How to Delete the Skype for Business (Lync) SIP Profile

                                                   

I recently had a scenario, where clearing up the current 
Skype for Business Profile solved our problem, I our case the Skype for Business client had problems logging on and it was not related to network or DNS.

The desktop client of Skype for Business (or Lync 2010 / Lync 2013) cache a lot of information on the PC. This caching information is used when the client does e.g. signs-in. The cache is to minimize the bandwidth consumption of the Skype for Business (Lync) client, since it retrieves a lot of information from cache.

This cached information is stored in the users SIP Profile in a folder named sip_(SipURI of the user) located on a Windows computer in the following folder, depending of the client version:

·         Lync 2010: %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Communicator\

·         Lync 2013: %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Lync

·         Skype for Business: %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Lync

If there are any issue with the cached files in the SIP profile, users might experience issue with desktop client such as:

·         Problems logging on (Check if network and DNS is okay first, though)

·         “User is not SIP enabled” errors

·         Unable to search the Global Address List

·         Contacts appear to be offline

·         Contacts are missing from the contact list

·         Contacts display “Presence Unknown”

·         Presence is not displayed in Outlook or SharePoint

·         “Skype for Business Server is Temporarily Unavailable” or “Lync Server is Temporarily Unavailable” errors

Additionally, it could be good practice to delete the SIP profile when switching to a new Skype for Business (Lync) platform as connection information can be cached.

To resolve the issues listed above, use the following guidance to delete the SIP profile for the affected user.

NOTE: Depending on the Windows Explorer settings, the SIP profile folder may be hidden, if you are unable to navigate to the path listed for your version of the Skype for Business or Lync client you will need to set Windows Explorer to Show Hidden Files and Directories prior to completing the steps below.

How to Delete the SIP Profile

1.       Close Skype for Business (SfB) or Lync completely by right-clicking the SfB / Lync icon in the Windows System Tray and selecting Exit.

2.       Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder that corresponds to the SfB / Lync client version that is installed

• Lync 2010: %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Communicator
• Lync 2013: %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Lync
• Skype for Business: %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Lync

1.       Delete the sip_username directory that matches the sip address of the user experiencing the issues.  This directory will be rebuilt when the SfB / Lync client is restarted the next time.

2.       Restart the computer

3.       Restart the Lync client

The SIP profile folder and cached information will be rebuilt, when the client starts again and the issues above should be resolved.

Hope this helps.