- To quickly fix the issue you will have to open Activity Monitor app located in Applications - Utilities. Don’t worry, the app comes preinstalled on every Mac. Start the application and find all Skype-related processes using the Search bar in the upper right corner. Select and force quit all of Skype's running processes and relaunch the.
- Delete all keychains starting with Skype for Business. Besides, from the version I can see that you are using Skype for Business for Mac 16.23. If the issue persists, I want to confirm if you are using the insider version.
When Skype for Business on Mac tries to join a meeting, the client passes the meeting URL to Unified Communications Web API (UCWA). In some cases, there can be additional parameters in the URL that are not recognized by Skype for Business Server.
Are you using a MacBook and have been trying – yet constantly failing – to run Skype on your Apple machine for months and months on end? Are you trapped in an endless cycle of installing and reinstalling Skype, and yet nothing seems to work?
You’re not alone: Skype won’t start on MacBook for many other users as well, and it can be truly exasperating if you need the popular app for personal video calls or work communications.
Skype’s popularity as an app for making video calls, sending messages, and doing voice chats on smartphones, computers, and tablets doesn’t exempt it from issues. If you’re a frequent Skype user, you might already be familiar with how the audio won’t work properly or you’re unable to log in at certain times.
Quick Reminder Before You Solve This Skype Issue on Mac
This quick guide focuses on what you can do in case Skype won’t start on MacBook or work at all. Before working your way through the solutions below, make sure you’re running the latest version of Skype on your Mac or iPhone.
It’s also ideal to clean out junk files on your Mac and optimize its performance through a reliable third-party tool like Outbyte Mac Repair. Some programs and files, after all, can interfere with your Mac’s processes and need to be cleaned out.
Can’t Connect Skype on MacBook? Try These Solutions
Here are several ways to fix the Skype not working on MacBook issue:
Double-Check Your Internet Connection
Make sure you have a network connection if you are encountering problems signing into your Skype account or sending and receiving messages. If the problem persists despite a good connection, try to disconnect and reconnect to a network. Afterwards, log out of Skype and log back in.
Reset Your Skype Password
Try to reset your password and sign back in to see if the problem gets fixed. Do this by entering the email address associated with your Skype account, and then following the instructions.
Check Your Audio Settings and Permissions
If you’re using Skype on your Mac:
- Click Tools.
- Choose Options. Hit Audio Settings.
- Proceed to the Volume area found under Microphone.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to check if your speakers are working fine.
If you’re using Skype on an iPhone:
- Launch Settings from the home screen.
- Tap on Skype.
- Turn on the switch for Microphone.
Audio issues and permissions sometimes figure in Skype issues on Mac, where some users cannot hear the other person or connect at all. To tackle any permission problem, create a new macOS user, log into that account, and then try to use Skype. If that works, it means there’s an existing issue with the other account, involving either permissions or a startup program.
You can also attempt to repair any permission issue in the failing user’s account home folder. Reset permissions through these steps:
- Go to Finder and choose Go > Home. This will open your home folder.
- Choose File > Get Info to open an Info window for your home folder.
- Click the triangle icon to open the Sharing & Permissions section at the bottom of the window if it isn’t open yet.
- If the Lock button at the bottom of the window reflects a closed lock icon, click the lock. Enter an admin name and password.
- Click the Action menu located in the bottom corner of the window. Select Apply to enclosed items, and click OK to confirm. You’ll find a progress bar at the top of the window.
- Once the progress bar is complete, open Terminal, located in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
- Type or paste this command and press Return:
diskutil resetUserPermissions / `id -u` - Once the process is complete, quit Terminal.
- Restart your computer. Once repaired, try to use Skype.
Uninstall and Reinstall Skype
If the problem persists, you might need to do a complete uninstall and reinstall of the Skype app on your MacBook. Here are the steps to follow:
- Quit Skype. Navigate to Skype> Quit Skype.
- Open your Applications Once there, drag your copy of the app to the trash bin.
- Next, open ~/Library/Application Support * and then move the Skype folder to the trash. Note that the ~sign represents your home folder, which you can find by opening Finder and choosing Go > Home from the menu bar.
- Afterwards, open ~/Library/Preferencesand then drag skype.skype.plist to the trash.
- Open Finder. Using the search feature in Mac OS X, search for “Skype.” Move all of the results that come up to the trash.
- Click Ctrland the trash icon. Select Empty Trash.
