How will Skype work? Step-by-step instructions - how to start using Skype correctly

Today, there are 3 versions of Skype available for a computer running Windows 10:

After installing and registering your profile, it's time to learn how to use Skype on your computer. The step-by-step instructions described below will help you navigate.

Login and first acquaintance

Launch the program. To login use your registered profile:

Wait a while for your first login.

Before making calls, let's check if everything is ok with the sound and microphone:


If you have a webcam, you can also check its operation in test mode:

  • in the same “Settings” window, open the “Video Settings” tab;
  • if everything is set up correctly, you should see yourself (or whatever the video is capturing).

Advice! If the camera is connected but does not work, the article will help correct the error: “What to do if the camera does not work on a Windows 10 laptop.”

After completing the audio and video verification stage, it’s time to replenish your contacts to make a call.

Adding a contact and calling

The interlocutor can add you or you to the interlocutor’s list of contacts. To do this, you will need to enter your Skype login into the search. Your interlocutor will tell you this. If your friend does not remember his login, you can see it:


Of course, you can search by other data, for example by first and last name. But this will make the task much more difficult, since there are a lot of “Ivanov Ivanovs” on Skype. To add a user to your contacts:

  • enter his login into the search and press Enter;
  • select a profile, click “Add to contact list”;
  • after your interlocutor confirms the addition (the icon will change from a question mark to a green circle), you can start a conversation with him;
  • select a new contact and press call or video call (the webcam will turn on);
  • your interlocutor will receive a call (as with a regular telephone) and as soon as he “picks up the phone” a dialogue will begin;
  • You can end the dialogue by clicking on the “red button”. Over time, you will master other features of Skype as you get used to its interface.

    If errors like “Sorry, we couldn’t connect to Skype, check your connection” appear, you can always find ways to solve the problem in the articles on our website.

Greetings dear readers! I have bad news - today another of my phones died. At this time, I urgently needed to call a friend in another city, but how to do this? Then I remembered the Skype program.

Through it, I was able to not only make calls, but also communicate via video conference, and completely free of charge. In general, it’s a useful thing. Today I’ll tell you how to start using Skype on your computer. We will consider everything from registration itself to the start of communication.

Skype - what is this program?

Its key features include:

  • making voice calls;
  • communication via video conference;
  • sending text messages;
  • file transfer.

Simply put, the user has the opportunity to write, call and see another person. Personally, I communicate with friends in different cities via video calling and don’t spend extra money. In this case, it turns out that I am calling from one computer to another, and not to a mobile phone.

If you want to use additional features (showing your desktop on a monitor, making phone calls, etc.), the services may be paid and you will need to top up your account to receive them. You can find out about paid services on the official website. However, I will say right away that for many people the free functionality is more than enough.

In fact, even paid services can cease to be a hindrance when additional earnings come from the Internet. There are plenty of prospects for this. Naturally, it is advisable to first master the wisdom of the “networking profession”. It’s just that fewer mistakes will be made, and income can flow faster and in greater volume. In general, I won’t go into too much detail about your capabilities now. As an example, I’ll give you some really cool training programs that are not always easy to find. You can view them here.

Step-by-step account registration

Before installing the application itself, you will need to register. After it, your own account will appear, which you will need to use Skype. So let's begin.

We go to the official website and click “login”.

Now click “new account”.

Fill in information about yourself. Enter reliable data and double-check it, as if access is lost it will be much easier to regain control.

Pay special attention to the correctness of your e-mail. If it doesn’t exist, then you can, for example, easily take advantage of its benefits.

Have you filled everything out? Now let's get acquainted with the documents. Everything is fine? Click “Next” and follow the system instructions.

Did everything go like clockwork? Great, now you have access to your personal account.

To start using Skype, we won’t need it yet. We will need a login with a password and the program to be installed.

Downloading and installing the program on your computer

We return to the original site again and click “download”.

A page will open where you can select the Skype version for your specific hardware. As you can see, it can be used on a wide variety of devices. The principle of use is approximately the same everywhere. In this article we will take a closer look at the computer version.

Now select “computer” and press the green button. The download will start automatically.

We wait for the download to complete and proceed to install the program. To do this, open the recently downloaded file. First you need to select a language and agree to the rules.

You will be asked to install an additional Skype plugin for convenience. Here you decide for yourself whether it is needed or not. If necessary, then immediately click “continue”, otherwise uncheck the box first.

