How to set Skype Name in newest Skype

I want to create a new Skype account and set Skype Name during registration process. Either I'm blind or stupid or this is not possible.

When I click Create an account in Skype, I'm redirected (in browser) to Join Skype page and when I enter my e-mail address and click on I agree - Continue -- on contrary to what Skype Help (or WikiHow or many pages) say -- I am not redirected to second page of Skype registration form, but to Create an account page at Microsoft where I can't set my Skype Name.

When registration process is finished, I end up with automatically generated Skype Name, which consists of live:username, where username is a mailbox in an e-mail address, I used during the registration process. Changing it is imposible, I'm asked to create another account and then the whole story start over.

An any point of registration process I was not asked for Skype Name. What am I missing? How to set Skype Name in newest Skype?

skype

trejder

Posted 2015-09-30T20:51:51.000

Reputation: 8 427

2How typical of Microsoft to remove a much needed/wanted/useful feature from its software. They have a long history of doing that. :-( – RobH – 2016-12-13T17:20:45.160

@RobH Do you have any reason to claim that this is Microsoft invention? :> I could name a dozen of large companies doing the same. To name Google at first. Actually every software having 100+ million users suffered and keeps suffering syndrome in which software vendor doesn't give much care to those users opinion and releases changes the way only they want. – trejder – 2016-12-14T07:34:17.237

@trefder I never made any claim that this is a Microsoft invention. I was merely commenting that that's typical Microsoft behaviour. – RobH – 2016-12-15T17:07:15.677

Exactly what I was looking for. I ran into same problem. But is there any working solution in 2018? Why did Skype stopped Skype names? – gprathour – 2018-01-08T15:54:03.983

is there still a way to do this in 2020? – Eugene Chybisov – 2020-01-02T11:47:00.517

Answers

I ran into the exact same problem as you today and found it highly frustrating there was no way to choose a username for a Skype account like before. Even thorough Google searches on the topic turned up nothing of use on the topic.

I managed to find a solution, even though no instances of Skype on any of my machines available to me would present me with a sign up screen which allowed me to choose a username so I had an idea to try sign up via the Skype app on my mobile device and miraculously it presented me with an option to choose a custom user name! Therefore this is (at the time of writing) a working way to sign up for Skype with a username of your choice.

Adam

Posted 2015-09-30T20:51:51.000

Reputation: 6 454

I'm accepting your answer, because it is better than mine (actually the only working one currently) however, I strongly suggest to re-edit it. Drop all the reference to my answer and all frustration/emotion-related content (which makes your answer more like comment and may result in marking it as comment). Instead, focus entirely on the key information, that to solve this problem (and actually pick a screenname in Skype) one must register new account via mobile application only. – trejder – 2016-08-05T07:53:55.980

As of September 13, 2016, this was the only answer that worked. BUT I did have to install an older version of skype! https://skype.en.uptodown.com/android/old

– kmoney12 – 2016-09-14T01:15:21.363

2Well, is there still a way to do this in 2018? – gprathour – 2018-01-08T15:53:25.717

Skype for Windows 7, 8 and 10 and Skype for older versions of Windows system are two different programs. First was created / build, when Microsoft has already purchased Skype, while Skype for Vista, Windows XP and older systems was build before selling Skype to Microsoft.

For this reason, if you click Create new account in Skype installed on for example Windows XP, you will be redirected to "old" Join Skype page, where you can pick your own Skype Name.

If you're using Skype for Windows 7 or newer versions of Windows, you are forced to create account on Microsoft, not on Skype and use that account in Skype and thus you can't pick your own Skype Name. You must use either auto-generated one or your e-mail address, used during registration.

trejder

Posted 2015-09-30T20:51:51.000

Reputation: 8 427

The 'Create an account' sign up process is directed towards signing up for an account using either a phone number or a Microsoft account as your alias.

This link will allow you to pick a Skype Name on sign up instead: https://login.skype.com/registration

Dale Blackburn

Posted 2015-09-30T20:51:51.000

Reputation: 31

The only working answer as for September 2016. – toriningen – 2016-09-05T08:04:55.650

1@toriningen it is not working for me? I tried in Firefox and Chrome...both redirected to a form asking for a phone number with the option to "Use an Email" instead. No username option. – kmoney12 – 2016-09-13T01:22:08.627

@hellohellosharp seems they were quick enough to "fix" that :( – toriningen – 2016-09-13T07:15:55.843

2this doesn't work – tvs – 2016-09-17T16:00:34.373

Doesn't work anymore. – GTCrais – 2019-11-07T11:14:30.520

For Businesses, this is what I had to do. I made an email for my company like mycustom.username@domain.com and make sure your whatever is before the @ is not so popular. If it is unique that will be picked as your username. I did something like connect.companyname@companyname.com and it worked.

You could use words like me.something or many others. I hope it helps someone with the same needs.

Andres Ramos

Posted 2015-09-30T20:51:51.000

Reputation: 113

If you use browser, there is no option to enter Skype name on second page. In User name you have to enter an email address.

But Skype help page shows the option of Skype name. You can try to download and install Skype and then create an account.

From the Skype Help:

Download and install Skype if you haven’t already done so.

Start Skype and click Create an account.

Enter your details on the page:

Use a valid email address. You’ll need it to sign in. We also use it to send you important information about Skype and any purchases you make.

Choose a Skype Name. It must be between 6 and 32 characters, start with a letter and can contain only letters, numbers, full stops, commas, dashes and underscores.

Choose a password. It must be between 6 and 20 characters, contain at least one letter and one number, and is case-sensitive.

Read the Skype Terms of Use and the Skype Privacy Policy, and then click I agree - Continue.

You’ve now created a Skype account.

serenesat

Posted 2015-09-30T20:51:51.000

Reputation: 225

3No, this answer is incorrect. You are citing Skype Help page, which I already mentioned in my question as being incorrect / out-dated. It is not possible to do, what this page say or what you suggest, because clicking Create new account in installed Skype also opens web page, so -- as you say in your first sentence -- it is impossible to set Skype Name. I'm only voting up your answer, because you did a good work of researching, but for the reasons metioned above, I can't accept your answer. – trejder – 2015-10-01T19:20:05.373