Your Skype name now works to sign in to different Microsoft services

You can now use your Skype name to sign in to different Microsoft services like Xbox Live, Office, OneDrive, and Outlook.com.

Skype logo 780 wide

Microsoft is making changes to let users use their Skype account credentials to sign in to other services. The company notes that depending on the service you’re trying to access, you’ll still need to enter an email address, but on certain Microsoft services, such as Xbox Live, Office, OneDrive, and Outlook.com, you’ll now be able to use your Skype ID.

While this should be a good news for many users, remember that for about three years, the software giant has been trying to get users to link their Skype account with the Microsoft account, which is the reason why today you can sign in to Skype using your Microsoft account credentials.

However, when the new changes are live now, if you haven’t linked your accounts, you’ll have to update your Skype account with your Microsoft account to access other services with your Skype ID. After merging the accounts, you will continue to be able to use your Skype name with your Microsoft account password to sign in to other services.

Microsoft also notes that if you’ve noticed the new changes on the Skype sign-in screen, password change, and account recovery flow, it’s because everything is now managed by the company, as part of the effort to simplify access using a single username and password across services.

For more information, you can refer to this Skype support page.

Source Microsoft, ZDNet

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.