In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Skype on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. For those of you who didn’t know, Skype is one of the most popular communication applications in the world that allows you to make free online audio and video calls. While Skype to Skype calls and instant messaging are free, however, you must pay to use some features, such as sending SMS texts or calling outside of Skype to mobile or landline phone numbers. Skype is supported on all major platforms, including Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems.
This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of Skype on a Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa) server. You can follow the same instructions for Ubuntu 18.04, 16.04, and any other Debian-based distribution like Linux Mint.
Prerequisites
- A server running one of the following operating systems: Ubuntu 20.04, 18.04, and any other Debian-based distribution like Linux Mint or elementary OS.
- It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
- SSH access to the server (or just open Terminal if you’re on a desktop).
- A
non-root sudo useror access to theroot user. We recommend acting as anon-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.
Install Skype on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
Step 1. First, make sure that all your system packages are up-to-date by running the following apt commands in the terminal.
sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade
Step 2. Installing Skype on Ubuntu 20.04.
- Method 1: Install Skype from the Official Website (Command Line)
The first method involves downloading the Skype package from the official website and installing it using the command line. Here are the step-by-step instructions:
wget https://go.skype.com/skypeforlinux-64.deb
Once the download is complete, type the following command to install the package:
sudo dpkg -i skypeforlinux-64.deb
If there are any missing dependencies, the terminal will prompt you to install them. Type the following command to install any missing dependencies:
sudo apt-get install -f
Once the installation is complete, launch Skype by typing the following command:
skypeforlinux
- Method 2: Install Skype using Snap Package (Command Line)
To install the Skype snap package, simply type the following command:
sudo apt install snapd sudo snap install skype --classic
Step 3. Accessing Skype.
Skype should now be installed on your Ubuntu system. Use Ubuntu’s application menu to start Skype or start Skype directly from your terminal:
skype
Congratulations! You have successfully installed Skype. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the Skype communication tool on your Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official Skype website.
