How to download a backup copy of Skype Files and Chat History

On Skype for Windows 10, you may export and download shared files as well as your chat history. By default, Skype is set up to only keep a limited number of your text-based chats in the cloud for a total of 30 days. You can backup Skype’s shared files and chat history for times when you need to export and save a record of them.

The most recent version of Skype includes a client-side option that allows you to export your chat history directly. However, Skype on Windows 10 no longer offers this option. The good news is that even after requesting the service to take a copy of your chats, you can still export your chat history and the files you shared with others. You can follow the instructions in this article to download a copy of your Skype chat and file history and to open and see the data on your computer.

HOW TO DOWNLOAD A BACKUP COPY OF SKYPE FILES AND CHAT HISTORY

• Getting started with downloading your shared files and chat history from Skype is simple; just follow the instructions listed below.

• Go to this website, https://go.skype.com/export, and log into Skype.
• Select whether you want to download your files, conversations, or both.
• Simply click Submit a request.
• You’ll receive a notification on Skype after your request is finished, along with a link to view or download your file.
• You can download your files from Skype’s export page if you don’t receive a notification.
• To get a “.tar” file containing a backup of the files you requested, click the Download button.
• Please be advised that this procedure could take a while. Simply wait a little while, and then periodically check to see if the export has been successful.

HOW TO OPEN SKYPE CHAT HISTORY AND DOWNLOADED FILES

• Your Skype files and chat history are contained in a downloaded file that has been compressed using the TAR format. On a Mac, opening.tar files are simple because of the built-in support for this file format in macOS. Users of Windows 10 might, however, need to download unofficial software to view the file or extract it using the Command Prompt. This is the procedure.

Extracting the .tar File on Windows 10:

• By holding down the Windows + r keyboard shortcuts, you can launch the Run window.
• After entering cmd, click OK.
• Use the “change directory” (CD) command to find your file. You can enter CD DIRECTORY and then type the name of the folder where you downloaded the file in place of DIRECTORY.
• Press Enter after entering the command tar -xvfYOURFILENAME export.tar, replacing YOURFILENAME with the name of the exported file, which typically starts with 8 skypename export.tar or 8 live skypename export.tar.
• When the command is carried out, the directory will include your extracted messages file, which is named messages.json.
• You can download the file viewer offered by Skype at https://go.skype.com/skype-parser to view your conversations.
• Open the viewer after downloading it by choosing the index.html file from the skype-parser folder.
• Then click the Load button after navigating to the messages.json file.

Extracting the .tar File on macOS:

• As we already explained, macOS natively supports the.tar file format. So, all you have to do to access it is navigated to the.tar file and double-click it to extract the file.

That’s it. Your Skype files and chat history are now locally stored on your computer. You can click on any discussion to view its content on the right after it has shown in your chat history on the left. Simply follow the directions above whenever you need to download a new copy of these files.