How to Remove Ads in Skype

Advertisements in Skype can be distracting and disrupt your communication experience. Here are a few effective ways to disable ads in the Skype application.

1. Adjust Skype Settings

In some versions of Skype, you can disable certain ads through the application settings:

  1. Open Skype and go to the “Tools” menu → “Options”.
  2. Select the “Notifications” section → “Alerts & Messages”.
  3. Uncheck the box next to “Promotions” and, if desired, “Help and Skype tips”.
  4. Click “Save”.

This method reduces some promotional messages but may not remove all banner ads.

2. Edit the hosts File

To completely remove ads, you can block Skype's access to ad servers by editing the hosts file:

  1. Open Notepad as an administrator.
  2. Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts and open the hosts file.
  3. Add the following lines at the end of the file: 
    127.0.0.1 rad.msn.com
127.0.0.1 apps.skype.com
127.0.0.1 static.skypeassets.com
127.0.0.1 api.skype.com
  4. Save the changes and close the file.

This method should block most ads in Skype. Be careful when editing the hosts file.

3. Modify the config.xml File

You can also disable ads by tweaking the config.xml file:

  1. Close Skype completely.
  2. Go to C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Roaming\Skype\Your_Skype_ID.
  3. Open the config.xml file with Notepad.
  4. Look for the lines <AdvertPlaceholder>1</AdvertPlaceholder> and <AdvertEastRailsEnabled>1</AdvertEastRailsEnabled> and change 1 to 0.
  5. Save the file and restart Skype.

This method removes banner ads from the Skype interface.

4. Use Third-Party Ad Blockers

There are applications designed to block ads across various programs, including Skype. For example, AdGuard is effective for this purpose. However, using third-party software carries some risks, so proceed with caution.