Important: Starting in May 2025, Skype will no longer be available. By logging in to Microsoft Teams Free with your Skype account, your chats and contacts will appear in the app so you can pick up where you left off. This capability will gradually roll out to Skype and Teams users on the latest app versions over the coming days. Alternatively, you can export your Skype data. Learn more about Skype retirement
The maximum number of characters for a text message sent from Skype is 160*. If you type a longer message it will be broken down into two or more text messages (depending on the length of the message) and you will be charged accordingly.
Skype's text message window tells you how many characters you have remaining as you type the message, and the cost of the text.
*There are two formats for text messages – GSM character set and Unicode character set. You can send 160 characters with GSM-supported characters, but if you enter a character that is not supported, the format of the message will change to Unicode. The maximum number of characters for a Unicode text message in Skype is 70.
