Connecting Skype to your computer is quick, painless and free. Installing and setting up Skype on a laptop

Skype remains one of the most popular software for voice and video calls to friends, relatives and colleagues. You can use it on your computer, any mobile device and laptop. If you decide to install Skype on your laptop, the program will need small tweak so that your communication is as comfortable as possible. In this article you will learn how to set up Skype program for a laptop, create your own account and use it in the future. Don't forget that you will need your own email.

How to set up Skype on a laptop - download and set up an account

• First of all, go to the company’s official website: https://www.skype.com/ru and download Skype for your system: Windows or MacOS. Click on the big blue “Download Skype” button.

• Installing the program will take you a couple of minutes. All you need to do is follow the installer's on-screen instructions.
  Once the program opens, you will see a login field. If you do not have an account, you can easily create one by clicking on the “Create an account” link.

• By default, you will be redirected to the creation page mailbox from Microsoft. If you already have your own email, then it is better to click on the link “Use an existing address Email”.
• If you don’t have your own box, then create it here. Mail from Microsoft is quite convenient: there is no spam, a flexible interface with settings and a minimalist design.

• Enter your email address and create a password on the second line of the window. Do not forget that the Skype password must be extremely complex: enter letters of the Latin alphabet, numbers and symbols.
• Uncheck advertising mailing from Microsoft.
• At the next stage, you will have to come up with a login login if you wish - this will simplify the procedure for logging into your account in the future.

• Now you are ready to log into the program using your username and password. You can use email if you don't want to come up with a login.

How to set up personal information

To make it easier for friends and acquaintances to find you, enter your real first and last name in your account, set an avatar and add your city. This can be done without leaving the main Skype window.

Find the “Skype” tab on the toolbar and click on it.

In the drop-down list you need the “Personal information” item. Don't click on it, just hover your cursor over it. Several new lines will appear side by side.

• By clicking on the “Change my avatar” item, you can take an instant photo from your webcam or upload your photo from your computer.
• “Sound signals” are audible only to you; these are simply different sets of notifications about events within the program.
• “Edit my details” is a special field in which you enter personal information about yourself.

Go to the “Edit my details” menu.

Here you will see an avatar if you have already set it. You can also change the picture immediately. In personal information, you can operate with both public data that everyone can see, and private data if you want to hide some information from strangers.
Fill out all fields of the form. If you are going to call from Skype to mobile and landline phones, then it is better to immediately indicate the method of payment for calls.

How to set up contacts in Skype on a laptop

The program has its own address book, where you add other Skype users to have fast access to them. To start searching for your friend and add him to yourself, click on the “Contacts” field in the program header.

In the drop-down list, select the line “Add a contact”, and then “Search in the Skype directory”.

You need to know either the owner's full name or his login to quickly find the account. Enter the data that you know, click “Search in Skype”.

Once you find the person you want, click once on their name and click on the “Add to contact list” button.

How to configure basic options in Skype on a laptop

Skype is a fairly deep program in terms of technical capabilities, so there are a lot of settings. In this article you will learn how to configure the most important of them.

Click on the “Tools” field and go to settings.

In the very first tab “General Settings” you can specify the program’s default actions

• Read the lines of items carefully and check the boxes where you see fit. For example, if you uncheck the box “Start Skype when Windows startup” – the program will not load itself when the computer is turned on.
• Check the box “Automatically log in when Skype starts” so you don’t have to enter your username and password every time.

The next tab will be “Security” and the “Security Settings” section. Here, set the privacy for calls and video that is acceptable to you. Specify from whom you want to automatically receive video messages or block them altogether.
Check the box next to “Allow Cookies in Skype Browser”.

Go to the “Calls” section in the “Call Settings” subsection. Check the box if you do not want to receive calls from strangers.

Do the same in the “Chats and SMS” section, but in the paragraphs about messages.

In the “Advanced” item you need to enable automatic update so that the program itself updates its components. If you are using Mobile Internet on your laptop and traffic is important to you, then it’s better to turn off automatic updates.

All that remains is to choose appearance programs. In the “View” menu, select “Compact viewing mode” or “Normal viewing mode” at your discretion.

One of the most famous programs for communicating on the Internet. Previously, it was only available on PCs, but with the spread of smartphones, it migrated to mobile devices. With its help, it is easy to reach a friend anywhere in the world, and completely free of charge. This applies to both messages and video calls. To connect Skype, use our guide.

Instructions

To fully use the program, you need to download it, register an account (if you don’t have one) and log in. Let's look at each of these actions in turn.

You should start by installing the program. It is officially available on Windows, Mac, Android, WP and iPhone. Accordingly, you can get it for all current platforms.

In the case of mobile devices, just download the application through the official store:

On computers and laptops, the installation file is easiest to download from the official website https://www.skype.com/ru/get-skype/. The installation procedure for Windows and Mac OS is standard; there is no point in describing it.

