Instructions on how to install Skype on Ubuntu 14.04, 16.04 and 18.04.

The bad news is that since 2017, version 4.3 (latest) for 32-bit Linux builds no longer works. And all new versions of Skype are released only for 64-bit builds. That is, now you can install Skype only on a 64-bit assembly of Ubuntu.

Installing Skype on Ubuntu 14.04, 16.04 and 18.04

The peculiarity of installing Skype in Ubuntu 14.04, 16.04 and 18.04 is that this package is no longer in the standard Ubuntu repositories. Of course, you can install Skype through the "Application Center" or manually download and install deb file from the Skype website. However, in this case, Skype may not start because the necessary but missing packages will not be installed. For example, in Ubuntu 18.04, packages are not installed out of the box gconf service and libgconf-2-4. That is, dependency violation occurs. And the "Application Center" does not process dependencies. At the same time, the "Application Center" also downloads Skype from the "left" repository.

Therefore, it would be more correct to install through the terminal:

1. sudo add-apt-repository "deb https://repo.skype.com/deb stable main"
2. sudo apt-get install skypeforlinux

The first command adds a repository from the official Skype website. The second command installs both Skype and the necessary dependencies, if needed.

In addition, the installation in the terminal gives an output of information that can be useful in case there are problems. Here is an example of the output of information about a dependency error during the installation of Skype from a deb file:

And if this deb file is installed through the "Application Center", then there will be no error messages! Skype will be installed, but will not work and it will not be clear why it does not work.

Checking and configuring Skype in Ubuntu

After installation, you need to launch Skype. An authorization window should open:

If problems with sound are found - there is no sound in the speakers or there is no sound recording from the microphone, then you need to check the settings of sound devices.

Speaker Settings, in GNOME 3 (Ubuntu 18.04), at the bottom there is a "Check Speakers" button:

Microphone settings, in GNOME 3 (Ubuntu 18.04):

If the microphone is working, then the "Recording level" indicator should change its state (the indicator strips should "run"). If the indicator does not respond to sound, then there is some problem. Either the device is incorrect, or there is a problem with the driver, or there is a problem with the microphone or sound card.

Can be used not only in Windows. The developers have also created a release for Linux systems, including Ubuntu. operating room Ubuntu environment although it is inferior to Windows in popularity, it is also in demand and absolutely free, unlike the brainchild of Microsoft. DownloadSkypeforubuntu possible in several ways. The download is carried out either from the repository of Ubuntu partners, or as a separate file from the official Skype website.

Important point

The Skype application is 32-bit, so if the user has a 32-bit version of the operating environment, then there is practically nothing to worry about. However, if your Ubuntu is 64-bit, then you should take care of loading a number of 32-bit libraries, without which neither the installation will take place nor the program interface will not display correctly.

Required Libraries sni-qt, libqt4, libxss for 32-bit systems. The installation of these libraries is done a little differently in different versions Ubuntu. If they are available on the computer, then you can freely proceed to download and install Skype.

Skype ubuntu easy to download from Ubuntu partners repository. Downloading can be done in graphical mode and through the terminal.

• First of all, make sure that the partners repository is connected. Go to " Programs and updates».
• Find partner repositories options " Canonical Partners».
• If there are no checkboxes next to them, then install.
• Update the Ubuntu repository package information.
• You can go to the application center and start installing.

deb file download

The second method involves downloading Skype from the official site as a deb file. An already downloaded deb package can be applied to the installation through the application center of the operating environment.

• Proceed to the official website of Skype.
» to the Skype version download page.
• At the bottom of the downloads web page are information menus for downloading Skype for Mac and for Linux. You need Skype for Linux - follow the link.
• At the bottom of the page that opens, there is a drop-down menu for selecting the operating system. From it, select the version of the operating system that suits you best. On the this moment two versions of Ubuntu are supported: April 2010 and April 2012 releases.
• When you select an operating environment, the website will automatically redirect you to the download page.
• After downloading the deb package, you can start installing Skype.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to install Skype on Ubuntu 17.10 with the most in a simple way. We will consider two options:

• Through command line and GUI

If you have read the previous guide we talked about, then you know how easy it is. Each method is very simple and the installation is based on long term support of Ubuntu, specifically 16.04. But we give an example of latest version Ubuntu 17.10.

