It may be necessary when it begins to work worse, freezes, or any other problems arise. The procedure itself is extremely simple, but there is an important nuance: correspondence may not be saved. Therefore, many users are interested in how to reinstall Skype for free without losing contacts.

Data backups

All contacts and messages are stored in local files on your computer. Accordingly, before uninstalling the program, it is advisable to make backup copies of them. And then you can reinstall Skype without fear of losing your correspondence.

To make a backup of your data, you first need to completely close Skype. To do this, right-click on its icon in the tray and select “Exit Skype” in the pop-up window. If you just click on the cross in the program itself, it will simply collapse, but we need a complete closure.

We need the Windows file manager, for this we just need to open “My Computer”. We are going to interact with system files, so we need to enable the display of hidden folders. For Windows 8 and older, just in the browser at the very top of the window, click on the “View – Change Settings” item, select the “View” tab, scroll to the very bottom and activate the checkbox on the last line.

In earlier versions of Windows, you need to open the Control Panel, then the “Appearances and Personalization” menu, and find “Folder Options – View” there. You need the “Advanced settings” item, this is where hidden folders are activated.

Now you can proceed directly to saving data. Open the user's folder. For Windows 8 and older, the path is AppData\Roaming\Skype, for earlier versions of the OS - Application Data\Skype. The contents of these folders belong to the program of the same name. You need to save it, completely copying it, preferably to a flash drive.

Now you can reinstall Skype without losing contacts. We remove the previous version of the program and download the distribution kit of the new one from the official website. Install it according to the prompts ( how to install Skype) and log into your account. If the correspondence has been preserved, then that’s all. Otherwise, we proceed to their restoration. And here everything is extremely simple. It is enough to copy the saved files back, after closing the program. The next time you turn it on, all correspondence will be displayed.

What will you learn to do after watching this video?

In this lesson, you will learn how to completely uninstall and reinstall Skype, and also learn how to use the portable version of the program.

Video description:

In the previous lesson you learned. This review will focus on reinstalling Skype.

The first stage is to remove Skype. Go to Control Panel, Programs and Features (for Win 7) or Add or Remove Programs (for Windows XP). Find Skype in the list of programs and remove it.

The second step is to delete folders and files. Go to My Computer, open drive C (the system drive). Enter the word Skype into the search and you will see how many folders and files related to Skype remain on your computer after uninstalling the program. Your task is to remove them. If something will not be deleted, click the Skip button.

The third stage is cleaning the registry. To open the Registry Editor, click the Windows (Start) button and select Run. In the command line, type regedit and press Enter. In the Registry Editor window, go to Edit and select the Find command (you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+F). Write Skype in the search bar. A file will appear on the right side of the window confirming that after uninstalling the program there is still some data left. All these files need to be deleted (using the Del button). Next, press the F3 key to delete other Skype files one by one. Once all entries have been deleted, you will see a notification that the registry search is complete.

At this point, the Skype removal process is completely completed, and you can proceed to installing a new version of the program.

Go to the official website www.skype.com, hover your mouse over the Download Skype button and select the device where you will install the program (most likely it will be a computer with the Windows operating system). Then click the Download button and specify the path to save the installation file. When the download is complete, run the downloaded file. The Skype installation window will pop up, select the desired language. If you click the Settings button, you can change the program installation directory, configure the launch of Skype, and make other changes. Next, click the I agree – install button.

Once the installation is complete, Skype should start automatically. Click the Login button, enter your username and password and you are back in touch with your friends!

If you need to carry Skype with you on a flash drive, you can download Portable Skype. Go to the website skypeclub.ru and download the desired version (the author recommends version 5.1). If the program loads as an archive, be sure to extract the files. Then transfer the folder with files to a flash drive or any other medium and launch Skype on any device. The interface of the portable version of the program is no different from the regular one, so you can easily use Skype fully.

