Updated: July 16, 2020 (February 13, 2017)

Skype for Business on Mac

As managing vice president, Rob Helm covers Microsoft collaboration and content management. His 25-plus years of experience analyzing Microsoft’s technology... more

A new Skype for Business client offers Mac users an improved user interface and takes advantage of the latest versions of Microsoft’s unified communications protocols. Skype for Business is a family of communications offerings that provide presence, instant messaging (IM), voice, video, and desktop sharing. The desktop Skype for Business client for OS X and macOS, released during Oct. 2016, replaces Lync for Mac 2011. The release suggests that Mac users will continue to have a compatible desktop client for future Skype for Business technology, and the release could help organizations broaden use of the technology by improving capabilities on Apple’s computers.

E911 and Other Improvements

New capabilities of the Skype for Business client on the Mac include E911 (transmission of caller location to U.S. emergency dispatch), server-side conversation history capture, and multiparty video conversations. (For a view of the new user interface, see the illustration “Skype for Business Mac Interface“.)

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