We are excited to announce the general availability of Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition (SE). This release provides a sustainable model for Microsoft to continue offering an on-premises unified communications platform that integrates instant messaging, voice and video calls, online meetings, and presence information to enhance collaboration and productivity across organizations. While Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 will continue to offer the latest and most innovative solutions – including the integration of Microsoft 365 Copilot – Skype for Business Server SE demonstrates our commitment to ongoing support for scenarios where on-premises solutions remain critical.
To help bring Skype for Business Server into the future, the Subscription Edition introduces some changes to the way Skype for Business is serviced and licensed. Unlike previous versions of Skype for Business, the Subscription Edition is governed by the Modern Lifecycle Policy. This means that from now on, support will have no fixed end date provided customers keep their configurations up-to-date. Instead, the Skype for Business Server SE codebase will be serviced continuously as an evergreen product, with no further major, year-numbered versions.
Release Details
As we’ve shared previously, the Skype for Business Server SE Release to Manufacturing (RTM) build can be installed as a Cumulative Update (CU) to Skype for Business Server 2019 and can be joined to your Skype for Business 2015/2019 environments. For additional information on the upgrade process, please read our detailed post from April 2025.
For customers who are already using Skype for Business Server 2019 today, our recommendation is to in-place upgrade the servers to Skype for Business Server SE, which will switch them to the Skype for Business Server SE branding. Skype for Business Server SE RTM is unlike previous Skype for Business Server RTM releases, as it uses Skype for Business Server 2019 CU8HF1 (i.e. March 2025 cumulative update 7.0.2046.548 for Skype for Business Server 2019) as the codebase and contains no major changes when compared to Skype for Business Server 2019 CU8HF1. See Why “in-place upgrade” from Skype for Business Server 2019 to Subscription Edition (SE) is low risk for more information on the in-place upgrade path and why it is highly recommended.
To ease the in-place upgrade process from Skype for Business Server 2019 to Skype for Business Server SE RTM, the following is true when comparing Skype for Business Server SE RTM to Skype for Business 2019 CU8HF1:
- No features were removed or added.
- No installation prerequisites were changed.
The following are the differences from Skype for Business 2019 CU8HF1:
- The License Agreement (an RTF file shown only in the GUI version of Setup) was updated.
- The name was changed from Microsoft Skype for Business Server 2019 to Microsoft Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition.
- The build number was updated.
Please see System requirements for Skype for Business Server 2019 - Skype for Business Server 2019 | Microsoft Learn for Skype for Business Server SE installation prerequisite details.
You can download the installer for SE and the installer for PChat from: Download Skype for Business Server Subscription Edition Cumulative Update KB5065372 from Official Microsoft Download Center.
Looking forward
While the RTM release of Skype for Business Server SE is currently identical to Skype for Business Server 2019 CU8HF1, this will not remain the case. After support for Skype for Business Server 2015 and 2019 ends in October 2025, Skype for Business Server SE will be the only supported on-premises version of Skype for Business Server. This will create unique opportunities to simplify, streamline, and modernize the product over the coming years. We will continue releasing Skype for Business Server SE Cumulative Updates and Hotfixes, with Security Updates being released as needed.
As end-of-support is fast approaching, please work on upgrading your organization to Skype for Business Server SE as soon as possible and decommission the older versions. Although the introduction of Skype for Business Server SE does not change allowed coexistence with Skype for Business Server 2015 and Skype for Business Server 2019, a future CU or HF will require that no Skype for Business Server 2015 or 2019 servers are installed in the organization. Future Skype for Business Server SE CUs will also modernize the installation process, add new components to the compatibility matrix, and bring new features.
For those with multiple on-premises server needs, we’re pleased to add that Exchange Server Subscription Edition is also generally available today. You can read more about that release on the Exchange blog - Exchange Server Subscription Edition (SE) is now available.
We look forward to your feedback and thank you for your continued support of Skype for Business.
The Skype for Business Server Team
Microsoft
