How To Export Skype Chat History & Shared Files

Microsoft has decided to retire its Skype service in a few months! Yes, Microsoft Skype will be available only till May 5, 2025.

If you have been using Skype for a long time, you likely have chat history and files shared on Skype. Since Skype is shutting down, it’s a good idea to export your Skype chats and shared files right away.

As per Microsoft, Skype users will be able to export their data until January 2026. If you do not export or sign in to Microsoft Teams (to automatically export data to Teams), your Skype data will be deleted in January 2026.

Export Skype chat history and shared files

This guide shows you how to export Skype chats and files shared on Skype.

Step 1: Visit this Skype page in a web browser of your choice and then sign in to your Microsoft account.

Step 2: Once you land on this page, select Conversations and Files. Note that you can use either of them or both.

Step 3: Click the Submit request button.

Step 4: When prompted, click the Continue button.

Step 5: After a few days, the same export page should offer an option to download the Skype chat history and files. Click the Download link to download your Skype chat history and files. If the page is showing the status as “Pending” check the page again after a few days.

Open Skype chat history and shared files

Microsoft offers Skype shared files and chat history in a .tar file. On a Windows PC, the easiest way is to use a third-party tool such as the 7-Zip to extract the .tar file although you can use the Command Prompt to extract it. On Macs, however, you can use the Finder to open .tar files.

Once extracted, you can open the .json file with any supported software, such as this official tool, to view your conversations.

Our guide on how to reset or reinstall the Skype app in Windows might also interest you.