Registration

We will look at the procedure for creating an account using the version of Skype for Android as an example. But on other platforms everything is basically the same. This is what a sample instruction looks like:

Skype is a useful application for long-distance communication. Those who are still starting to get acquainted with the work of a PC often ask the question of how to connect Skype. It's actually much easier than it seems. Let's tell you more about this and more.

Installation and registration

Skype is free and easy. The first step is to download the installation archive from the official resource.

1. Go to the page: https://www.skype.com/ru/download-skype/skype-for-computer/.
2. Select the desired OS version and click “Download”.
3. Open the file and decide on the program language. You must also confirm that you agree to the terms. The program will then install itself on the computer. Next, lines for entering login and password will become available. If you already have an account, enter the information to connect to the system.

If you don’t have an account yet, you need to register by clicking on “Create an account.” The phrase may sound different depending on the version of the program. The program will direct you to a page where you need to enter registration information in the fields. The tab will load in the default browser.

1. Write a valid work email address to which you have access. Create a username and password. On specified mail You will receive an email with a confirmation link.
2. Click on “I agree.” The final stage is the “Continue” button.
3. Now you can enter your username and password in the window. If you forget the data, you can always look it up in the letter at email box. When entering your login and password, be sure to take into account the case of letters. Check if Caps Lock is enabled.

Equipment for Skype

The laptop already has a built-in microphone and webcam. If you do not have high demands on image and sound quality, then the standard set will be enough for normal communication.

Otherwise, you will need to purchase additional equipment. This is a requirement if you have desktop computer.

The program will immediately prompt you to check whether the connected devices are working correctly. Before doing this, connect additional devices to your computer, if you have them. The check, however, can be postponed until you call the contact.

For mobile devices

Skype can be installed on a phone with any type of OS. You need to go to the official website and click on the “Smartphone” tab. Various options will be offered, ranging from Android and IOS to Blackberry.

Then enter your account information in the window. If not, register.

What to do if the messenger does not start

Why isn't my Skype working? With the transition to new versions, users may experience connection errors. The following text appears: “Unfortunately, we were unable to connect to Skype.”

This means that the program does not have access to the Internet. A common reason that the utility does not connect to the network is that the entire PC is not connected. However, there are exceptions: all browser tabs open and only Skype has problems. What can be done?

Before you try the following two methods, make sure you have new Skype versions And Internet Explorer. Perhaps the problem is with an antivirus or firewall that is blocking the messenger. To check if this is the reason, disable them for a while and restart Skype.

Method No. 1

1.Download special software Reset_Settings_For_Skype.HTA. This is a program for resetting many settings in Skype.

2.Enter your login.

3.Place marks next to the items:

• User settings.
• Hosts File.
• Skype settings.
• Internet Explore.

6.Relaunch the messenger.

Method number 2

You can switch to this method if the first one does not help. It consists of reinstalling the program.

1.First you need to uninstall Skype. Open the Programs and Features window in Control Panel. Find Skype and right-click on it and confirm deletion.

2.Now you can download the new available version on the official resource. How to do this has already been described above.

If you can't connect Skype on your smartphone

Connection problems may also occur on mobile devices and tablets. How is the situation corrected in this case? Some tips:

1. Update the program to the most latest version. For example, through the official store Play Market for Android or App Store for iPhone.
2. Clean your gadget from junk files. Remove unnecessary applications, free up the program cache. The memory will be freed up and the problem may be solved.
3. Reinstall the program. Before doing this, uninstall it correctly through the Application Manager - an item in the Settings menu.
4. Flash your phone. It is still recommended to address this issue to service center rather than performing the operation yourself. This can only cause you harm.
5. If it displays system ui upon startup, this means that the reason does not lie in the application at all. This is a virus that needs to be gotten rid of as soon as possible.

Connecting Skype does not take much time, given the important role that the program plays in people's lives. After all, it significantly expands the horizons of communication, connecting people at a distance.

Sometimes Skype users encounter such a problem that when starting the program, an error appears about there being no connection or the connection goes on forever. And at the same time, the Internet works on the computer, sites open in the browser, and so on.

Causes of the problem

Understanding the cause of this problem when Skype does not connect is extremely difficult. Most often, restarting the computer solves the problem. But in some cases it remains. The issue may be with Skype itself. For example, its data is damaged, or it is being used old version. The failure may also be incorrect setting system, blocking the program by a firewall. Sometimes the essence of the error lies in the operation of the antivirus, which interrupts the connection.

We must also not forget that authentication in Skype occurs with the participation of Internet browser Explorer. And if its settings are messed up, then various problems may arise.

The result of any of the described reasons is that the program cannot send login information to the server. Then the infinite arises Skype connection or connection errors appear.

Solution

There are 3 simple ways Fixing the crash: reinstalling, deleting Skype files and resetting Internet Explorer settings. One of them will definitely help restore communication.

But before you start trying to fix the problem, you should make sure that the problem is related to your computer. Sometimes, when there is no connection on Skype, it's all about the developer's servers. They can be disabled as a result of a failure or during maintenance work.

Use the resource Down right now. There, information about the servers is presented in the form of a graph. The current status is displayed on the right. Up - everything is fine. Down - servers are not working.