This guide is also suitable for those who use Elementary OS Freya, Linux Mint, Debian 9 and others. operating systems ah which are based on Ubuntu. Everything is very simple. Follow the instructions below.

Installing Skype on Ubuntu 17.10

First, open the source list file with a text editor.

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

Find the following line and edit i.e. remove the # sign to include the canonical partner repository.

# deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu trusty partner

If you can't find it, add this line to the end of this file.

deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu trusty partner

Save and close this file.

Since the Skype client in the Canonical partners repository is 32-bit, so if you are using a 64-bit system, you will also need to add the i386 architecture to the system with the following command:

sudo dpkg -add-architecture i386

Now update your local package index and install Skype.

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install skype

Once the installation is complete, we can start Skype by typing skype in the terminal

Skype
We can also launch Skype from the Unity menu or the new Gnome in Ubuntu 17.10.

The first time you start, you need to agree to the Skype terms of use and the Skype privacy policy.

We can now sign in to Skype with our Skype name or Microsoft account.

Installing Skype on Ubuntu 17.10 using a file

The second way is the easiest for newbies. It is the clearest and fastest. In this case, you need to go to official resource Skype and click the download button. Select the version for Linux systems.

https://go.skype.com/linux.deb

Download the package and install it simply by following the prompts of the program. After that, indicate your data or register directly in the program or in the same place where you downloaded the file.

Translation from a wonderful English resource LinuxBabe.

conclusions

Installing Skype on Ubuntu 17.10 is very simple. Just like any other program. There are always several ways and this makes the installation process as convenient as possible for everyone. Indeed, for beginners, the second method will be the most familiar. For those who want to use the system as quickly and conveniently as possible, they can teach how to use the terminal of their system.

If you have any questions about this topic - write them in the comments.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

For a long time Skype for Ubuntu has not received fresh updates, because now it contains a lot of errors and glitches. However, most users have to use Skype as their main messenger for one simple reason that their buddies and friends are on Windows system, not wanting to resort to using other software.

In this methodical material, we will analyze one simple, but important topic for many users - how to install Skype on Ubuntu in several simple ways.

Skype is free app closed source, therefore, in this regard, it simply cannot be present in the official Ubuntu repositories. However, it, like other native applications, is present in the repository of Cnanonical partners. Universal storage is not included by default, which means that you need to connect it yourself, which we will do now.

For this purpose, run the Software & Updates program from Unity Dash, after that, be sure to check the box next to the Canonical Partners item on the Other Software tab:

The second storage, which is used to store the source codes of programs, may not be connected.

Now we will deal with the next thing, directly, the installation of Skype for Linux Ubuntu itself. For installation, you can use a different package manager, for example, the same Synaptic.

You launch Synaptic from the Dash control menu, for the reason that adding storage did not work in automatic mode the process of updating the DB packages of the system, so you need to resort to initiating the update yourself. You just need to click on the Reload function.

After that, we just have to click on the Apply button in order to complete the successful installation process.

The use of a graphical package manager is optional, all actions can be performed in the terminal itself. Installing Skype on Ubuntu using the terminal is sometimes even faster.

First of all, let's add the Canonical partner repository, if you haven't already done so, as mentioned above:

$ sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://archive.canonical.com/ $(lsb_release -sc) partner"

Add the i386 architecture:

After we update and perform the installation process:

$ sudo apt update && sudo apt install skype

As a result, we only have to enter the pass, if suddenly the characters you enter are not visible, then do not panic, this is normal, you need to press the Enter key, then Y for the further installation process and wait for the moment to complete.

Installing Skype Ubuntu Using the Manual Method

You do not need to add storage to the DB systems in order to properly install Skype Ubuntu latest version to your computer. All you have to do is download the deb package from the official Skype website and follow the installation process with dpkg.

First of all, download the installer itself:

$ wget http://download.skype.com/linux/skype-ubuntu-precise_4.3.0.37-1_i386.deb

If you try to install the i386 package on the x64 version of the system, you will immediately get an error, in order to prevent this from happening, you need to add the i386 architecture:

$ sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386

Next, go to working folder where the db package was downloaded and use dpkg to install:

$ sudo dpkg -i skype-ubuntu-precise_4.3.0.37-1_i386.deb

The utility may require dependent components that have not gone through the installation process in the system, to install them, perform the following action:

$ sudo apt-get -f install

At the end of the last stage, our Skype program will be successfully installed, and you can safely use it. If you could not find a shortcut from the utility, then simply exit the program and re-enter your username and password. Or, use the console panel to launch Skype.

