Want to use Skype to make voice or video calls, but don’t want to actually install the app on your computer? No problem. Skype now works in a web browser. And when I say a web browser, I mean Microsoft Edge.
But Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are also expected to be supported in the future.
Microsoft actually launched Skype for Web to the public almost a year ago. But at the time you needed to install a browser plugin to use the service. Now you don’t.
Skype for Web uses the ORTC API (which is related to the webRTC protocol, which means that you can use browsers that support the API and the H.264 video codec for audio and video calls.
Chrome and Firefox are both expected to add support in the future, which will allow you to use Skype in a range of browser on a range of operating systems. But for now, the plugin-free Skype experience is exclusively available in the Edge browser that comes with Windows 10.
Not all Skype features are supported. You’ll still need to install a plugin if you want to use Skype to call landline or mobile phones or use Skype’s screen sharing tools.
To use Skype in the Edge browser, you can visit Skype for Web or use Office Online or Outlook.com.