Email, Messaging, & Video Calls Video Calls How to Stop Skype From Starting Automatically It's really easy to prevent Skype from launching when your computer starts by Tim Fisher General Manager, VP, Lifewire.com Tim Fisher has 30+ years' professional technology support experience. He writes troubleshooting content and is the General Manager of Lifewire. our editorial process Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tim Fisher Updated on July 07, 2020 The Ultimate Guide to Skype The Ultimate Guide to Skype Introduction Skype Basics Internet Speed Required for Skype HD Calls How Much Does It Cost to Use Skype? How to Delete Your Skype Account Guide to Using Skype as Your Home Phone Getting Started How to Change Your Skype Username Setting up a Conference Call With Skype How to Make a Skype Conference Call How to Make HD Video Calls With Skype How to Share a Screen on Skype Tips for Using Skype How to Record Skype Calls Use Skype's Split View Mode in Windows 10 Stop Skype From Starting Automatically How to Blur the Background In Skype How to Find and Use Skype Emoji How to Skype With Alexa Working with Contacts How to Add Contacts on Skype How to Delete Skype Contacts How to Block Someone on Skype How to Unblock Someone on Skype How to Delete a Skype Conversation Skype on Different Platforms Installing Skype on Ubuntu Using Skype on an iPad & iPhone Using Skype on a Chromebook Using Skype in a Web Browser How to Use Skype for Android Creating a Skype Account on Windows Troubleshooting & Updating What to Do When Skype Isn't Working Make a Test Call How to Uninstall Skype How to Update Fix Skype Webcam Problems Tweet Share Email By default, Skype opens automatically each time your computer starts and you log in to your user account. This happens so that you get instant notifications when someone sends you a message or calls you. When you disable Skype on startup, you have to manually open it the first time you want to use it after starting your computer. Once it’s open, it remains open like normal—and messages and calls can come in—until you sign out or close it down. Instructions in this article work for current versions of Skype running on Windows 10, Windows 8, and macOS. Windows: Sign Out or Change Skype's Auto-Start Settings Skype for Windows 10 and for Windows 8 can be configured to stop starting automatically with Windows. However, the steps are different depending on how you installed the program. Windows 10 Skype App If you obtained Windows 10 from the Microsoft Store, you can’t technically disable Skype on startup. However, you can log out of the program to close it down and prevent all notifications. Here’s how to log out of the Skype app in Windows 10: Select your profile image (it's located in the upper-left corner). Choose Sign out. You might also be asked whether to remember your account and app settings on this device. It's up to you how you answer that. Exit the Skype window. Normally, when you leave Skype open and you’re logged in, SkypeApp.exe is running in Task Manager. When you close the app without logging out, it remains running so that you can receive notifications. However, when you log out of Skype in Windows 10, that process closes down, too, so that you're no longer notified about messages and calls. If you want to completely close down Skype after logging out, look closely at the notification area on the Windows taskbar. If you see Skype running there even though you exited, right-click the icon and choose Close Skype. You can prevent this from happening in the future by editing an option in the General area of the program's settings. The SkypeHost.exe process might start back up when you log back into Windows after a reboot, but the program won't log you in because you logged out the last time you used it. Standard Skype Program If you installed the standard Skype program in Windows 10 or Windows 8 (through Skype.com), open its settings to disable the auto-start feature. Unlike the Windows 10 method above which requires a sign-off, when you use these steps to disable Skype from automatically starting, you remain logged in the next time you open the program. Select the three-dotted menu (it's located next to your name on the main page). Choose Settings. Go to General. Toggle Automatically start Skype to the off position (the button will turn grey). Exit the settings screen. macOS: Remove Skype From the Login Items There are a couple of ways to disable autorun for Skype on a Mac. The first and easiest method is to do so from the Dock. Go to the Dock and right-click the Skype icon. Go to Options. Select Open at Login to remove the checkmark. The other way to prevent Skype from opening automatically in macOS is to remove it from the list of startup items in System Preferences. Open System Preferences. Select Users & Groups. Select your username. Go to the Login Items tab. Select Skype. Select the minus/remove button (it's located at the bottom of the screen). Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit