How to find Skype ID

To understand how to find your Skype Name and realize how to change it, if it is possible to change that at all, we need to find out if there is a difference between several terms, which are Skype ID, Skype Name and Display Name first.

In short, Skype ID/Name stand for the same item, while the Display Name is another thing.

Skype Name is generated automatically basing on your mobile phone or email address used for registration. You can't configure or change it yourself.

Display Name is created by the personal details you provide during the process of setting up a new user. You can read about it in the article dedicated to creating an account. This is what other users will see in search results and in contact lists. You are allowed to change the Display Name of your account if you need/want it.

Here we describe where and how to find Skype ID on Android devices, in desktop applications and web version, and why it can be different.

Before 2011 this service required a unique username. It had to be provided together with an email address or a phone number during the registration process. There were interesting and even weird nicknames with a specific spelling, numbers or other symbols. Everyone had to be exclusive in order to register their own profile.

Microsoft purchased it afterwards and included into its line of products and services which were all connected to the same Microsoft account. Thus, it cancelled the unique login request, which had to be created by the user while setting up the account. It provides you with an identifier itself.

To create a new account, you only need your phone number or an email address as your username. It also asks for details to set up your Display Name shown to other users during the registration process, but you don't need to verify the name and surname you enter, here you can get any nickname you want.

Depending on the time when your account was registered and the contacts you used (phone number or email address), the identifier can look differently. Besides, you will find your Skype ID in different places.

Checking for the Skype Name in the desktop application and the web version

Users registered before 2011 need to click on the profile picture to see the old nickname under it. As for accounts made under Microsoft, there is a change: Display Name is shown at the top, while the Skype Name will be located at the bottom.

The line with the data you look for consists of the “live:” prefix followed by a part of your registration email address. That is your identifier.

In the desktop application, you need to click on your avatar picture and scroll down to the Profile section to find what you need.

Or you can get it in Settings – Account & Profile. As you see, it can also be presented as a string of random symbols if you used your phone number to make a new account.

If you prefer the web version, the steps are the same as with the applications: just click on your profile picture, and you'll see the identifier under the name.

Locating the Skype Name in the mobile application on Android

The path how to find Skype ID in the mobile app does not really differ from the steps you need to perform on the desktop or laptop. Open the application and tap your profile picture.

It will show the Display Name first and the identifier string second in the Profile section.

Checking for someone else's Skype Name

This information is not hidden, you can view it in the profile details of other contacts among the rest of options.

To find the Skype Name of someone from your contact list, you should right-click on the line in the desktop application or tap it in the mobile app.

A menu will appear. Choose View profile from that menu.

Then scroll down to see the needed information.

Is it possible to change the name in Skype?

This depends on what name exactly you need to change, the program identifier or the Display Name shown to other users.

Unfortunately, the “live:” string can't be re-configured by a user. It is generated automatically when you create a new Skype account. For those who registered with email addresses, the ID will include a part presented before @. As for those who used mobile phone numbers, there will be a string of random letters and digits. It is impossible to define which symbols it will include and which order they will be put in. And you can't change that line into something that you would like to see or read more.

However, it is not really necessary to change that identifier in most cases: it is only your program ID which is not shown. You can check for it if needed, of course; however, any user will sign in with the phone number or email address: the “live:” string does not take place in the process, you don’t need to remember it.

In case you want to integrate your Skype account with some third-party apps to handle certain program requests, you can copy it from the settings. Click on the string in the desktop application or tap it in the mobile app, and the option to copy the data to clipboard will be offered immediately.

If you need to find someone you know, you can ask that person to give you the ID and search for it to get the exact data right away. In case the person is already listed in your contacts, use the View profile option as described above, find the name and click/tap it to have the copy option.

What you can change is the Display Name of the account presented to other users. And it is the one thing you might really need to do one day. For example, if a person applies for a job and has to provide contact details, it makes sense to have a normal Skype profile name and a properly-looking avatar. Nicknames and funny profile pictures would hardly be suitable in such case, it would be better to change them to something neutral and use your name and surname.

Thus, if you want to change your account’s Display Name, it can be done easily in you Profile section in all the versions with one click. Or two clicks at most.

Click on your profile picture in the desktop application or the mobile app installed on your Android phone or tablet. The Edit option will be shown immediately, the icon located next to the name already presents your account. Change it by typing new details in and save.

In the web version, you'll need to go to the My account section first. To do this, click the profile picture at the top-left corner of the window and choose Manage account.

You'll be transferred to My account section. Scroll down to Edit profile, there you can change all the personal details you need.

By the way, if you change your account’s Display Name, it will be updated in other users' contact lists, too. It would be polite to let them know about such innovations if you plan to have a completely new identity. This will help your existing contacts to find you again.

However, if other users change the name of your contact in their lists themselves, your new name won't be displayed to them: the way you name someone in your contact list has the priority.