Skype 4.1 Beta for Windows is here – with screen sharing
Screen sharing in Skype 4.1 Beta for Windows
Hot on the heels of 4.0, the beta version of Skype 4.1 for Windows has arrived. It adds screen sharing, a feature many of you have been asking for since we introduced it in Skype 2.8 Beta for Mac, and more too.
Download now — Skype 4.1 Beta for Windows
Screen sharing
Have you ever tried to help a friend with their computer? Or take a colleague through a presentation? Or help a friend with their essay? Or show off a killer move in a game? Well, screen sharing in Skype makes doing things like that super-easy. Just click the Share menu in the conversation area of the Skype window.
With this beta, you can share your screen with any other Skype user on Windows, Mac or Linux. You can share your whole screen, or just a selection, and best of all, it’s totally free.
… and more
We’ve also added birthday reminders, and you’ll also be able to send contacts to other Skype users. For those of you who missed these features in the last version, they’re back 
In addition, 4.1 Beta lets you import contacts from a range of other services including Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo! and AOL.
It also includes further refinements to audio and video call quality, bug fixes and accessibility improvements. Look out for a post from one of our accessibility experts in the near future, who’ll explain exactly what we’re doing to make Skype easier to use for blind and visually impaired people, and for people who can’t use a mouse.
How do I get it?
Download now — Skype 4.1 Beta for Windows
So here’s the deal – you download the beta, and in return, you give us your feedback. Please let us know what you think about the new features, and let us know if you spot anything which doesn’t work as expected. You can leave a comment below, or better still, fill out our feedback survey – your input will help us make future versions of Skype better than ever.
Is it possible to install both the current version and the beta on the same computer? I need to know that if I have frustrations with the beta I can shut it down and load up the current version.
@milton.dixon it’s not advisable – but 4.0 will be available to download from our website throughout the 4.1 beta period, so you can revert back if you like.
Will Skype be bring back Speed dial? I use a cordless phone and speed dial is great to have. It’s the only thing that’s been keeping me from updating from 3.8.0.188.
I loved skypeme.
Please bring it back in the next Version.
Great to know that accessibility is coming back! Of course, we still have a lot to notice Skype doing, like put file receiving accessibility back, but as I have read in the developers’ page, http://developer.skype.comWindowsSkype , this will be for 4.1 Gold! Another thing I think could be better is, not having Skype throwing down audio quality for someone with 300 k connection. I was trying to make a conference, and the audio sounded like a phone! Anyway, keep up the good work, and long live accessibility!!!
Please, make it easier in 4.1 and future releases for someone to quickly dial a number using just the keyboard. I would like to be able to alt-tab to the Skype window, type a number, press enter, and have it dial. This was possible in 3.x clients.
We are waiting to add this screen sharing option for linux
we really need it….
If ur a linux user post a comment here plz to let them know that linux users is still alive
Plz help i have problems with skype window borders since 4.0 beta 1
Windows 7 with leatest Nvidia graphic driver GeForce/ION Driver Release 185.85 WHQL
problem details: http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/6127/screenhunter01may312101.jpg
I’m been playing with the screen sharing on this version between PCs. The resolution is very low, almost unreadable sometimes. Any way to chance the quality of the screen share?
@mattsingley you might like to take a look at our call quality guide, which has plenty of advice for improving audio and video quality.
Out of interest, do you have similar problems with video calls, or just screen sharing?
When is the Linux version of Skype going to catch up with the Windows and Mac version?
Cool but why do I have to be in a voice call to share my screen? Chat isn’t good enough?
The screen sharing quality was horrible almost useless. Text was impossible to read. Is there anyway to fix it?
“In addition, 4.1 Beta lets you import contacts from a range of other services including Gmail, Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo! and AOL.”
Love to see this feature added on for mac skype for 2.9
@kurtdelanoy take a look at our call quality guide for some suggestions on how to improve video (including screen sharing) quality – also, you don’t have to say anything
@peterparkes thanks for the link.
I reviewed the document that you referenced. It suggests that the issue could be bandwidth or cpu related. Neither issues applied in my tests…. both parties had low latency broadband and ultra modern cpu with a great deal of available cpu resource.
Are there any settings for refresh rate or resolution that the end user can control?
I am very excited about screen sharing from Skype and am certain you can work out these little kinks. Thanks for delivering an awesome and greatly needed feature!!!
NOTE video conferencing works great, only the screen sharing is poor resolution.
@peter.imburg thanks – I’ve passed your feedback on to our engineers who’ll investigate.
Concerning the screen sharing – is there a chance to see the toolbar in the video, because it’s not shown on the screenshot at the top?
linux +1
+1 for linux
Since people are commenting about Linux, I have a question on Skype for Linux:
I am thinking about leaving Windows to install Ubuntu (www.ubuntu.com) but first need to know, since I am a Skype lover, how is Skype’s accessibility with Orca screen reader for Linux?
Thanks,
André.
It would really be great if I could see my contact’s profiles and avatars as I scroll down the contacts list; and also if I could check their current “full name” in their profile, even if I have renamed them. I really miss those features from Skype 3.6.
And one more thing- I don’t like the new way of quoting in Skype 4 and Skype 4.1 beta because I can’t be sure if I have copied all the text that I need and I don’t know how it’s going to look like when I send it.
Chat window is still not fixed i.e. if I extend my chat window it is as obvious as it can be that I need more space isn’t it? … Why do I need after extending the window itself extend text input area?
