Does Skype handle file transfers over LAN without consuming my Internet bandwidth if both users are on the same LAN?

I was trying to know if I send a file through Skype to friend who is in same LAN as me then whether it will get transferred via LAN or it will consume some my internet bandwidth also.

I have searched a little bit but I found links about Skype calls not file transfers. So I’m not pretty sure if skype file transfers doesn’t consumes internet bandwidth. Is anyone sure here? Any reference?

Solution 1:

Microsoft and Skype appear to have made a final decision to totally remove any fast peer-to-peer file transfers, as of at least version 6.18, released in August, 2014.

Your only option for FAST LAN file transfers is to downgrade to a previous version, before 6.18.

Version 6.14 appeared to be more stable than 6.16; but I need to confirm. Further, there are no longer ANY previous versions of Skype available from Microsoft/Skype, and you must obtain them from places like the WayBack Machine.

Advice If Downgrading:

If you downgrade your Skype version, this will likely be temporary. I predict that all updates will become forced very soon, as they've stated that all auto-updates will mandatory with Windows 10. This also will mean they will permanently break any previous versions of Skype. As of today, March 31, 2015, Skype is now upgraded automatically through Windows update, KB2876229. Your only option for disabling this is to right click in Windows Update, and choose HIDE. But, even this may be temporary, since a future update may “unhide” that KB, or issue a new one, just as they did with the Windows 8.0-8.1 forced upgrade. This will still not disable updates from being requested inside versions 6.18-6.22, for which you must also turn off the “Skype update service.”

For more information, see Skype's official forum posts:

• LAN file transfers (Page 1 through page 6)
• About downgrading, and the terrible new "Metro-like" UI.
• Another 120 pages of user's UI complaints that are falling on deaf ears.

GET version 6.14 (which should be fast and that has the good UI)

• Skype 6.14.0.104 (msi installer from Skype)
• Skype 6.14.0.104 (exe installer from PCDUST website (I verified this file was from Skype))

GET version 6.21.0.104

• This has the last good UI, but slow LAN file transfers.
• NOTE: 6.21.81.104 has the BAD "blue bubble messages" UI that wastes space.

• Here are some tested links: VERIFY the MD-5:

• Skype 6.21.0.104 (EXE version) [web.archive.org = from Skype]
  File size= 36,039,776
  MD-5= 6082D256DCDCD068F76B677DB8ED1181

• Skype 6.21.0.104 (MSI version) [web.archive.org = from Skype]
  File size= 26,951,680
  MD-5= E5C8C6127AA2B57CBA3116C523A6D1C9

(Thanks JakeGould for helping me straighten out all the links and formatting -- I think it's now close to perfect)