Skype for browser is a web version of a popular program for making voice and video calls over the Internet. The advantage of this option is that for correspondence and making calls there is no longer a need to download and install the messenger on a PC.
The online version is designed for the latest versions of browsers e, as well as and or later. Apple technology requires a Safari browser older than version 6.
Functional
The following options are available here:
- making voice and video calls;
- correspondence with users from the address book;
- group chats, video conferences and calls;
- contact management;
- sending emoticons, sharing multimedia content.
Web version of Skype
Advantages and disadvantages
The browser version of Skype is not significantly inferior in capabilities to the classic version of the application. After entering the credentials, the user is taken to his account. It can send text messages to recipients in your contacts book, completely free of charge. You can also make voice or video calls, but this will require downloading and installing an additional module weighing about 13 MB, so installation will be quick.
Making a call in this version is very simple. You need to find the desired contact in the address book and click on the icon with the image of a handset, which is located in the menu at the top.
For the browser version of Skype, it is possible to create group chats, which can include no more than 300 participants. For group voice calls, the number of people should not exceed 20, and for video conferences - no more than 10. As in the regular version of the program, all features are available to the user absolutely free.
For the web version of Skype, the user can subscribe to benefit from calling friends and family around the world on mobile and landline phones. The program also includes a function that allows you to forward a call from a smartphone to the application.
The program has a simple and user-friendly interface, very similar to that of the desktop version. In order for video and sound to be played and displayed correctly and without freezing, you must leave only the messenger tab in the browser.
The web version of the application allows you to make changes to your contact book. Here you can remove or block an unwanted user by clicking on the icon and marking the desired action.
The browser version of Skype allows you to search and add new contacts, as well as edit your own information.
The special features of the browser version of the messenger include control using a computer mouse. During correspondence, there is no need to use the keyboard; the smiles and emojis implemented here are the same as in the PC version.
For the web version, a desktop demonstration is available, which allows you to show what is happening on the device to your interlocutor. This can be convenient for holding conferences, showing presentations, and remotely administering user computers.
The browser version supports notifications. Thanks to this, the user will not miss an incoming message, audio or video call, even if he opens another tab in the browser or launches an application.
By releasing a web version of the Skype application, the creators of the program made it possible to contact a person who does not have the application on their device. To do this, you just need to send him a link to the browser version. A person does not need to register, and if he has Microsoft’s native Edge browser installed, he also does not have to download an additional plug-in for video communication. In Windows 10, the browser is installed by default, which means that every user of this OS can now communicate via Skype. This can be convenient, for example, in business, now you can send an invitation link to a partner or client to participate in a conference and discuss important issues.
The web version of Skype has been positively received by numerous users around the world. Among the shortcomings, some limitations in capabilities were mentioned (for example, it is impossible to change sound parameters), but the application developers claim that over time the web version of the messenger will become significantly more functional.
System requirements
OS: Windows 7, 8, 10.
How to start Skype
To use the web version of Skype, no installation is required. All that is needed is an Internet connection, as well as a login and password for your account in the program. In addition, to make video calls you will need to install an auxiliary plugin in all browsers except Edge.
You can now contact friends or family from an Internet cafe where the application is not installed. If for some reason the desktop version does not work for a user, they will still be able to stay connected.
The browser version allows you to quickly switch from a mobile device to a computer. These are just some of the options for using the web version of Skype; in practice, there are many more of them, it all depends on the desires and imagination of the users.
For many Internet users, the relevant question is: why Skype does not work on a mobile phone or PC, and how to fix it. If Skype doesn’t launch for you (or doesn’t connect to the Internet, for example), then don’t worry! A full-fledged and convenient web shell for Skype comes to the rescue, which allows you to use the services of this messenger without installing it on disk: write messages, make calls and create conferences.
What is Skype Web? New service or messenger shell?
In fact, Skype Web is an online version of the famous Skype messenger, accessible through a browser with a full set of functions. All you need to communicate is an installed browser on any platform: desktop or mobile. This is the main convenience of the web version.
As for the actual browsers that are supported by Skype, in the case of the Android platform we recommend the browsers listed in this section. You can communicate with other users through Chrome, Opera, Firefox and other cross-platform browsers.
If Skype does not launch in the browser, you need to install a special plugin
Completing the installation of the Safari web browser extension
Skype Online is available to everyone through the official website www.skype.com. Hot on the heels of the developers' recent announcement, Skype for Web (Beta) is now available to all new and old users of the im-messenger. Anyone going to the official Skype.com (or web.skype.com) website can log in through a browser and connect to Skype Online to access their conversations in an instant: make a call via Skype without downloading the actual app on desktop or mobile device. The only thing you need to log into your account is to register a Skype user account. I explained how to do this in the video:
Skype developers explained that Skype Online Messenger is an important step for the Skype communications platform in bringing real-time communication (RTC) technology to the Internet. But just as importantly, hundreds of millions of people who visit Skype.com every month want to make calls, chat via Skype to another phone when visiting the app's official website, directly in the browser.