Win key is not available anymore in hot-keys combination … minor thing, but my shortcuts were using Win
Assigned Alt+A (Ctrl+A than Ctrl+Alt+A – same) to “focus Skype window”. When Skype is not focused pressing it works as expected, but when pressed while Skype is in focus it just exits Skype – not minimizes/hides, but closes Skype
screen sharing is great! keep up the good work
We run our company on Skype. We created this short video to explain what Skype can do for our friends and business contacts so they feel comfortable signing up for Skype. If you find it useful, please pass it on or embed it on your blogs.
http://www.sayitvisually.com/skype
@jordanschaffel nice video
I am still using Skype 3.8 to maintain accessibility and Skypeme mode. As Skypeme is not a crytical thing, let’s go to what really matters: When I press enter on a link to a missed event with accessibility on, it causes an error report. Is there a way of fixing this? Another thing: is there a way of checking my version number in Skype 4.0, since when I go to help -> about Skype, the information is not screen reader-friendly?
Thanks,
André.
It’s horrible…. Nothing (or very little) got fixed. Compact mode is still just a huge, unusable mess, chat is still very unergonomic (bring back nice and easy chat style, why did you changed it?), emotions menu is just ridiculous, and the list goes on, and on. Skype, are you blind? What’s wrong with you?
Skype, get your head together, and stop killing your software.
Let me support the statement!
I got v. 3xx without any consideration, automatically just as update but found it very well thought of in every feature while operating.
After clicking occasional OK when offered upgrade to v.4.x I never expected that bad design and overall lack of usability of the system interface. As developers many of us noticed this messy interface and inferior selection of feature sequences to be offered to a user along with real operational problems.
I understand the need for upgrades and introduction of new features but NOT THIS WAY!
It is very pity that such well and carefully done work of Skype v.3.x gone.
It could have been example of well designed and implemented functionalities.
This New Skype brings a lots problems , one of them is that its cant connect so quickly as other messenger, its may take serveral mints to connect, even i hav fast internet, its says wait 2 mints and then log in, but still i hav wait to alteast 15 mints to 30 mints, 3 months ago skype was so nice n fast connect, anyways , leme know if any other hav same prob as i hav ..
@stonyuk sounds like a firewall problem – there’s some advice here which might help.
The whole GUI seems overly complicated and verbose even in compact mode. I’ve gone back to using the 3.8 version for now. Seems I’m not the only one who feels this way. Hopefully the developers take note of this for making future releases more simple, yet still functional. It’s just a phone, it doesn’t need to be like a battle station.
As long as the SkypeMe mode isn’t implemented again I will stay with version 3.8.
Does Screen Sharing feature work in the “Call Group” mode where there are more than two people in the conference call?
@jeetendra_bansal unfortunately not… yet
I just tried this out (I was using Mac, the other side on Windows). It took me a while to find the screen sharing feature! This could be made more obvious. Also, took a while to find the full screen option. (My friend on Windows also took a while to find that option). Now that I know where to find everything I’m cool, but worth making these options more obvious for first time users.
Wishlist:
1) Screensharing from an IM chat. Currently much be in a call.
2) Screen sharing with multiple users.
3) Ability to control the screen (VNC-like).
#1 can be worked around (call and leave on mute). #2 is a nice to have but not essential. #3 would be a huge benefit. This would allow me to show how to do something without having to guide them through what to click step-by-step. Would be a big time saver.
Has anyone seen ooVu version 2.2? It has multi-person video conferencing.
I would like to see something like that implemented in Skype?
@greenalien thanks for the detailed feedback
I have used Skype for years and have waited on a screen sharing feature so great Job and I enjoy the quality.
I do a lot of Remote desktop work and I find the quality to be about the same as VNC and other remote software applications.
Absolutely – with more and more people switching to Linux, an updated version of Skype for Linux is well overdue!
Skype screensharing quality is still unusably bad. I can download at >1 megabyte per second, I have a 2ghz, 2gb RAM PC with WinXP. My friend is also on a similar connection, located about 10 hrs drive away from me in the midwest (I’m on the east coast).
I know that our computers and internet connection can support far better screensharing (and video) quality than this. Please fix this … please.
I just switched two of my computers to Ubuntu Linux and would also like to see screen sharing implemented in the Linux version of Skype rather than going to a 3rd party screen sharing application. Any ideas when this Linux Skype will have screen sharing (even rudimentary screen sharing like in the windows version?).
I’ve also just switched two computers to linux and would really like to see screen sharing as many others have posted. In fact I’d really really like it!
@greenalien i’m with you brother. need #3 the most.
I’m also an Ubuntu user for some time now. It’s true that Skype is among the few even having a linux version, but still an answer should not be so hard to give. Is there any plan for sharing the screen from Linux at all (I can see Windows users sharing their screen, but I can’t share my screen with any of them)?
I would also very much appreciate screen sharing on Linux (specifically Ubuntu).
How do you screen share on windows? It’s not working for me…
Please HELP!!!!
When we use screen sharing, one of us can see other’s screen while the other can not ( can see only the profile picture) When other one click screen sharing, the one who could see the screen, also lose the screen. In summary we can not share the screen at the same time We use same version. Why it happens to us???? Please HELP!
+1 Ubuntu screen-sharing please!
we also find screen sharing is almost unusable. the jpg compression is out of control bad. odd, because voice is really really great. we often use webex, gotomeeeting or RDP instead, and the quality is fine, so this is not a bandwidth issue. this is quite simply a bug in skype. Please accept you have a bug and fix it.