Today it is difficult to imagine that we could once do without Skype. The opportunity to chat with friends, get new useful information at a webinar, or conduct a business conversation using this program has become an integral part of the life of any active Internet user. But after some time, you notice that the quality of the connection has begun to deteriorate: Skype periodically freezes, distorts the sound of your interlocutor’s voice, and sometimes even turns off during a conversation. The best way to get rid of these problems is to reinstall the program, but how can an ordinary user reinstall Skype and save the contacts of their friends and business partners?

A typical program reinstallation consists of two stages:

• complete removal from your computer;
• re-installation from the manufacturer’s website, flash drive, CD, etc.

After reinstallation, personal data is lost, and all passwords, contacts and other information have to be entered again.

Skype works a little differently: it stores user information on its servers. It is enough to log in to the program so that all your contacts are restored automatically. Thus, the question of how to reinstall Skype without losing contacts does not arise for most users - contacts after reinstallation are taken from the “cloud”. If you log into Skype on someone else's computer, all the contacts you usually work with will be completely at your disposal.

But, unfortunately, no one is immune from failures, and your personal information may accidentally be lost. To prevent this from happening, you need to take care of saving your contacts in advance by recording them in a special file and saving them on your computer or, even better, on a separate flash drive.

How can I save my contacts before reinstalling Skype?

Let's consider, for example, how to reinstall Skype in Windows 7, since this OS is now used by the largest number of our readers. So, you need to save all your personal data in a separate file.

• Open Skype and click the “Contacts” tab, in the drop-down window find “Advanced”, and in the next window select the option to record a backup copy.
• In the window that opens, select a location on your computer where a copy of your contacts will be saved. A file in .vcf format is automatically assigned the name of your Skype login, but you can, of course, write it under any other name. It is not recommended to save a backup copy on your computer's hard drive, as if the system crashes it will be irretrievably lost. The optimal storage location is a removable disk or flash drive.
• After selecting a location to store the backup .vcf file, click Save.

Now you can be calm about your contacts and conversations on Skype: everything will be preserved, as if in a Swiss bank safe.

How to properly remove old Skype for reinstallation?

Before you reinstall Skype, you must completely delete all its old folders and files from your computer. To do this you can:

• use a special uninstaller program;
• carry out the entire removal manually using Windows 7 tools.

If the uninstallation is incomplete, the new version of the program may conflict with the remnants of the old one, causing Skype to work incorrectly again. Before you begin, completely close Skype on your computer. Minimize it in the taskbar, then open the window with the left click of your mouse and in the “Tasks” section select “Exit Skype”.

Uninstalling Skype before reinstalling with a third-party utility

This is the simplest option that will not require much effort from you. There are many special utilities that themselves carry out a complete uninstallation, finding and “uprooting” all folders and individual files of the program being removed. This deletes not only the main folders, but also all sorts of temporary and changeable files. There are many uninstaller programs, and most of them can be used for free. The most well-known to users are Unlocker, CCleaner, Uninstaller, FileASSASSIN, etc. Just open the program registry, select Skype and give the command to uninstall, the program will do the rest itself.

Manually uninstalling Skype to reinstall

To reinstall Skype without losing contacts and ensure the program works flawlessly, you can uninstall the old version manually using the capabilities of Windows 7.

1. On the right side of the Start menu, find “Control Panel”, in the window that opens, select “Programs and Features”. Find and uninstall Skype using right click.
2. Next, find and delete all folders and individual files related to Skype. To do this, open “My Computer”, on the system drive (usually drive C) find them using the search function, using the name of the Skype program as a search marker. Delete all found folders. Some of them will not be deleted - in this case, click the “Skip” button.
3. After this, you need to clean the registry. On the right side of the Start menu, select “Run” (if this item is not there, go to Start settings by right-clicking and install the “Run” command). In the window that opens, type “regedit” and enter, after which the registry editor window will open. Click “Edit” and in the window that opens, enter the name Skype in the appropriate field. Delete the file that appears on the right side of the window using the “Del” button and press the F3 button to continue the search. Repeat this until you receive a notification that the search is complete.

After completing all these steps, you can proceed with a clear conscience to reinstall Skype while saving contacts in Windows 7.