Key features of Skype Online
Synchronizing Skype correspondence when connected in a browser
If you're already using Skype, log into browser-based Skype through the official website and you'll see your contacts and conversations load within seconds, just as if you were using Skype on a mobile, tablet, or native desktop app. You'll see the latest chats, which you can reply to directly in your browser. Essentially, this is a messenger with similar functions, but operating through a browser.
Simplified message search
An improved method for finding people and groups on Skype. Instead of two separate lists for contacts and recent conversations, Skype for Web introduces a single scale for searching the list, making it easier for new conversations and searching for existing messages.
Launching Skype in the Safari browser (Mac OS X)
Video calls, instant messaging, and Web Skype calls with a friend or group of friends - Skype offers many ways to keep in touch. Additionally, Skype for Web adds you to the conversation from your desktop browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari or Firefox). Don't forget to install the plugin before you make or receive your first call on Skype Online.
Skype online has added notifications (you must turn them on when you sign in to Skype through your browser), so you won't miss incoming instant messages, audio or video calls, even if you're using a different app or browsing a different website in a different one. browser window. Notifications in the browser version of Skype Online are instantaneous; you just need to connect Web Skype and enter online mode.
We will continue to roll out Skype for Web worldwide over the next few weeks. So please share your thoughts in the Skype community. We're constantly improving Skype for Web and would like to hear your feedback. Thus, if Skype still does not start for you, visit the official client website www.skype.com or web.skype.com and try to communicate through the online messenger for free.
Who can benefit from browser-based Skype without installation?
Of course, this desktop application is quite easy to download and install on Android, iOS, desktop platform, etc. But there are cases when the user has good reasons to use Skype in the web version in the browser:
- When it is not physically possible to install Skype on a PC or phone
- If Skype has stopped working and you don’t know the reason why this happened or you don’t understand how to fix the “jamb” (see below for solutions to a similar problem with the messenger)
- For certain reasons, it is more convenient to use online Skype through a browser, rather than as a desktop application.
- If several users use Skype at the same time and Skype Online in this situation is an acceptable solution for multi-user mode
- Skype for Web is ideal for you if you use the Skype app on your mobile phone, but would like to quickly access calls and chats on the big screen of your computer through your browser.
- Another situation: you are sitting at a Windows or Mac computer, in an Internet cafe or hotel, and the Skype application has not yet been downloaded. Just go to Skype.com, enter your ID and password to log into your Skype account. If you have forgotten your Skype password, .
- Another situation is when, due to a failure, Skype does not start or does not connect to the user’s account. To bypass the system error, you can go to skype.com and simply launch the Skype online application for convenient communication. If you don't want to figure out why Skype isn't working, this option is for you.
In fact, this is just a small list of reasons and a recommendation why Skype in the online edition (via a browser) can be convenient and useful.
If Skype does not connect, the online version of Skype Web will help solve the problem
Skype for Browser extension
Another “hybrid option” that allows you to use the functions of the Skype messenger through a browser is an extension. By downloading this module, you can share interesting information with friends, acquaintances, and other contacts without going into the Skype application.
Some important features, such as calling other phones, are available directly in the search results. For example, if there is a number you need to call, you can simply copy the number to your clipboard and click on the Skype for Browser extension icon. If you call a landline, it is clear that the balance must be positive.
The latest version of the extension implements interesting and useful functions of the Skype messenger in the browser, such as, for example, inserting a phone number into an email. This is very convenient, say, if you want to indicate your phone number in a letter.
Skype for Web is a web version of the Skype application that can run in a browser without first being installed on a computer. It can be used to constantly maintain online communication.
This version was created by Microsoft to facilitate communication via the Internet and without using the Skype application installed on the PC.
You can easily stay in touch with people important to you from any device that can be connected to the Internet.
Most browsers updated to the latest versions are suitable for using Skype for Web: Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome.
Skype for Web
To use this website, open any of the browsers above and search for "Skype Web" or follow this link. Your next action will be to enter your and Microsoft account information. If you do not have one or another account, you can create one at any time.
Along with Skype and Microsoft accounts, it is possible to use an account.
Further, if you have already used Skype before, there will be nothing new for you. The web interface is the same window where (depending on the settings) your contacts or a list of those with whom you have recently called will be displayed.
You have the opportunity to customize the web version of Skype “for yourself” (privacy settings, message mode). The settings interface is practically no different from that in the application.
To make video and audio calls from the Skype Online website, you must install the Skype Web Plugin. It also helps update the client.
Installing Skype Web Plugin
When you try to make a video call, you will be prompted to install a special browser plugin, which is necessary for the normal functioning of the interface on the website.
To the client on the green button "Install plugin".
To install Skype Web Plugin on your computer, you need to save the “Skype Web Plugin” file to your device and unpack it and install it. After the process is completed, restart your browser.
