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How to Install Skype Web Client (Unofficial) in Ubuntu

Last updated: September 17, 2015

Skype Web UI

Skype native client available in Ubuntu partner repository sucks? Try this unofficial client based on Skype Web version. .

Microsoft provides a web version of Skype allows users to chat and call friends using a web browser. For Linux, you can run the Skype Web as a desktop application (without browser) via an open source program called skype-unofficial-client.

The project is created two days ago. It’s built on top of node webkit and uses system’s notification.

How to install:

This software works on all Ubuntu releases and other Linux. Just open terminal from the Dash, App Launcher, or via Ctrl+Alt+T shortcut keys.

When it opens, run below commands one by one:

1. Download the source:

git clone https://github.com/haskellcamargo/skype-unofficial-client.git

2. Navigate to the source folder in some terminal via:

cd skype-unofficial-client

3. Depends on your OS type, check out top-right corner shutdown menu -> About Computer, select run:

For 32-bit OS run:

sudo make linux_x86

For 64-bit OS run:

sudo make linux_x64

You can now launch it from main menu or via /opt/skype_unofficial_client/skype command. And remove the source folder in your home folder to clean up.

(Optional) To remove this unofficial client, just run below commands to remove the installation files:

sudo rm -R /opt/skype_unofficial_client/

sudo rm /usr/share/applications/Skype.desktop

sudo rm /usr/bin/skype-desktop

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    9 responses to How to Install Skype Web Client (Unofficial) in Ubuntu

    1. fred September 17, 2015 at 6:49 pm

      audio and video call are not suported in your OS (Ubuntu 15.04).
      So his skype version is useless !

      • owil September 20, 2015 at 8:51 pm

        It’s the microsoft web version, there is no “his” version.. Audio and Video aren’t supported on any Linux distro.. Which probably explains why I use Hangouts for all video calls.

    2. owil September 18, 2015 at 6:15 pm

      Based on the web version?? It is the web version! You can do the exact same thing by creating an application short-cut in chrome browser!

    3. owil September 18, 2015 at 6:32 pm

      Removed immediately after install.. Adds nothing simply creating an application short-cut in Chrome doesn’t already do.

    4. Masinac September 19, 2015 at 1:20 pm

      Thanks for this, official client really sucks.

    5. Zika September 21, 2015 at 11:55 am

      + for “Adds nothing simply creating an application short-cut in Chrome doesn’t already do”

      As long as this application has no icon for the tray – it is absolutely useless.

    6. fermulator February 9, 2016 at 5:02 pm

      Tried this on Fedora 23;

      [fermulator@hostname skype_unofficial_client]$ ./skype
      ./skype: error while loading shared libraries: libXss.so.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
      [fermulator@hostname skype_unofficial_client]$ pwd
      /opt/skype_unofficial_client

      Why does this require the X11 libXss screensaver runtime library? Is it a requirement?

    7. Daniel Guzman April 4, 2016 at 10:59 pm

      I didn’t read the comments until after I created this… What a pointless article. Take this down and it doesn’t fix anything.

    8. Rishi May 27, 2016 at 5:30 am

      Actually, I like this app based edition of skype web, as chrome usually gives stuttering in other tabs when I open skype web with it.
      One real issue is lack of notification support and system tray support. Please add those options.