01 · Operator
Who operates SkypeUriPreview
- Company
- Microsoft (Skype)
- Type
- Social preview bot
- Official docs
- radar.cloudflare.com
02 · Behavior
What SkypeUriPreview does
When a URL is posted in a Skype message, the bot fetches the page to build a preview. Cloudflare Radar lists it as a verified link preview bot. Microsoft retired Skype on May 5, 2025.
03 · Impact
Why SkypeUriPreview matters for your site
If you allow it
- Shared links show a preview in Skype-based chats
- Requests follow user shares, not bulk crawling
If you block it
- Skype was retired in May 2025, so previews bring little benefit
- Unverified requests with this user agent may be spoofed
04 · Allow
How to allow SkypeUriPreview
robots.txt
User-agent: SkypeUriPreview
Allow: /Cloudflare
# Security › WAF › Custom rules › Create rule
Expression: (http.user_agent contains "SkypeUriPreview")
Action: Skip › All Super Bot Fight Mode rules
# Also check Security › Bots: "Block AI bots" can block it regardless of robots.txt.WordPress
# WordPress serves a virtual robots.txt. Edit it with your SEO plugin:
# Yoast: SEO › Tools › File editor · Rank Math: General Settings › Edit robots.txt
User-agent: SkypeUriPreview
Allow: /nginx
# nginx serves every user agent by default.
# Make sure no rule like this blocks it:
# if ($http_user_agent ~* "SkypeUriPreview") { return 403; }Apache
# Apache serves every user agent by default.
# Make sure .htaccess has no rule like this:
# RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} SkypeUriPreview [NC]
# RewriteRule .* - [F,L]05 · Block
How to block SkypeUriPreview
Start with robots.txt. If SkypeUriPreview keeps showing up in your logs, block it at your CDN or web server.
robots.txt
User-agent: SkypeUriPreview
Disallow: /Cloudflare
# Security › WAF › Custom rules › Create rule
Expression: (http.user_agent contains "SkypeUriPreview")
Action: BlockWordPress
# WordPress serves a virtual robots.txt. Edit it with your SEO plugin:
# Yoast: SEO › Tools › File editor · Rank Math: General Settings › Edit robots.txt
User-agent: SkypeUriPreview
Disallow: /nginx
# In your server { } block:
if ($http_user_agent ~* "SkypeUriPreview") {
return 403;
}Apache
# .htaccess
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} SkypeUriPreview [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [F,L]
</IfModule>06 · User agents
User agents we see for SkypeUriPreview
The user agent published by the operator:
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64) SkypeUriPreview Preview/0.5 skype-url-preview@microsoft.com07 · Verification
Is it really SkypeUriPreview?
SkypeUriPreview’s operator publishes no IP ranges or hostnames, so requests cannot be verified. Treat the user agent as a claim, and watch your logs for unusual request rates.
FAQ
Questions about SkypeUriPreview
What is SkypeUriPreview?
It is the bot that fetches a page preview when someone posts a URL in a Skype message. Cloudflare Radar lists it as verified.
Is Skype still running?
No. Microsoft states that Skype was retired on May 5, 2025, and points users to Microsoft Teams Free.
How do I block SkypeUriPreview?
Add User-agent: SkypeUriPreview with Disallow: / to robots.txt. Microsoft has not documented whether the bot follows it, so server rules are more reliable.
Last reviewed Oct 7, 2026