Skype is also cross-platform, meaning it can be installed on Windows, Linux, and macOS. You can call others on Skype for free using audio or video anywhere. Skype for Linux was recently updated, and this new version adds some new features including, an enhanced user interface, cloud-based group chat experience, PulseAudio support and file transfer improvements across multiple devices, and a bunch of other fixes. Also, for students and new users learning Linux, the easiest place to start learning is Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu is the modern, open-source Linux operating system for desktops, servers, and other devices. To get started with installing Skype on Ubuntu Linux, follow the steps below. Skype is not an open-source software and doesn’t have its packages in Ubuntu default repositories. You can’t simply run the apt-get command to install Skype. There are two popular ways to install Skype in Ubuntu and both work great. Choose either of the methods below to get Skype on Ubuntu.
How to download and install Skype on Ubuntu
The easiest and most popular method to get Skype installed on Ubuntu is to download and install it .deb file. Open your terminal and download the latest Skype .deb package using the following wget command: But before that, run the commands below to install some recommended packages. After that, run the commands below to download the latest version of Skype. Once the download is complete, install Skype by running the command below as root or account with administrative privileges. The commands above are to install Skype on your system and add the official Skype repository so that newer versions are automatically installed when you run system updates. To view the repository file, run the commands below: It should display a similar line as shown below: Once Skype is installed go to the Activities –> Dashboard and search for Skype. Then select and launch.
How to install Skype via Snap on Ubuntu
If the option above didn’t work for you. you can also install Skype via Snap package management. Snaps are applications packaged with all their dependencies to run on all popular Linux distributions from a single build. To install Skype via snap, open your terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run the following command: That should do it! Conclusion This post showed you how to install Skype on Ubuntu Linux. If you find any error above or have something to add, please use the comment form below.
