Updated: 3 November 2026 · Applies to: Linux, snap (Skype itself was retired by Microsoft in May 2025)
Microsoft shut Skype down on 5 May 2025 and moved its users to Microsoft Teams. Installing the old Skype snap package no longer gets you a working calling or messaging service, so this article now covers the two things actually worth knowing: how snap, the packaging system Skype used to be distributed through, still works for other software, and where to go instead of Skype.
If you are looking for a Skype replacement
Microsoft's own migration path is Teams, free for personal use, available as a web app or through its own installer rather than as a snap. If you want a self-hosted, open source alternative you run yourself instead of relying on a hosted provider, options such as Jitsi Meet or Matrix are worth researching on their own terms.
How snap itself still works, for other applications
snap is still an actively maintained way to install sandboxed applications on Linux, independent of what happened to Skype. If you landed here wanting to install something else through snap, these are the real, current steps.
Install snapd
On Debian or Ubuntu:
apt install -y snapd
On Fedora:
dnf install -y snapd systemctl enable --now snapd.socket ln -s /var/lib/snapd/snap /snap
AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux and RHEL do not package snapd; if you specifically need a snap on one of those, run it inside a container or VM based on Ubuntu or Fedora instead.
Find and install a snap
Search the Snap Store by name:
snap find vlc
Install it:
snap install vlc
Some snaps, typically ones that need broader system access than the usual sandbox allows, require the --classic flag to install:
snap install code --classic
Only pass --classic for software you trust, since it opts that snap out of the sandbox snap otherwise confines it to.
Run, update and remove a snap
Most snaps install a command matching their own name:
vlc
List everything currently installed:
snap list
Snaps update themselves automatically in the background; to force a check right away:
snap refresh
Remove one you no longer need:
snap remove vlc
