Preventing the classic Skype application from starting
With the classic Skype application window open, do the following:
- Navigate to Tools > Options.
- Highlight the General settings section on the upper-left.
- Uncheck the option to Start Skype when I start Windows on the right.
- Click the Save button.
Preventing Skype for Windows 10 (Skype UWP) from starting
On the other hand, if this is the Skype UWP app those options won't be available. Based upon a similar question on the Microsoft Answers web page, their Skype Community Moderator explained what needs to be done:
The new Microsoft Skype for Windows 10 (Skype UWP) application has
never been present in the Startup tab. Windows apps are not managed
the same way as a Win32 application. The classic Skype for Windows
Desktop is a Win32 application, Skype UWP is not.
If you close your computer without signing out of the Skype UWP
application, then on next computer boot, Skype will auto run in the
background. To maximize Skype UWP you will just need to click on the
application icon.
If you prefer not to be signed in automatically on Skype for Windows
10, you can sign out from the app. We won't sign you in automatically
after that.
In other words, Skype UWP users simply need to logoff from within the app to prevent it from starting automatically during a subsequent Windows 10 login.
As a potentially viable alternative to the Skype Community Moderator's advice, you can turn off the background app functionality for Skype. Navigate to the following location:
Start > Settings > Privacy
Ensure that you have selected Background apps
on the left-hand side, scroll down on the right until you find the entry for Skype
and change the slider to Off.
That being said, in addition to the obvious advantages there are minor drawbacks to using this method:
Bear in mind that there’s a downside to this. If you prevent the
Alarms app from running in the background, for example, any alarms you
set won’t go off. If you prevent the Mail app from running in the
background, it won’t notify you of new emails. Apps normally run in
the background to update their live tiles, download new data, and
receive notifications. If you want an app to continue performing these
functions, you should allow it to continue running in the background.
If you don’t care, feel free to prevent the app from running in the
background. You can still use the app normally, but you may have to
wait for it to fetch new data after you launch it.
Uninstalling the classic Skype application
Taking it a step further, if you want remove the application entirely, the classic Skype Win32 application will be listed within the Programs and Features
applet in the Control Panel. Simply highlight the Skype entry in the Name
column and select the Uninstall
button near the top.
Uninstalling Skype for Windows 10 (Skype UWP)
In contrast, the Skype UWP app won't be found in Programs and Features
. As a result, if you want remove that particular version, navigate to the following location:
Start > Settings > Apps
Ensure that you have selected Apps & features
on the upper-left, scroll down on the right and left-click Skype
to select Uninstall
.
Notably, if the Skype UWP application is already running, before attempting the Uninstall
you may need to first select Advanced options
, then choose Terminate
to "Immediately terminate this app and its related processes." After that, select Uninstall
as desired.
Additional reading: Download Skype for More Features Than Windows 10’s Built-In Version
Best Answer
There are two ways to do that. Either by editing the Environment Variables to add the location of Skype and then launch it by typing Skype.exe
or by adding a shortcut of Skype.exe on the Startup Folder. C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup