Skype is a free and most popular communication platform used for IM, audio, and video calling and support various other features. It can be installed on all major OS platforms including, Linux, Windows, and MacOS.
Skype is not an open-source application, and it is not included in the standard Ubuntu repositories.
Here at LinuxAPT, as part of our Server Management Services, we regularly help our Customers to perform Ubuntu System related installation tasks.
In this context, we shall look into different methods to install Skype on the Ubuntu system.
Skype can be installed on Ubuntu using the following methods:
i. Through Ubuntu Software (GUI)
ii. Through apt (Command Line)
iii. Through snap (Command Line)
If you prefer working graphically instead of the command line, here is how you can install Skype through Ubuntu Software Center.
i. To open Software Center, press the super key and type software.
ii. When the icon for Ubuntu Software Center appears, click on it to open it.
iii. Then in the Software Center, click on the search icon and type skype.
iv. When the search result appears, click the Skype application icon.
v. It will open a window where you can Click the Install button to initiate the installation procedure.
vi. After you click the Install button, an authentication box appears. Enter the password and click Authenticate.
vii. Once it is authenticated, the installation process will start and you will notice a progress bar.
To launch the Skype application, press the super key and type skype in the search bar.
When the icon for the Skype application appears, click it to launch Skype.
a. In order to remove Skype, open the Software Center, and search for it in the Installed applications tab.
b. Once you find the Skype application in the installed applications list, click on it to open the following window.
c. Then, click the Remove button in order to remove the Skype applications from your system.
Here is the procedure for those users who prefer working through the command line.
In order to install Skype through the command line, first, open the Terminal application.
Hit Ctrl+Alt+T to open the Terminal.
Then in the Terminal, type the below command and press Enter to download the Skype application.
$ wget https://go.skype.com/skypeforlinux-64.debOnce the Skype package is downloaded, install it as follows:
$ sudo apt install ./skypeEnter the password for sudo. After you enter the password, you might be prompted with the y/n option to proceed or cancel the installation respectively. Hit y to proceed with the installation.
Once Skype is installed, you can launch it by executing the following command in Terminal:
$ skypeIn order to remove the Skype installed through apt, execute the following command in Terminal:
$ sudo apt remove skypeforlinuxThen you will be asked to type the sudo password.
Type the password for sudo and press Enter, after which Skype will be removed from your system.
Skype can also be installed as a snap application. Snaps are self-contained software packages that come bundled with all dependencies required to run an application.
i. In order to install the Skype snap package, first install snapd using the following command:
$ sudo apt install snapdii. Then install Skype as follows:
$ sudo snap install skype --classiciii. Now enter the sudo password, after which the installation of Skype will be started.
Once the installation is finished, the output will show the installed version of Skype on your system.
Once Skype is installed, you can launch it by executing the below command in Terminal:
$ skypeIn order to remove the Skype snap package, run the below command in Terminal:
$ sudo snap remove skypeThis article covers the different methods to install Skype on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS including both the GUI and the command line.
To install the Skype snap, open your terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run the following command:
$ sudo snap install skype --classic
That's it. You have installed Skype on your Ubuntu machine, and you can start using it.
How to install Skype with apt on Ubuntu ?
Skype is available from the official Microsoft Apt repositories. To install it, follow the steps below:
1. Open your terminal and download the latest Skype .deb package using the following wget command:
$ wget https://go.skype.com/skypeforlinux-64.deb
2. Once the download is complete, install Skype by running the following command as a user with sudo privileges :
$ sudo apt install ./skypeforlinux-64.deb
You will be prompted to enter your password.
3. When a new version is released, you can update the Skype package through your desktop standard Software Update tool or by running the following commands in your terminal:
$ sudo apt update
$ sudo apt upgrade