At the next stage, I usually uncheck all the boxes, since I’m already happy with the default search engine. You can do differently - your choice.

The installation has started and you can watch the process.

Upon completion of system operations, the start window will open.

Now we can log in with our account and find out how we can finally start using Skype online. Enter your username and password and click the “login” button.

Setting up the program

Most likely, during the installation process you will be asked to configure audio, video and set an avatar - your photo or any image you like. I had already installed Skype before, so the program opened right away. It's okay, I'll show you the settings directly from the interface. I access them through “tools” and “settings”.

Here you can check whether the microphone is working or not. It's simple - say something and if you see that the scale turns green, then the microphone is working.

Here we see if the video camera is working. There is immediately functionality to make yourself an avatar. Still don't have a video camera or microphone? It is advisable to purchase at least a microphone, otherwise how are you going to communicate by voice. Although you will have the opportunity to write messages in any case.

Add friends to contacts and communicate

Hurray, we're in the program! To start communicating, you need to add your acquaintances, friends, and colleagues to your contacts. To do this, we find out their login. Enter it into the search field and add it to yours. To do this, click on the name of the found user and click “add”.

Now you can write a message, send pictures and other files, and even see the person on your monitor. Great?

Text messages and sending files

Let's try to write a new message to a friend added to our contacts. To do this, left-click on a friend’s name and pay attention to the chat that opens.

Enter the text of the message and send. A split second and the recipient sees it. You can attach a file to any message. It's easy to do - click on the paperclip and select a photo, document or any other file that you want to send.

The described features are more basic. Let's see what else useful Skype offers.

Voice and video calls

When you select a person from your contacts, pay attention to the video camera and telephone handset icons that appear.

Want to make a voice call? Then press the phone. If you want to communicate with video, on camera. Please note that by performing such actions, you are calling the subscriber's computer. Accordingly, in order to get through, the subscriber’s computer must be turned on, the Internet connected, and Skype running. This can be easily checked by the subscriber's status. See for yourself.

If you see that there is a green tick or other status symbol in the circle, then the subscriber is online. If the circle is empty, then it is not connected.

Video conference

On Skype you can easily make a video conference with ten people. This is one of my favorite features that allows participants in a conversation to see and hear each other. Cool opportunity?

Let's see step by step how to properly start using video conferencing on Skype. It's not all that complicated. We follow this sequence:

  • select one of the desired contacts;
  • press “plus” and select conversation participants;
  • We're calling.

Is it difficult? Let me show you right away in pictures. To begin, select the first participant in the conversation.

Now mark the remaining participants and click “add”.

That's it, all you have to do is call and start communicating. Simple enough, right?

I tried to explain in great detail how everyone can start using Skype today. We'll see how we can soon. I hope the information was useful to you.

With this I will say goodbye until the next publication. Subscribe to blog updates.

If you don't know how to use Skype, it's easy to learn. Even a less experienced user can handle the functionality of the program. The software allows you to solve a lot of problems: from regular messaging to conducting important negotiations using video conferencing.

Let's take a brief look at some of the features of this application:

  • Thanks to the messenger, you can call users and see them as close as if they were in the same room with you.
  • Fast text messaging.
  • Transferring various files between interlocutors, the volume of which is not limited in any way.
  • The screen sharing function will help provide remote support for working with a computer or any application.
  • Conference calls that allow you to combine up to 25 subscribers into one conversation, and in the case of a video call - up to 10 people.

How to use Skype on a computer and laptop

If you have never worked with this program before, then the first thing you should do is. On our website you will find a lot of versions of this application (from the very first to the most current) and you can choose the one you need. Today, Skype software is released for Mac OS, Android, Windows, Xbox 360, PSP, PS 3 and 4, so owners of almost any device will be able to appreciate the benefits of this software.

Installing the program will not take much time and within a few minutes you will be able to create your own account and start communicating on Skype. To do this you need to register. If after starting the program you do not automatically receive a registration form, then you need to click on the command with the corresponding inscription. After which you will see a window in which you must enter certain data.

  1. First and last name. If you want to use Skype to communicate with your friends and family, we recommend that you provide your real information to make it easier for others to identify you among hundreds of thousands of users.
  2. A valid email address that has not been used to register for another Skype account.
  3. Personal information (this includes gender, place of residence and date of birth).
  4. It is not necessary to indicate your mobile phone number, but it will help you quickly recover your account password and continue using Skype.
  5. Login and password - this information is required to log into your page. You should choose your login responsibly, since other users will need to know it in order to find you among other people. Please note that the login cannot be changed.

