Skype Sign in Error ‘We Can’t Open Skype’ [Solved]
Several users report that they get the “We can’t open Skype. You are already signed in on this computer” error when trying to sign in. The issue is not specific to a certain Windows version and is reported to occur with a lot of different Skype builds.
What is causing the We can’t open Skype. You are already signed in on this computer” error?
This is a well known Skype issue that prevents the user from signing in again. It typically occurs after an unexpected crash or after the computer has been inactive for a long period of time.
We investigated this particular issue by looking at various user reports. Based on what we gathered, there are two fairly common scenarios that will trigger this particular error message:
- Skype bug – There is a well known Skype bug that triggers this particular error message. This is only reported to occur with older Skype builds (Microsoft has patched this error in the latest releases)
- Corrupted Skype settings – An unexpected crash can end up corrupting some of your Skype settings file, which will end up triggering this particular error. In this scenario, resetting al Skype settings should resolve the error.
If you’re currently trying to fix this particular error message, this article will provide you with a list of verified troubleshooting steps. Below you have a couple of steps that other users in a similar situation have used to get the issue resolved.
With this in mind, follow the steps presented below in order to resolve the “We can’t open Skype. You are already signed in on this computer” error.
How to fix the “We can’t open Skype” error
Most of the users that encountered this issue have reported that the error message was no longer occurring after they reset all Skype settings. This procedure involves killing all Skype processes and renaming the Skype data folder.
Here’s a quick guide on how to do this:
Note: If you’re using the built-in desktop version (not the built-in one included by default with Windows 10) we encourage you to update your Skype version to the latest version. You can download the latest version from this link (here).
- Close Skype completely including the tray bar process.
Quitting Skype - Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Inside Task Manager, go to the Processes tab and kill every process related to Skype by selecting it and choosing End Task.
Ending every Skype process - Once every Skype process has been closed, press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Then, type “%appdata%” and press Enter to open the AppData folder.
Running dialog: %appdata% - In the opened folder, locate the Skype folder. Once you see it, right-click on it, choose Rename and change its name to something different (e.g. Skype_old).
Renaming the Skype folder Note: This forces Skype to create another folder from scratch.
- Restart your computer and see if you are able to sign in at the next startup.
