How to disable the updated skype completely. How to turn off automatic Skype updates
Hello, dear friends! Today we will talk about disabling Skype updates. Why turn it off, you may ask me. The fact is that sometimes Skype releases new versions, and they are a little buggy, and sometimes it’s serious. For example, after the next update.
Usually, to get rid of glitches, you have to download an older version and disable automatic Skype updates. We'll figure out how it turns off now.
Before you get started, make sure that the version of Skype you have installed is normal and you will not be updating it in the near future
Disabling updates in program settings
Launch the program and click on the “Tools” button in the top menu. From the drop-down list, select “Settings...”.
In the settings that open, in the left menu, select “Advanced”, then “Automatic update”:
We look at the right side of the window and click on the button “Turn off automatic updates”
In principle, everything could be left as it is, but a window will constantly pop up asking you to update to the latest version. If you are satisfied with it, then finish the practice. If it’s annoying, let’s continue to try to make sure that the window doesn’t bother you.
Ending the Skype process
Right-click on the toolbar and select “Start Task Manager” from the drop-down menu.
We terminate the Skype.exe process. To do this, in the processes tab, right-click on it:
Delete the SkypeSetup.exe file and create a new one
First, turn on the display of hidden files and folders. Open any Explorer folder. In the top menu, click on “Service” and from the drop-down menu select “Folder Options”:
Now we go along the path C:\Users\User_Name\AppData\Local\Temp. We find SkypeSetup.exe there and delete it. Then we just create a new one. You can simply create a regular text document in Notepad and call it SkypeSetup.exe.
Add a couple of lines to the hosts file
We find hosts along the path: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. Open it with notepad.
Many Skype users have already noticed that in the latest versions of the program, the option to disable automatic Skype updates has disappeared. However, some are not happy with this situation for several reasons, including: dissatisfaction with the interface of the latest releases, the lack of necessary functions or the presence of unnecessary ones, errors in the operation of new versions of Skype that require large resources and the latest updates in the system.
The easiest way to avoid updating Skype is to use the portable version of the program. In this case, even if the version of Skype installed on the system is updated, the contents of the Portable Skype folder will remain unaffected.
Another easy way to avoid automatic updates is to use Skype version 4.2.0.187 - the latest version with the ability to configure program update management. If you are using Skype 4.2.0.187, just go to the program settings:
Tools - Settings - Advanced
Uncheck the “When a new version of Skype comes out...” - “notify me” and “download automatically” checkboxes, save the settings.
How to disable Skype 5 update
If you want to use one of the earlier versions of Skype 5 or the previous recipes do not suit you or did not help, you will have to follow more complex instructions:
1. Install the required version of the program. Can be downloaded here.
2. Completely unload the program: right click on the tray icon (about the clock) - Exit.
3. Clear the system Temp folder, which contains all temporary files and, possibly, the latest Skype distribution already downloaded.
The easiest way to find the temp folder is by running the command “%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Temp“: press the Windows (Start) key and R at the same time, in the window that opens, enter the command without quotes. Now in the window that opens, safely delete all files.
4. Find the Skype user profile folder. Again, we do this through the command: Win + R, enter %APPDATA%\Skype in the window, and go to the folder with the name of your Skype login.
5. Open the config.xml file in notepad
6. Now we just need to add the value 0 (zero) to the UpdatesMajor directive. We look for the line containing “UpdatesMajor” and replace it with
If there is no such line in the file, add the line
A little about UpdatesMajor values
0 - update notifications and automatic Skype updates are disabled;
1 - you will receive notifications about the release of new versions, but the program will ask you about the need to update;
2 - automatic Skype updates are enabled.
7. Save the file, launch Skype and live quietly without updates.
This happens all the time. You have an important business call scheduled for 2 o'clock. At 1:57 pm, you launch Skype for Windows and are greeted by an update message that says, “We'll improve your Skype experience in a moment...”. The program then takes several minutes to download and install the new version, causing you to miss an important call.
On some systems you are given a choice before this happens, but on others you are not. Luckily, there is a way to turn off those long Skype updates. Here's how.
1. Launch Skype for Windows if it is not already open.
2. Go to Tools > Options.
3. Select the Advanced tab in the left pane.
4. Select Automatic Updates in the left pane.
5. Click the "Turn off automatic updates" button. If the button says "Enable automatic updates", updates are already disabled and you can stop here.
