Hack48.Remove Unused Names from the Login List

Hack 48. Remove Unused Names from the Login List

Need to remove old, unused, or mistyped Skype usernames from the Skype login screen? A little work with files will get the job done.

Works with: Windows version of Skype.

Did you mistype your username when setting up a Skype account? Or were you bored with the old name, so now you use a new username? Regardless of why a Skype username becomes defunct, it is a rather surprisingly resilient fellow. It won't go away unless you take some direct action (see Figure 4-7).

Fortunately, removing the no-longer-welcome username is a breeze. Stop Skype from running (otherwise, you will find the directory locked), and then simply delete the account directory associated with it. For the example in Figure 4-7, delete this directory:

 C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Application Data\Skype\thewrongname 

Here, Username is your Windows login name.

Once the directory is gone, restart Skype, and your unwanted Skype username is banished from the Skype login screen, as shown in Figure 4-8.

A word of warning, however: Skype names persist "out there" on the Skype network. So, if at any time, you again log on to "thewrongname," it will again be added to the Skype login screen and you will have to repeat the preceding process to get rid of it!

Figure 4-7. Mistyped and old Skype usernames linger in the login screen, unless you delete them by hand

Figure 4-8. The unwanted Skype username is deleted from the login list