How to Add or Remove Friends and Contacts on Skype

Expand your digital network of friends and colleagues by adding contacts to Skype. Unlike some messaging services, Skype maintains its own separate list of contacts.

How to Add Contacts on Skype for Windows and macOS

The Skype experience on Windows and macOS has changed over the years, but today there's parity across both major desktop platforms. Because Skype comes in both personal and corporate editions (through Skype for Business), the program maintains its own address book.

If you have a corporate-provisioned Skype for Business account, when you change employers, you lose your corporate-focused address book. However, you won't lose anything in your personal address book.

1. To add someone new to your contact list, select the + Contact button, then select Add New Contact.

   

2. Skype displays suggested contacts based on the people in your Skype contact list. If the person you want to add to Skype is in there, select the Add button next to their name.

   

3. If the person's name doesn't appear on that list, look to the top of the window where the blue bar asks for a Skype Name, email, number. Write what you know about your desired contact, choosing any of the three options suggested. The suggestion list narrows down to identify the person.

4. Select the Add button on the appropriate suggestion, and that record becomes one of your Skype contacts.

How Do I Add a Contact to Skype for Web?

As much as the desktop versions of Skype are now uniform, the web service isn't quite the same. It doesn't have contacts, as the other versions of Skype do. Instead, it has a conversation list. That means that anyone you talked to recently is within easy reach, but that's no help if you haven't talked to anyone yet, or you want to chat with someone new.

1. To find someone on the Skype web service, select the search bar in the upper-left and type the name, email address, or Skype username of the person and either press the Enter key on the keyboard, or select Search Skype Directory.

2. After a moment, a list of potential contacts appears. Chances are the one you want is listed near the top. If it isn't, look through the list. 

   

3. When you find the person you want, select their name. The account appears in the main chat window with a blue button that reads, Add to contacts. Select it.

   

4. It's a good idea to send a quick message to introduce yourself, though until the new contact accepts your request, the account appears offline, and you won't be able to chat.

How to Add Someone on Skype on Mobile

Like the Skype desktop client on Windows and macOS, the mobile version of Skype is comparable on both Android and iOS. Whichever device you have, the following steps will help you expand your network.

1. Open the Skype app and go to the bottom menu. Tap Contacts on the right side.

2. At the top of the screen, under the heading, Add a new contact, type your friend's Skype name, email address, or real name. Look through the results. When you find the right person, tap their name to access the profile.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the profile page and, below their Skype name tap, the Add contact link to add the record to your contact list.

How to Add a Contact on Skype for Business

Skype for Business works differently than other Skype clients as the organization's administrator controls its functionality. You still have some autonomy for adding contacts on Skype; you just have to work within the rules.

1. To add someone in your organization, type a name in the search box. Skype lists everyone close to your search in My Contacts.

2. If you see the intended person, right-click and select Add to Contacts List.

3. To add someone outside of your organization, your administrator must give you access to Skype Directory. The process is otherwise identical.

How to Remove a Skype Contact

Removing a Skype contact is as easy as adding one because, in most cases, the process is the reverse of adding a new contact.

1. On Windows or macOS, select the contact and then select the relevant name as it appears in the main window. From within the contact's profile page, scroll to the bottom, where you'll see several options. You can delete your conversation, block the person, or delete the contact entirely.

2. Skype for the web is even quicker. Right-click the person's name in your conversation and select Delete contact from the menu. Select the blue Delete button in the confirmation window.

   

3. In Skype for Business, select the contact you want to remove, right-click the record, and select Remove from Contact List.

4. On mobile, tap Contacts, select the person you want to delete, scroll to the bottom of the profile, and tap Delete contact.