- Restart your Mac.
- Download and install Skype latest version by going to this page.
Temporarily Disable Your Antivirus
If you have any antivirus software or program installed on your laptop, it might be worth disabling it in the meantime and running Skype to see if it works.
Download Classic Skype
Download the classic Skype and see if it solves the issue.
Summary
Skype not working on MacBook, or other Apple devices for that matter, is a rather familiar issue. Try one or more of the solutions we enumerated above and see if the problem gets resolved. Find other Skype troubleshooting tips for Mac users here.
Before doing anything, clean your Mac and get rid of junk and unnecessary files for processes like Skype to work smoothly.
What fixes do you use whenever you can’t connect Skype on MacBook? Share them with us below!
If you’re running into errors and your system is suspiciously slow, your computer needs some maintenance work. Download Outbyte PC Repair for Windows, Outbyte Antivirus for Windows, or Outbyte MacRepair for macOS to resolve common computer performance issues. Fix computer troubles by downloading the compatible tool for your device.
See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy Policy.
-->See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy Policy.
Scoping the problem
Let's assume that you want to troubleshoot issues that occur when users try to join a Skype for Business Online (formerly Lync Online) meeting by using Lync 2010, Lync 2013, the Lync for Windows Store app, or Lync for Mac 2011. Before you start, ask yourself and any external users who are experiencing the issue the following questions:
- How many users does the problem affect?
- Are the users internal or external to your organization?
- Can the affected users reproduce the problem on a single computer or on multiple computers?
When you have the answers to these questions, see the following table to determine the kind of issue that you're dealing with. This table is provided to help scope the problem to a certain category. However, some categories may be outside the technical support boundaries of a Skype for Business Online support engineer.
Read the table as in the following example:
Multiple users... (but not a single user) ...from outside our organization...Can't join a Skype for Business Online meeting from multiple computers: (is usually caused by) Lync federation issue or external network issue.
Be aware that each column and each row are mutually exclusive. That is, the issue affects either a single user or multiple users, and the issue can be reproduced either on one computer or on multiple computers.
Issue | A single user from inside our organization | A single user from outside our organization | Multiple single user from inside our organization | Multiple users from outside our organization | Multiple users from both inside and outside our organization |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Can't join a Skype for Business Online meeting from a single computer | Client issue | Client issue | Client issue | Client issue | Client issue |
Can't join a Skype for Business Online meeting from multiple computers | User identity issue or provisioning issue | Lync federation issue or external network issue | Network issue or Service outage | Lync federation issue or external network issue | Service outage or network issue |
Problem
Note
If you don't experience one of the symptoms that are listed in the following table, use the scoping table in the 'Scope' section to narrow the problem to a specific kind of issue. Then, you can troubleshoot the issue by following the steps that are outlined here.
Symptom | Category | Troubleshooting |
---|---|---|
When you try to click the Join Online Meeting link in a meeting invitation in Skype for Business Online, you receive 'Page not found' or 'Page cannot be displayed' in Microsoft Internet Explorer. | Network connectivity | Troubleshoot network issues |
When Skype for Business Online tries to start an online meeting, the client program freezes. | Client issue | Troubleshoot client issues |
When you try to click the Join Online Meeting link in a meeting invitation, you are repeatedly presented with a security warning and can't join the meeting. | Client issue | Troubleshoot client issues |
When you try to click the Join Online Meeting link in a meeting invitation, you receive the error 'Meeting URL is not valid'. | User Identity or Provisioning Issue | Troubleshoot identity issues |
When you use Skype for Business Online to join a Lync conference that is organized by another company, you receive the error 'reference ID 43 (source ID 241)'. | Lync Federation issue | Make sure that Domain Federation or External Communications are configured correctly |
When you click the Join Online Meetinglink in a meeting invitation, a File Opendialog box appears. Additionally, Skype for Business Online doesn't start the online meeting. | Incorrect file association | Fixing OCSMEET file associations in Windows |
You tried all steps in this document and still can't join the Skype for Business Online meeting. You are determined to connect to the conference, even if you can't participate in audio, video, or chat. | Not applicable | Join meetings by using the Lync Web App |
Troubleshooting Windows client issues
To resolve any client or computer issue, first make sure that the computer is up to date. The computer should have the latest operating system updates, audio and video drivers, and software application updates to make connecting to a Skype for Business Online meeting a successful experience. To do this, follow these steps:
- Run Windows Update, and then verify that all optional hardware updates are installed. Specifically, make sure that video, audio, and network drivers are up to date.
