Prevent skype from starting automatically

Help Desk Application Help
#1

My non Linux loving friends and I are meeting from time to time via Skype.

I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to install Skype for Linux via snap, and overall it works well. I am not aware of any features my Windows running friends have that I don’t have.

However I have one annoyance with it. Whenever I login to my account Skype is launching automatically. I found no obvious way to disable this. I would like to start it up only when I plan to talk with my friends.

The instruction I found online about this assumes that I am logged into my Skype account, but I don’t want to do it, and I didn’t need to create an account just to have a chat with my friends.

Anybody have a suggestion how to block Skype from startup automatically?

P.S.
I am not looking for a suggestion of any other virtual meeting solution. We, as a group already tested several of them, and Skype is working just fine for us.

#2

Giving blind advice here but this might be a way to try…

  • Search for any configuration dotfiles Skype created
  • Check inside them if there’s any magic variables that turn off autostart

If not…

  • Create a throw-away VM
  • Install Skype and log in with a throw-away account
  • Turn off autostart
  • Search for any configuration dotfiles Skype created
  • Check inside them if there’s any magic variables that turn off autostart that weren’t there before.
  • Remove any entry pertaining to the throw away account and move the dotfile to the host.
#3

What is your Desktop Environment?

#4

I have Skype installed and use it very rarely for that occasion when I want to talk to family members.
You have to go to the Skype options or preferences and I know you can turn off auto start.
Let me know if you can find that setting. If not I will open Skype here on my machine and check for it precisely.

PS: The toggle option should be in Skype → Settings → on the left sidebar General → Then look at the right side.

#5

It is a setting within Skype itself.

#6

@Ethanol, I am running Kubuntu 20.04 (KDE 5.18.5)
@vinylninja, @eastcoastweb - I suspected as much, but since I am not logged-in my Settings menu is grayed out.

#7

I could replicate this with Lubuntu. I fixed the issue just by turning it off in startup applications. It was called “snap user application autostart helper”.

In KDE Plasma you’ll need to open the settings – > Startup and Shutdown
Then check the Autostart, or background services for the snap process

1 Like
#8

I had no idea you could actually use Skype without an account. I learned something new.
So yes, you have to do it manually.

#9

You need to sign in to Skype first to get to the option to disable it on startup…

Looking at mine… log in to skype, go to Tools → Settings.

Click on General and you should see the “Automatically start Skype” option:

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