10 Best Skype Tips and Tricks for 2018

Skype is the best tool to make audio calls, video calls and instant messaging. However, there are many other features it offers. When you are on call you can share your computer screen with the person you are on call with by using its Share Screen feature. You can send and receive files easily using it. You can even make group calls with up to 25 people.

In short, Skype is the best tool for business people to chat, one to one calls, and even group calls. I work with a team of people who work from their home. I asked them all to connect with each other using Skype as its features are the best fit for the users who work from anywhere else in the world. Skype keeps the team together even the members are not sitting together in one office room.

As Skype is so important for us, why not learn some Skype tips, tricks, and hacks to get most out of it?

In this blog post, I am listing 10 best Skype Tips and Tricks that you must try out now to use it like Pro.

Okay, Let’s have a look at the 10 best Skype Tips and Tricks

1. Edit Sent Messages

Many times while sending text messages, we make mistakes that may be embarrassing at times. To err is human, and you don’t have control over it. Even if you take care of it, you may make mistakes eventually.

If you don’t know, let me tell you that you can easily edit the latest sent message instantly.

You can edit the messages just by pressing “Up Arrow” Key or by right clicking on the message.

As you can see in the screenshot below, I have right clicked on the message, and there is an option “Edit Message”.

Once you click on it, the message will become editable.

As I said, you can also use shortcut key “Up Arrow”. But, that only offers you edit the latest message only. On the other hand, right click feature offers editing other recent messages as well.

2. Hide Your Typing Status

You might know that when you are typing a message to send to someone, the status of typing is visible to that person. He can see a moving pencil and text “(Your Name) is typing”.

Though it is nice feature, you may want to stop showing this notification to people you chat. Skype allows you to do it.

You need to go to Tools >> Options

Once you click “Options” you will be on the setting page of Skype where you need to click as shown in the screenshot below:

Once you click on “Show Advance Options” you will see this:

You need to uncheck the “Show When I am Typing” and click on Save. You are done! Now, your typing status won’t be shown to anyone.

3. Multiple Chat Windows

If you have many people to chat at the same time, you may find it irritating to click to their names from the left column every time. You have to keep switching to show their chat which may irritate you.

No worries! Skype has the solution for it that you probably don’t know. There is nothing much to do.

Just go to View and select Split Window View

Now, when you click to open someone’s chat, they will open in new window.

Just look at the above screenshot, you can see, I have opened two chat windows and both opened in separate windows.

4. Set Custom Names to your Contacts

I love this feature as it allows me to give any name to my contacts. It is very helpful when you have multiple contacts with same name. You can make difference in their names by adding something or change their names to something else.

To do it, you just need to right-click on a contact and click on rename.

After clicking, the name will be editable.

Just type the custom name and hit enter. Mind it that the name can be edited not the username.

Also Read: Microsoft Announced Real-Time Skype Translator

5. Take Backup of Chat history

You may want to backup your chat history to be on the safer side as you never know when you are bound to format your PC or you may uninstall Skype for some period for some reasons.

Skype offers you take backup of the chat history which you can later restore when needed.

You just have to press Ctrl + R to open Run, and then enter this %appdata%\skype.

This will open a window, there find your Skype username and open it.

After opening the folder, find Main.db

This is the file that has all the chat backup. Copy this file and save it in a safe place.  That’s it. Your chat data is backed up!

6. Transfer contacts from one account to other account

Sometimes, you may need to close your old Skype id and create a new one, then what you have to do is to add all the contacts in new account. Right? Isn’t it cumbersome sending requests to all of them again?

Skype has a feature that allows you to transfer all of your contacts to a new account.

All you need to do is to go to, Contacts >> Advanced >> Backup Contacts to file.

Once you will click on that, it will show you a dialogue box to save the file as .vcf. Just save it anywhere on your computer.

Now, open your new Skype account and restore the file there. All you have to do is to click on Restore Contacts from File.

Just locate the file, and contacts will be restored.

7. Screen Sharing

Sending files and images through Skype chat is common but not many messaging software offers the option of sharing the screen. Yes, you can share screen with the person you are on call with.

While you are on call, you just have to click on Share Screens

Then, you will see this:

Click on Start, and the person on call can see your screen.

8. Use Chat Commands

One of the most techie features of Skype is that you can use chat commands for getting info. I am in love with this feature. You just have to type those commands and hit enter.

A list of Skype Commands are given below:

/kick [Skype Name] => This command is use to remove a member from a group.

/showmember => It will show the members name in a group or even in one to one chat.

/showplaces => It displays devices you are logged in from.

/info => This command lists the number of members in a group.

/leave => This command lets you leave a group.

There are many other such commands that you can use for different purposes that you can check out here.

However, if you type /help in Skype chat, it will display a long list of chat.

9. Use Hidden Emoticons

There are many emoticons you can see in the Skype as standard or default. But, there are many other hidden emotions available that you can use in your Skype chat. You need to use their command in the chat. You can get the full list of the emoticons from Skype’s official website.

10. Set Keywords for notifications

Sometime, you just don’t want to get notifications of each and every incoming message. You just want to be notified when either your name is mentioned in a group or something that is very important. Skype has a feature to do set this type of notification setting.

Just go to Conversation >> Notification Settings

After clicking you will see a box in which select the last option “Notify me only if these words are mentioned”.

And put a few important words. Click on ok. You are done!

From now, you will only get the desktop notification from Skype when these words are mentioned in a group or one to one chat. For other messages, you won’t get any notification. However, you will get the message in the chat.

Also, set keywords will show in the black box, and you get notified when they are mentioned.

I liked this feature, and it comes very handy when a group chat is going on where you don’t need check messages all the time. Just set your keywords and get notified when they are mentioned.

Final Words

Skype is the best tool to make audio, video calls and do instant messaging. However, there are much more things that it offers as you read in this article.

I have just mentioned 10 best Skype tips and tricks. But, there are many other tricks as well. These 10 are my favorite ones, and I use them all when needed.

I am sure; you have enjoyed this post. Share your thoughts in the comment section.