Skype system requirements

Big power means big resource. Applications do evolve with time. They become better, work faster, get more options.

Skype is not an exception here: it has undergone serious changes and improvement since the times it came into prominence. Which means that the latest versions of its application will definitely require much more resources than its older versions.

Unfortunately, keeping the older versions of Skype is not an option, as there are often issues with their work. Updating to the latest versions is very important and even forced.

Though one of its past major updates of design and functionality received lots of criticism and even caused the loss of users, the advantages which this service provided still outweighed, and users continued to work with it.

If we stick to Skype, we'll need to keep it up-to-date. And this means that desktops or laptops and mobile devices should match the requirements which should guarantee that the software will work properly on any build, on any machine and with no compatibility issues.

Generally speaking, all modern computers will, most likely, fit Skype requirements. However, as progress makes some technologies look obsolete in comparison to their new versions, it would be useful to learn what are the requirements for different systems.

Skype can work in any environment. It has versions for the main OS types (Windows, Mac and Linux) and also mobile apps developed for Android phones/tablets and separately for iPhones and iPads.

System requirements for Windows

• OS: minimum Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit) higher ones are better Windows versions 8–8.1 will also work, Windows 10 is the best option (minimum version 1507)
• Processor: minimum 1 GHz
• Minimum 512 MB RAM
• Your machine will also need DirectX v 9.0 or higher installed.

Mac desktops and laptops requirements

• Mac OS X 10.9 or higher
• 1 GHz (or higher) Intel processor (Core 2 Duo)
• 1 GB RAM or more
• Also you'll need to install the latest version of QuickTime.

Requirements for Linux

• 64-bit Ubuntu 14.04 and higher
• 64-bit Debian 8.0 and higher
• 64-bit Fedora Linux 24 and higher
• 64-bit OpenSUSE 13.3 and higher
• Intel Pentium 4 processor (or superior), it must be SSE2 and SSE3 capable
• Minimum 512 MB RAM
• libappindicator1 or GtkStatusIcon should be installed for the tray icon to work.

And below you'll find the requirements for mobile devices to run Skype app on them.

Requirements for Android

• Minimum Android version is 4.0.4.
• Minimum 32 MB free space.

Note: not all Android mobile devices support Skype applications at full capacity. If you have a phone or a tablet with ARMv7 processor (or its equivalent in functionality), you'll be able to get all the Skype options. As for the “lower” processors (ARMv6), there are functionality issues: these devices won't support video calls. However, voice calls are provided.

Check the user manual to define which processor your device has or contact the developer's support team to clarify everything.

Requirements for iOS

• Minimum iOS version 10 for iPhones and iPads
• This mobile application is supported on iOS 9, however, the app can't be updated to the latest version.

In case you prefer the online version, Skype’s downloading requirements are not supposed to take place here, as there is no software to be downloaded. Though it goes without saying that the more powerful your machine is, the better speed and quality of connection it will provide in the web version.

The web version will require the latest versions of browsers to work in a proper way. The developers claim that you need to have the Microsoft Edge browser and the latest version of Chrome; the web version will work in other browsers like Opera, Firefox and Safari too.

And if you want to check something in Skype in the web from the mobile device, this won’t work, unfortunately. Phones and tablets do not support the browser version: they will ask you to install the mobile app and work with it instead.

We hope this information helped. Check your machine, make sure it matches the Skype requirements and enjoy communicating with your friends, family and colleagues.