For a long time my old Skype version was resistant to ad banners, but with a recent update I could find myself in the world of craziness. It is honestly a crime what we are bombarded with there – primitive ads trying to cheat us with extra income or other shifty offers. A shame that MS transformed such a beautiful social service as Skype into an asocial marketplace of tricksters. I could hardly believe when I saw the type of Ads that were running in my Skype, don’t know if it could get lower. Does MS really need such dirty money? Fortunately there is a way to get back a human social Skype experience, and it is easier than I thought.
Blocking the Skype and Microsoft Ad servers
There are numerous tipps in the internet to add entries into your host file, but this didn’t stop at least my Skype from displaying the ad banners. Fortunately I found another way that is even much simpler to achieve. You just need to open the Windows “Control Panel / Network and Internet / Internet Options“, and in the “Security” tab you choose “Restricted Sites” and click on the “Sites” button. Add two websites there: apps.skype.com and g.msn.com. Save everything and Skype can not call home to its ad server.
Removing the Ad Banner Section
Now the ad banners are gone, but the space remains, which is not a pain any longer, but still it can be removed very easily. You need to find the folder with your Skype username somewhere in C:UsersYour UsernameAppDataRoamingSkypeSkype Username or if you are on a portable version in C:PortablesSkypePortableDatasettingsSkype Username (the italic parts are specific to your system). In this folder you find a file called config.xml, and in it you need to search for the term “AdvertPlaceholder”. You will find a line <AdvertPlaceholder>1</AdvertPlaceholder> and you need to change the 1 to a 0 and save the document. Restart Skype and you will even be rid of the empty spaces and being back to an enjoyable Skype experience as before the greedy giants took over.