Installing a new Skype and restoring contacts

The final step is to install the new version of Skype on your computer. It can be downloaded from the official website or taken from any other reliable source. Installing on a desktop computer is as easy as reinstalling Skype on a laptop or tablet. Download the Skype installation file to your computer and then follow the well-known sequence of actions. After the program is installed, check whether your contacts have been restored in full. If any components were lost, restore them from the saved file.

1. Open Skype.
2. Click the Contacts tab.
3. Click "Advanced".
4. Choose to restore your contact list.
5. Specify the path to the backup file in .vcf format.

If it is important for you to fully retain conversations with your friends, you need to contact each of them in Skype chat within the first week after you reinstall Skype. The fact is that every 7 days the main Skype server is automatically cleaned, and the recovered copies of your dialogues can be mistaken by the cleaning program for temporary “tails”. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to confirm the relevance of old records, which will occur during the dialogue.

Today it is difficult to imagine that we could once do without Skype. The opportunity to chat with friends, get new useful information at a webinar, or conduct a business conversation using this program has become an integral part of the life of any active Internet user. But after some time, you notice that the quality of the connection has begun to deteriorate: Skype periodically freezes, distorts the sound of your interlocutor’s voice, and sometimes even turns off during a conversation. The best way to get rid of these problems is to reinstall the program, but how can an ordinary user reinstall Skype and save the contacts of their friends and business partners?

How to reinstall Skype?

A typical program reinstallation consists of two stages:

• complete removal from your computer;
• re-installation from the manufacturer’s website, flash drive, CD, etc.

After reinstallation, personal data is lost, and all passwords, contacts and other information have to be entered again.

Skype works a little differently: it stores user information on its servers. It is enough to log in to the program so that all your contacts are restored automatically. Thus, the question of how to reinstall Skype without losing contacts does not arise for most users - contacts after reinstallation are taken from the “cloud”. If you log into Skype on someone else's computer, all the contacts you usually work with will be completely at your disposal.

But, unfortunately, no one is immune from failures, and your personal information may accidentally be lost. To prevent this from happening, you need to take care of saving your contacts in advance by recording them in a special file and saving them on your computer or, even better, on a separate flash drive.

How can I save my contacts before reinstalling Skype?

Let's consider, for example, how to reinstall Skype in Windows 7, since this OS is now used by the largest number of our readers. So, you need to save all your personal data in a separate file.

• Open Skype and click the “Contacts” tab, in the drop-down window find “Advanced”, and in the next window select the option to record a backup copy.
• In the window that opens, select a location on your computer where a copy of your contacts will be saved. A file in .vcf format is automatically assigned the name of your Skype login, but you can, of course, write it under any other name. It is not recommended to save a backup copy on your computer's hard drive, as if the system crashes it will be irretrievably lost. The optimal storage location is a removable disk or flash drive.
• After selecting a location to store the backup .vcf file, click Save.

Now you can be calm about your contacts and conversations on Skype: everything will be preserved, as if in a Swiss bank safe.

How to properly remove old Skype for reinstallation?

Before you reinstall Skype, you must completely delete all its old folders and files from your computer. To do this you can:

• use a special uninstaller program;
• carry out the entire removal manually using Windows 7 tools.

If the uninstallation is incomplete, the new version of the program may conflict with the remnants of the old one, causing Skype to work incorrectly again. Before you begin, completely close Skype on your computer. Minimize it in the taskbar, then open the window with the left click of your mouse and in the “Tasks” section select “Exit Skype”.

Uninstalling Skype before reinstalling with a third-party utility

This is the simplest option that will not require much effort from you. There are many special utilities that themselves carry out a complete uninstallation, finding and “uprooting” all folders and individual files of the program being removed. This deletes not only the main folders, but also all sorts of temporary and changeable files. There are many uninstaller programs, and most of them can be used for free. The most well-known to users are Unlocker, CCleaner, Uninstaller, FileASSASSIN, etc. Just open the program registry, select Skype and give the command to uninstall, the program will do the rest itself.

Manually uninstalling Skype to reinstall

To reinstall Skype without losing contacts and ensure the program works flawlessly, you can uninstall the old version manually using the capabilities of Windows 7.