- Verify that Lync is up to date. See Lync Downloads and Updates for the latest Lync updates.Select your version (2013 or 2010), and then select Lync client under Category.
Now that the computer is up to date and meets all minimum system requirements, clear any cached credentials or certificates from previous logons:
- Verify that the user has the correct certificates in Certificate Manager. To do this, follow these steps:
- Open Windows Certificate Manager. To do this, click Start, click Run, type certmgr.msc, and then click OK.
- Expand Personal, and then expand Certificates.
- Sort by the IssuedBy column, and then look for a certificate that is issued by Communications Server.
- Verify that the certificate is present and that it isn't expired.
- Delete the certificate, and then try to sign in to Skype for Business Online. If you can't sign in to Skype for Business Online, go to step 2.
- Remove the user's Skype for Business Online credentials from the Windows Credential Manager. To do this, follow these steps:
- Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Credential Manager.
- Locate the set of credentials that are used to connect to Skype for Business Online.
- Expand the set of credentials, and then click Remove from Vault.
- Try to sign in to Skype for Business Online, and then type the new set of credentials.
Skype for Business Online falls back to 'anonymous join' if it can't authenticate. As long as anonymous participants aren't explicitly blocked from joining the meeting, they should always be able to join the meeting.
Troubleshooting network issues
- Verify that the computer is connected to the network. Determine whether the computer can access other websites.
- Verify that the network meets the requirements for connecting to Skype for Business Online. For more information, see You can't connect to Skype for Business Online, or certain features don't work, because an on-premises firewall blocks the connection .
Fixing OCSMEET file associations in Windows
- Verify that Skype for Business Online is the default program that is used to open .ocsmeet files. To do this, follow these steps:
- Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Default Programs.
- Click Associate a file type or protocol with a program.
- Scroll down to .ocsmeet, and then verify that **Microsoft Lync **is selected as the Current Default option.
- If step 1 doesn't resolve the issue, perform an Repair an Office application, or reinstall Lync 2010.
Troubleshooting Identity issues
This specific issue occurs when two users of the same Office 365 organization share the same user name (alias). Because of how Lync generates meeting URLs, two users on the same Office 365 organization who have the same user name will share the same meeting URLs. This causes the Skype for Business Online conference to become corrupted.
To resolve this issue, change the user name of one of the users who has the duplicate user name.
Troubleshooting Lync federation issues
If external users (and only external users) can't join a Skype for Business Online meeting, first determine whether they're trying to join as authenticated users or as anonymous users.
- If the user is trying to join as an authenticated user from another Lync or OCS organization:
- Your Skype for Business Online organization must have External Communications enabled, and external communication must be completely open. Or, the external user's domain must be in the Allow list.
- The external organization must have federation configured correctly from their side, too.
- For more information about federating with a Skype for Business Online organization, go to the following Microsoft TechNet website: Configuring Federation support for a Skype for Business Online customer
- If authenticated join doesn't work, Lync should automatically try to join as an anonymous or guest user.
- If the user is trying to join as an anonymous user from Lync Attendee, or if the Lync Web App or is dialing in to a Skype for Business Online conference with an ACP access number:
- For anonymous join to work, a specific DNS SRV record must be present in DNS.
- For various methods of confirming your Skype for Business Online DNS records, see Troubleshooting Skype for Business Online DNS configuration issues in Office 365.
Joining meetings by using the Lync Web App
If these troubleshooting steps don't resolve the issue, and if joining the meeting immediately is a bigger concern, use the Lync Web App. Be aware that the Lync Web App doesn't include Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality. That means that participants can only view sharing sessions. To do this, follow these steps:
- Copy the Join URL from the meeting invite, and then paste it into Internet Explorer. (Warning: Don't press Enter yet.)
- Add '?sl=1' to the end of the URL, and then press Enter.NoteYou must have Silverlight installed to use the advanced features of the Lync Web App.
Skype For Business Web
Troubleshooting issues with third-party software
Skype For Business Mac App
If you're using third-party software, you may be asked to update, disable, or remove the software as a troubleshooting step. If the issue is resolved after you take one of these actions, you may be referred to the third-party manufacturer for more help or to perform additional troubleshooting.
Install Skype For Business On Mac
Still need help? Go to Microsoft Community.