After filling out all the information, click on the “I agree” button, which will confirm registration in the system.

To use Skype on a phone or tablet running Android or iOS, you can go through the same registration procedure or simplify your task: register on your computer and just log in on another device.

How to launch Skype and set it up for communication

All program parameters are set by default and if you want to edit any options, you should go to the menu with the appropriate name. Don't forget to save your changes.

In the address book of the new account, you will not find a single user except the test “Echo” (sound tester). To add new people to your contact list, use a search engine. In the window that appears, enter the name, nickname or email of the person you want to add. Select the required user from the results provided by the search engine and send him an add request.

To make regular calls, select the “Call” command, and for video communication, select the “Video call” command.

Skype or simply Skype is one of the most popular programs for communicating on the Internet. With its help, you can exchange text messages, make voice and video calls, and transfer files. Skype does not have any technical limitations. It works great on any computer and any operating system. We have already talked about. This time we will look at this program in more detail and tell you how to use Skype.

Launching Skype

Since you are interested in how to use Skype, let's start from the very beginning. After you have completed the installation of Skype, a window should open in front of you in which you must enter the username and password that you specified when registering on the Skype website. Enter these data in the appropriate fields and click on the “Login to Skype” button.

If you closed this window, you can always open it using a shortcut on the Desktop or by searching the Start menu or Windows 8 start screen. For those who have not yet registered, there is a “Register new users” button.

After we have entered our username/password and logged into Skype, the main program window will open in front of us. This window is divided into two parts. On the left side of the window there is a list of contacts, and on the right there is still empty space.

After registering, you will only have one item in your contact list. This is "Echo/Sound Test Service". This is a test (not real) user of the Skype system. You can use it to check the operation of your headphones.

Search for contacts among Skype users

In order to start using Skype, you need to add your friends and acquaintances to your contact list. To do this, click on the “Add contact” button. You can find this button immediately below the contact list (lower left corner of the program).

This will open a window that allows you to search registered users and find your friends. You can search by email address, phone number, name or login. Enter the data that you have and click on the “Add” button.

Working with Skype

After the user is selected, an interface for communicating with the contact will appear on the right side of the program window. At the top of the window you can find two buttons for making calls. And at the bottom there will be a field with which you can start a text conversation.

Calling mobile and landline phones using Skype

If you want to make a call to a mobile or landline using Skype, you need to click on the “Call to Phone” button. This button is located above the contact list in the upper left corner of the program.

After this, a field for dialing a phone number will appear on the right side of the program. In order to make calls to real phones, you need to top up your Skype account. Calls within the Skype network are free.

It has long and firmly entered the lives of many Internet users, helping to stay in touch with relatives and friends who are far away, conduct business negotiations without the need to travel thousands of kilometers by plane, and even study remotely. However, those who are just learning the basics of computer science often have questions about how to communicate on Skype. Let's try to understand this as simply and easily as possible.

What is needed to communicate via Skype?

So, in order to start communication, it is necessary, in addition to actually installing the program on your computer, to have the following components:

  • decent internet speed;
  • webcams;
  • microphone;
  • speakers (or headphones).

Step by step instructions

It's easy to communicate on Skype, however, first you need to perform a number of actions that will allow you to fully use this program:

  • connect the devices indicated just above to the computer and, if necessary, install drivers for them;
  • download the program from the official website, selecting the version that matches your OS, and install it on your computer;
  • launch Skype and click on the link “ Register a new user", go through the necessary procedure;
  • log into Skype, make the desired settings (for example, changing the language) and test the connected equipment. This can be done by calling Echo/Sound Test Service, and then analyzing the data regarding the quality of the connection, opening the corresponding tabs in turn. If there are any problems with the equipment, you can find out how to solve them from the communication quality manual;
  • find friends using the search bar and add them to your contact list by clicking the " button Add a contact" After the person confirms the request, you can fully communicate with him. If you have a Facebook account, you can import friends from this network to Skype.

You can also make calls to regular phone numbers using Skype, for which there is a special button in the program. However, unlike calls between Skype subscribers, which are free, you will have to pay certain amounts for calls to telephone numbers (tariffs depend on the subscriber’s country), for which you need to pay in advance