Further, all actions are ordinary: just click on the contact you want to contact and wait for a response from the interlocutor.
The Internet version of Skype works thanks to the Outlook cloud service (if you connected directly using a Microsoft account).
Skype for Web is exactly the site that will help you always stay in touch. You can send text messages and make calls without being inferior to the desktop version.
Sometimes, for objective reasons, it is not possible to install Skype on a computer. This could be someone else's device, which you decided to use with friends, relatives, or somewhere in an Internet cafe and you are not allowed to install any programs there. In another case, you share the computer with other users, and you do not have administrator rights; therefore, you cannot install or change anything in the settings. Official WEB version of Skype is in beta testing. Therefore, some freezes and problems are possible in the work.
It may also be that your computer is an old model or the operating system is not suitable. In this case, you will receive a warning that the program is not supported on your device.
How to use Skype without installing the application
In past years the situation would have been hopeless. However, recently Microsoft Corporation, which recently owns the Skype messenger and video phone, has provided for the convenience of users (by popular demand) web skype– the ability to use the free communication service using a browser.
Well, or almost like in the installed Skype application. There are some restrictions. Web Skype By default, it is configured only to send and receive text messages. Therefore, when you try to make a video phone call, a notification pops up that there are no modules and you will be asked to download the browser plug-ins necessary for Skype to work properly.
Such extensions for Skype do not exist for all browsers. For now, you can use Skype in several browsers.
- Google Chrome;
- Mozilla Firefox;
- Safari;
- Internet Explorer;
- Opera.
In general, all the most popular ones that everyone has, and Internet Explorer is installed in the Windows operating system by default. True, not any version of the listed browsers is suitable for Skype, but only the most modern versions.
Therefore, if you want web version of Skype started working on your computer - update your browser. After this, go to the Skype website, log in to the system and use free communication, installing all requested plugins as necessary. You can log into Skype on your page and start communicating right now.
Skype web version - beta
What does beta mean? This means that the service was launched in an unfinished form and is now being tested for functionality. Bugs are tracked and errors are eliminated. So, if you decide to use web Skype, you are automatically made a beta tester. By the way, there in the authorization interface you will need to agree to the Terms of Use of the service. This is your subscription to agree to participate in the tests.
The web version of Skype will be very useful to owners of computers on the Linux platform and Chromebook laptops, where there are problems installing programs developed for the OS Windows environment.
Since this is a test version, various glitches and problems with the performance of Skype are possible.
System requirements for web Skype
- Online Skype works on computers with the latest versions of Windows and Mac operating systems.
- For the video telephony service to work correctly, you must use high-definition web cameras.
- Broadband Internet connection.
- High speed internet.
Using web Skype, you can make video calls directly from the Outlook.com email client interface. To do this, you will need to add a plugin to your email program for Skype Web.
Skype for Web is an online version of Skype that works through a browser, without installing the Skype program on your computer. Microsoft created the Skype for Web service so that users can communicate on the Internet through the web version of Skype, without downloading and necessarily installing the Skype program on their computer.
Free Skype online works through a browser, so Skype for browser will work from any computer. You will always be in touch with your contacts from anywhere and from any computer.
Popular browsers of the latest versions are supported: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Safari, etc. To connect to your contacts on Skype, you only need a browser and Internet access.
Skype, without installation on a computer, can be used in situations where it is not possible to install the application on a computer, and you need to constantly keep in touch with your contacts online.
Skype for Web in the browser
To log into the web version of Skype, open your browser and then go to web skype com. Next, you will need to log into Skype online; to do this, you must enter your Skype credentials, or your Microsoft account information.
If you don't have an account, you can create a Microsoft account or Skype account at any time. You can sign in to Skype using your Facebook account.
After entering user data, the Skype Web service page will open in your browser, which in its appearance resembles the Skype program window. Depending on the settings, all your contacts are displayed here, or those contacts with whom you have had recent calls.
You can now exchange instant messages with your contacts registered in the application.
You can configure some settings for the web version of Skype: change the message mode (turn something on or off), or change the privacy settings.
You can instant message with your contacts in Skype for browser: receive and send text messages.
For voice and video calls via Skype Online, you will need to install a special Skype Web Plugin, which provides the ability to communicate via calls and video calls to Skype, and automatically updates the client.
Installing Skype Web Plugin
On the web skype page, or when you try to make a call, you will see a proposal to install a plug-in, which is required for calls through the web interface in the browser. In this window, click on the “Install plugin” button.
- Save the SkypeWebPlugin file to your computer.
- Start installing the plug-in file on your computer.
After installing the web plugin for Skype, restart your browser.
The web version of Skype runs in the cloud email client Outlook.com, where it can be connected to exchange messages or make calls directly from email.
Conclusions of the article
Skype for Web is a service for free calls on Skype that works through a browser. Without installing a plug-in, you can exchange instant text messages, and after installing the Skype Web Plugin, the user will have access to voice calls and video calls via Skype.
Experienced PC and Internet user