1. On the right side of the Start menu, find “Control Panel”, in the window that opens, select “Programs and Features”. Find and uninstall Skype using right click.
2. Next, find and delete all folders and individual files related to Skype. To do this, open “My Computer”, on the system drive (usually drive C) find them using the search function, using the name of the Skype program as a search marker. Delete all found folders. Some of them will not be deleted - in this case, click the “Skip” button.
3. After this, you need to clean the registry. On the right side of the Start menu, select “Run” (if this item is not there, go to Start settings by right-clicking and install the “Run” command). In the window that opens, type “regedit” and enter, after which the registry editor window will open. Click “Edit” and in the window that opens, enter the name Skype in the appropriate field. Delete the file that appears on the right side of the window using the “Del” button and press the F3 button to continue the search. Repeat this until you receive a notification that the search is complete.

After completing all these steps, you can proceed with a clear conscience to reinstall Skype while saving contacts in Windows 7.

Installing a new Skype and restoring contacts

The final step is to install the new version of Skype on your computer. It can be downloaded from the official website or taken from any other reliable source. Installing on a desktop computer is as easy as reinstalling Skype on a laptop or tablet. Download the Skype installation file to your computer and then follow the well-known sequence of actions. After the program is installed, check whether your contacts have been restored in full. If any components were lost, restore them from the saved file.

1. Open Skype.
2. Click the Contacts tab.
3. Click "Advanced".
4. Choose to restore your contact list.
5. Specify the path to the backup file in .vcf format.

If it is important for you to fully retain conversations with your friends, you need to contact each of them in Skype chat within the first week after you reinstall Skype. The fact is that every 7 days the main Skype server is automatically cleaned, and the recovered copies of your dialogues can be mistaken by the cleaning program for temporary “tails”. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to confirm the relevance of old records, which will occur during the dialogue.

When reinstalling any program, people rightly fear for the safety of user data. Of course, you don’t want to lose something that you may have spent years collecting, and that you will certainly need in the future. Of course, this also applies to user contacts in Skype. Let's find out how to save contacts while reinstalling Skype.

It should be noted right away that if you perform a standard reinstallation of Skype, or even a reinstallation that completely removes the previous version and clears the appdata/skype folder, your contacts are not in danger. The fact is that the user’s contacts, unlike correspondence, are stored not on the computer’s hard drive, but on the Skype server. Therefore, even if you delete Skype completely, after installing a new program and logging into your account through it, the contacts will immediately be downloaded from the server, appearing in the application interface.

Moreover, even if you log into your account from a computer that you have never used before, then all your contacts will be at hand, because they are stored on the server.

Is it possible to insure yourself?

But, some users do not want to completely trust the server and want to play it safe. Is there an option for them? There is such an option, and it involves creating a backup copy of your contacts.

In order to create a backup copy before reinstalling Skype, go to the “Contacts” section of its menu, and then sequentially go to the “Advanced” and “Back up your contact list” items.

After this, a window opens in which you are prompted to save the list of contacts in vcf format to any location on your computer’s hard drive or removable media. After selecting the save directory, click on the “Save” button.

Even if something unexpected happens on the server, which is extremely unlikely, and when you launch the application you do not find your contacts in it, you will be able to restore your contacts after reinstalling the program from a backup copy, just as easily as you created the copy.

To restore, open the Skype menu again, and sequentially go to its “Contacts” and “Advanced” items, and then click on the “Restore contact list from backup file...” item.

In the window that opens, look for the backup file in the same directory in which you left it earlier. Click on this file and click on the “Open” button.

After this, the list of contacts in your program is updated from the backup copy.

It must be said that it is reasonable to make a backup copy periodically, and not only if you reinstall Skype. After all, a server failure can happen at any time, and you can lose contacts. In addition, by mistake you can personally delete the desired contact, and then you will have no one to blame but yourself. And from a backup copy, you can always restore deleted data.

As you can see, in order to save contacts when reinstalling Skype, no additional actions need to be taken, since the list of contacts is stored not on the computer, but on the server. But, if you want to play it safe, you can always use the backup procedure.