Switch Skype off When Not in Use

Skype can be a really useful way to communicate but it can also slow down your broadband and computing power. Even if you sign out, it will still be running in the background. You might not be able to make calls, but it can still act as a drain.

How do you know if this is happening to you? Follow these simple steps, using the images as a guide:

• Press Alt-Ctrl-Delete together to display the Task Manager.

  

  Open the Task Manager.
• When the Task Manager opens, select the Processes tab. 

  

  Select the Processes Tab on the Task Manager.

• This will display a list of all the active programs currently using your computer. Look for the one called Skype.exe as shown in the image. If there is a figure in the ‘Mem Usage’ column then it is using computing and broadband capacity.

  

  Is Skype.exe displayed?

• The way to prevent this is to close Skype down from the System Tray after you sign out.

  

  Right Click the Mouse & select Quit to close the application.

The System Tray is normally in the bottom right hand corner of your screen and if it has the Skype logo as shown then it is still active in the background, even if you have signed out. If you click on the logo with your right mouse button it will provide a menu from which you can select Quit (as shown).

If you select Quit then Skype will close down completely and stop using processing power in the background. You can check this by displaying the Task Manager again and checking under the Processes Tab that Skype.exe is no longer shown.