Also try disabling your antivirus and logging in to your account again. It can block communication with servers. In this case, you should add the program to the antivirus exceptions.

Method 1: Reinstallation

The most obvious reason for such a failure to occur is outdated version Skype. It is initially set to auto-update, but the feature can be disabled. It can, of course, be reactivated. But the best solution There will be a complete reinstallation.

Method 2: Reset Internet Explorer settings

You can also try reverting the Internet Explorer browser settings to their original state. To do this, open it and press the Alt key. A toolbar will open, click on “Service”. From the context menu, call the “Browser Options” element.

There you need to go to the “Advanced” section and activate the “Reset” option. A confirmation window will appear, click the “Reset” button again. All that remains is to restart the computer.

Method 3: Deleting program files

In a number of situations, the problem, although related to Skype itself, cannot be solved by a simple reinstallation. This happens because when you uninstall the program, some files are not erased, and the failure occurs precisely because of them. Accordingly, if the previous methods did not give the desired result, try the following:

Have you downloaded and installed the popular messenger? Now, to start using it for free, you need to set up Skype on your computer.

Basic settings, or My Skype

To start using Skype on your computer, go to General settings, by clicking in the “Tools” menu, the “Settings” submenu. Next, select “Basic” - “General”. Here you can choose to start the program when you turn on the computer (when you start Windows), show friends’ avatars, change your status if there is no activity for more than n minutes (you choose the number yourself) (the mouse does not move, the buttons on the keyboard do not press), as well as select a language .

When you go to the second line of the main settings, you can adjust the sound, that is, connect a microphone, for example. Select the microphone you need if you have several of these devices connected to your computer. The same goes for speakers (you can connect speakers or headphones).

Check the box "Allow automatic setup microphone" so that there are no periodic sound distortions and volume changes.

The next item in the main settings is video.

The same goes for your video. Click "Webcam Settings" to adjust the image from your camera.

Next on the list is an item called “Skype Wi-Fi”. This is an opportunity to enable Skype over public Wi-Fi networks. You can find out more detailed information by clicking on the “Details” button in the specified section.

Security Settings

Since the Skype messenger is, in fact, open to anyone who wants to use it (and for free), your account may receive unwanted messages or calls from people unknown to you, if you do not close this opportunity.

Follow these steps sequentially to set up the security of your communications:
1.Log into Skype.

2.Click on the “Tools” menu (sixth from the left) and select the “Settings” sub-item (or simply press the key combination “CTRL” + “,”).

3.In the “SkypeTM-Settings” window that appears, you will see on the left a list of parameters that you can adjust to suit your personal needs. Click on the “Security” line, then “Security Settings”.

4.Now change, if necessary, the security settings by placing dots opposite the required items. Step-by-step instruction:

1. Receive calls from any user or “only from my contacts”.
2. Receive video and broadcast your screen to everyone, only those included in your contact list, or disable this option (the “no one” option) altogether.
3. Receive chats from everyone or just from friends (contacts).
4. Save the entire history of conversations and other events in Skype on your computer or not save at all (select one of several options from the drop-down list).
5. The last section concerns the removal of Cookies, which can clog up your computer over time, as well as other Web settings.

1.Log into the messenger.

2.Open the settings tools menu.

3.Select Alert Settings.

4.Select (by checking the boxes) what notifications you would like to receive: when someone logs into Skype (or Facebook) or leaves it, starts a chat with you, sends a file, a message, a voice message or video, celebrates his birthday, transmits contact information.

Profile setup

Below the menu bar in the main Skype window is your first and last name, which is displayed to other users unless they manually change this information. To set up a profile, you need to click on this inscription. You will be taken to the profile and status editing tab.

When you click on “Change avatar” you can upload an image (photo, picture) that will represent you when communicating on Skype; and by clicking on “Take Photo” you can take a photo with your webcam. If you choose the second option, after you take a photo you are happy with, click “Use this image.” Please note that to view your photo (avatar) on Skype, just like for other data, you can make the necessary privacy adjustments in the settings and limit access to viewing your photo, for example, only to the list of your contacts.

By clicking “Manage”, you can edit or enter other data into your profile: phone numbers, email (you may have several mailboxes), city, information about yourself, and more. Near each item you can select access to your information (for example, public information, contacts...)

Adding contacts

What is a Skype contact? This is the user you have added to your contact list. To always be able to call your acquaintances or friends, you need to find them in the Skype system and add them to the list. At first you will have only one contact - this is the Echo/Sound Test Service, which helps all new users. To do this you need to call this subscriber.

How to add new contact:

1. Check the internet connection on your computer.
2. Log in to the program.
3. At the bottom left, find the “Add Contact” button.
4. Enter your email address, first name, last name, Skype login - using any of these data you can find the person(s) on the Skype network.
5. When you find the person you want, click Add.
6. Click "Send Request..." to send a request to add you to this person's contacts. If necessary, change the standard text to your own.
7. Go back to the main Skype window - you will see that there is one more line in your contacts. Until that user adds you, they will display a question mark.