How to change the Skype icon

As a rule, initially the Skype icon on the desktop will be in lime color. For many users of the system, this will seem like an ugly solution. After all, when an icon looks like this, it simply does not always fit into the overall design of the control panel. But everything can be fixed, and it is done very easily and simply.

First you need to download and install the package with the sni-qt version:

$ wget https://www.dropbox.com/s/x91gec5q0uz3hnx/sni-qt_0.2.6-0ubuntu1_i386-modified.deb?dl=0 -O sni-qt_0.2.6-0ubuntu1_i386-modified.deb

$ sudo dpkg -i sni-qt_0.2.6-0ubuntu1_i386-modified.deb

Then download and transfer the new icons to the folder at /usr/share/pixmaps/skype:

$ wget https://www.dropbox.com/s/wimn53noljv0vbi/skype_systemtray_custom_icons.zip?dl=0 -O skype_systemtray_custom_icons.zip
$ unzip skype_systemtray_custom_icons.zip
$ sudo mkdir /usr/share/pixmaps/skype
$ sudo cp skype/* /usr/share/pixmaps/skype
$ sudo chmod +r /usr/share/pixmaps/skype/*

True, in this case, one minor drawback may appear, this is the absence of a counter that notifies about unread messages. If you want to revert everything back, then just remove this code (this is our installed package and icons):

$ sudo dpkg -r sni-qt_0.2.6-0ubuntu1_i386-modified.deb

$ sudo rm -r /usr/share/pixmaps/skype

Surely after reading this article you have no questions left on how to install Skype without problems and unnecessary fuss. And if you still can’t install Skype on your own, then write below in the comments. We will definitely try to help you in this matter!

It was intended only for Windows and iOS, but over time it was able to be used by those whose devices run on Linux. However, the developers were not too active regarding this version, so Last update was only released in 2014. Not so long ago, this error was fixed, so Skype for Linux is now available in a new version.

The latest client has been released in two versions. The first one is the usual desktop version of Alpha. In the official message, the developers announced that it is based on the WebRTC code. The second version is a web version and is available in almost any browser. It is based on the same code supported by many Internet browsers.

If you download Skype for Ubuntu, you can appreciate all the advantages of the application. The program offers to make video and audio calls to other subscribers who have account and on the network. Among additional features apps note:

• Free communication with other Skype users;
• Instant messaging;
• The ability to add emotional coloring to texts thanks to a large collection of emoticons;
• Video conferencing in real time with several interlocutors at once.

In order to use all the features of the application, a webcam must be connected to the PC. Most modern models have built-in microphones, so additional devices will not be required. Installing a webcam is usually pretty straightforward. It is enough to connect the gadget to the computer, after which the drivers will be automatically installed on it.

Then you can start working in Skype Debian. The application has a simple interface, so even those who have encountered it for the first time will easily figure it out, although such people are already hard to find. The main screen displays a list of contacts ranked by recent activity. In other words, those users with whom the most recent conversations were held will be at the top.

After installing Skype, you will need to check the quality of calls. For this, it is not necessary to connect with someone you know. The developers have provided special bots in the contact list. It is enough to click on them and make a call to understand if there are problems with connected devices. If everything is in order, then you can start using the program and call your friends who are online.

On the home page there are menu sections in which you can change the settings. In addition, there is also a line for searching for accounts of friends and acquaintances. If desired, you can set an avatar that other users will see. It is done right there from a webcam or loaded from a PC's memory. In addition, users can set privacy and security settings.

In addition to video and audio communication in the program, you can create text chats. In addition, the developers have provided the function of redirecting to Cell phones. For an additional fee, the application's capabilities are greatly expanded. From it you can send SMS or make calls to regular phone numbers. The tariffs offered in the program are much more profitable than those set by mobile operators.

In general, Skype for Linux is an application that will always allow you to stay in touch. Developers have begun to actively work on updates to this version of the program. AT this moment it differs little from the client for Windows and other operating systems in terms of convenience and functionality.