. Go to the registries: in “Start”, click on “Run...” or call up the same window by pressing the “Windows”, “R” buttons (simultaneously).
2. Type "regedit".
3. Press the “Enter” button or select “OK” on the screen.
4. Click in the new window that just opened on the “Edit” tab.
5. Select the “Find” command in the menu that opens or simply press the “Ctrl”, “F” key combination.
6. In another window (search box), enter “Skype” and click “Find Next”.
7. When the necessary information is found in the window located on the right and showing the search results, you need to delete everything found.
8. Repeat the procedure from the very beginning several times, namely as many times as needed to delete your Skype.
Removing from a phone, tablet or other OS
If you have Skype on your phone, but you already want to remove the program, then you know exactly how to install the program, but you don’t know how to completely remove it.
To work with your phone (and it doesn’t matter what platform it runs on - IOS or Android) you need to do a couple of simple steps:
- On the icon that depicts this program (on its “icon”), tap and hold your finger without lifting it.
- When the icon begins to tremble (“shudder”), you need to select “Delete” or a cross in the drop-down menu and click on it.
- Confirm your choice by clicking "Yes".
To remove Skype from a device that uses the Linux operating system, you need to take the following steps:
- Find the program “icon”.
- Long-press it and drag it to the Trash.
- The smart Linux system will finish what it started on its own: it will rid your device of garbage that could remain after finishing using the communication program.
To remove Skype regular or "for business", you can first use the usual methods that are acceptable for each specific device used. Afterwards, special programs can be used, including when it is not possible to remove an earlier version of Skype.
For example, so that later there are no difficulties with reinstalling it. This may also be required if any problems arise with the program. Standard actions may not be enough for this, so we provide you detailed instructions, acting on which you will achieve what you want.
The first step is to find the installation path for Skype. It's very easy to do. Click on the launch shortcut on the desktop RMB and select “Properties”. We need a “File Location” button, click on it. This will take you to the folder where Skype is installed. 
Minimize this window, but do not close it.
An important nuance: the need to save correspondence. All messages received are stored in local files on your computer.
When uninstalled, they sometimes remain, sometimes they are erased. Since we need complete cleaning, the second option is preferable. But you may have to do this manually. Data is stored along the way C:\DocumetsandSettings\User\ApplicationData\Skype or C:\Users\User\AppData\Roaming\Skype. If you want to save information, then copy it in advance. At the end you will need to erase this folder.
Now you need to completely close Skype. To do this, find its icon in the tray, right-click on it and select the appropriate item. To remove the program, you can use the built-in Windows service or a third-party application.
In the first option, open the Control Panel, “Programs” or “Add or Remove Programs”. There, find Skype and uninstall it. You can also use CCleaner. This is a multifunctional computer cleaning utility. It is recommended to use it.
In the CCleaner window, open the Tools tab. There, find Skype, select it and click on the “Uninstall” button. There is a similar “Delete” item nearby, but it doesn’t work. In the same program, go to the registry tab, select “Search for problems - Fix all.” 
Agree to keep a backup copy. Now go to the “Cleaning” tab. There you need to uncheck all the items except “System” and “Explorer” and clear the data. 
The program has been removed from the computer, but various files remain. To check everything, expand the window with the Skype folder. If it is missing, then the data is not there. If not, delete the folder itself. Do the same with user information. This The best way how to remove Skype.
Greetings to all! I'll tell you how to completely remove Skype from your computer. The task is not always easy, but we can do it. First of all, it is necessary to clarify that deleting an account and deleting the program itself are completely different algorithms of action.
I’ll make a bold assumption - since you are trying to remove applications yourself without calling the system administrator, then you are achieving success in self-education and know how to achieve your goals. What about work or part-time work on the Internet? There are quite clear and useful courses. Some of them are here.
Deleting activity history
First, let's clear the correspondence history. To do this, launch Skype, in the “menu” we look for the item “tools” - “settings”.
On the left side of the page, click on “security” and “security settings”. We are purposefully looking for the “save history” button. As a result, a confirmation window will open.
Click on the “delete” button. Congratulations, you have cleared the dialogs. You can also make sure that the history is never saved. In the “security settings” section, look for the “save history” field and select “do not save.”
There are also manual method deleting your activity. Exit the application and look for the folder at C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application Data\Skype\. Username – the name of your user (account). We send the contents to the trash (don't forget to empty it). It happens that this folder is hidden, but who would dare to sneak away from us?
- We use the combination on the keyboard “win” (the Windows brand icon located between “Ctrl” and “Alt”) and “R” (letter). A service window will open.
- In the input field you need to enter “%AppData%” (without quotes).
- Find the folder called “Skype” and open it.
- Delete the folder with your username.
Please note that it is better to delete history using the standard functionality. Among other things, if you manually delete it, your usernames and passwords for the program will be reset on the computer, you will have to enter it again, and the dialogs may be saved.
What to do with my account?
For better or worse, completely deleting Skype is not so easy in practice. However, not everything is as fatal as it might seem at first glance.
- If you don’t log into the program for several weeks, your account will most likely simply disappear from the general search.
- Some simply change or delete contact information (last name, age, address). You will find all this in your official account. You just need to look at the “personal data” and “edit personal data” items.
To access your personal account and perform the necessary actions, we log in to the official Skype website and start working.
Couldn't get into Personal Area? Then we launch the program on the computer and click on the “can’t log into Skype?” button. Next, enter your email. A letter will be sent to him. Open and follow the instructions.
Already logged in to your account on the website? Then select the “help” and “other questions” section.
Have you moved on? Actually, this page contains detailed information about possible communication options. Only technical support has sufficient authority to perform certain actions. In addition, you can always get up-to-date information from specialists.
After scrolling through a dozen sites, forums and blogs, I realized that the procedure for completely deleting Skype and personal data can take about 2-4 weeks. It is better to check the details in the official help or technical support.
Getting rid of the program itself
Now let's talk about erasing the software itself. First of all, let's make sure that Skype is not running. Let's close it traditional way.
It happens that the standard functionality does not work, so you need to make sure everything is correct. To do this, press the trio of buttons “Ctrl” + “Alt” + “Delete”. Select “start task manager”. Find “Skype.exe” and click “end process”.
Windows may ask you twice, but don't worry about it. He just cares about you. Now we can proceed to uninstallation. Launch the “Start” window, find “Control Panel”, then “Programs and Features” and look for Skype. Then select “delete”.
You may be prompted to save some program components. If you are going to use it in the future, then it is better to save this data. To complete the entire algorithm of actions, you need to have administrator rights in OS Windows.
Out of the phone
Removing Skype from mobile is much simpler. We do the following:
- open the settings section on your phone;
- then the item “applications” or “programs”;
- Find Skype and select “delete”.
This is where I will conclude the publication. I hope it was helpful and you were able to completely remove your Skype from your computer or mobile device. In subsequent articles we will also look at how to install or. Subscribe to free updates, a lot of interesting things await you.