Once you make this change, Skype will no longer update. This means that if you want the latest version of the program, you will need to download them manually using Skype.com
Skype's automatic updates ensure you're always using the latest version of the program. It is believed that only the latest version has the widest functionality and is maximally protected from external threats due to the lack of identified vulnerabilities. But sometimes it happens that the updated program, for some reason, is poorly compatible with your system configuration, and therefore constantly lags. In addition, some users find it critical to have certain features that were used in older versions but which the developers then decided to abandon. In this case, it is important not only to install an earlier version of Skype, but also to disable the update in it so that the program itself does not automatically update. Let's find out how to do this.
Disable automatic updates
Disabling automatic updates in Skype will not cause any particular problems. To do this, go to the “Tools” and “Settings” menu items.
Click on the name of the subsection “Automatic updates”.
This subsection has only one button. When automatic updates are enabled, it is called “Turn off automatic updates.” Click on it to refuse to download updates automatically.
After this, Skype auto-update will be disabled.
Disable update notifications
But, if you disable automatic updating, then every time you launch a non-updated program, an annoying pop-up window will pop up, informing you that a newer version is available and prompting you to install it. Moreover, the installation file of the new version, as before, continues to be downloaded to the computer in the Temp folder, but is simply not installed.
If there was a need to update to the latest version, we would simply enable auto-update. But an annoying message and downloading installation files from the Internet that we are not going to install are definitely not needed in this case. Is it possible to get rid of this? It turns out that it is possible, but it will be somewhat more complicated than disabling auto-update.
First of all, log out of Skype completely. You can do this using the Task Manager by “killing” the corresponding process.
Then you need to disable the Skype Updater service. To do this, go through the Start menu to the Windows Control Panel.
Then, move to the “Administration” subsection.
Open the “Services” item.
A window opens with a list of various services running on the system. We find the Skype Updater service among them, right-click on it, and in the menu that appears, select the “Stop” item.
We look for the hosts file, open it, and leave the following entry in it:
127.0.0.1 download.skype.com 127.0.0.1 apps.skype.com
After making an entry, be sure to save the file by typing Ctrl+S on the keyboard.
Thus, we have blocked connections to the addresses download.skype.com and apps.skype.com, from where new versions of Skype are downloaded uncontrollably. But, you need to remember that if you decide to download the updated Skype manually from the official website through a browser, you will not be able to do this until you delete the entry data in the hosts file.
Now we just have to delete the Skype installation file that has already been loaded into the system. To do this, open the “Run” window by typing the Win+R key combination on your keyboard. Enter the value “%temp%” in the window that appears and click on the “OK” button.
A folder of temporary files called Temp opens in front of us. We look for the SkypeSetup.exe file in it and delete it.
Thus, we have disabled Skype update notifications and hidden downloads of the updated version of the program.
As you can see, despite the fact that it is quite easy to disable automatic updates in Skype, after this you will be bothered by constant reminders about the need to update the application. Additionally, the update will still download in the background, although it will not install. But, with the help of a few manipulations, you can still get rid of these unpleasant moments.
Many users are interested in how to disable Skype updates? Sometimes this need arises when using limited or slow Internet. This may also be necessary if a person does not want to use new versions of the client, which are not always stable. Let's consider three options for performing this task.
Program settings
To completely disable the update option Skype, you need to perform the following steps. First, you configure the program itself. Launch it, select “Tools – Settings” in the toolbar. We need the last category, the update item. There will be several lines of text describing the function and a long oval button. Click on it, then the inscription will change to “Enable automatic updates”. A window will appear asking for administrator rights. They need to be provided. 
System Setup
But the customization doesn't end there. The fact is that on Skype you will receive intrusive notifications that a new update has been released. They will only interfere when working at the computer, so they need to be turned off. Now let's move on to the operating system settings.
A special service is responsible for automatic program updates. You can disable it through the Control Panel. Switch the display option to icons. Now open the “Administration” section, in the folder that appears, double-click on “Services”. Find Skype Updater in the list, right-click on it and select “Stop”. Changes will be saved automatically, just restart your computer. This is how you can disable auto-update in Skype. 
Forced blocking of updates
Sometimes the steps described above are not enough; in this case, all that remains is to completely deny the computer access to the update resource. On the system drive, open the folder Windows – System32 – Drivers – etc. In it you need to find a file with the hosts header. Right-click on it and select “Open with...”. It is best to select Notepad as the program. In the text of the document, add 127.0.0.0 download.skype.com, just copy it. It is advisable to add the “Read Only” attribute to the file in the properties.
Then no program will be able to access the Skype download server. This means that you will not be able to download the latest version of the client until you delete this line.