How do I export the history of Skype?

Question

Is it possible to export Skype v4 chat history into some readable plain-text format?
(.txt, .xml, .html)

Alternatively, is it possible to backup/restore skype chat history?
(I wouldn't mind backup to Gmail, or to readable plain-text format).

I have found numerous tools on the internet and even tried some of them, but they don't seem to work.

Answer 1

See the script presented here : Save Skype chat history.

I don't use Skype, so I can't try this.

Answer 2

that's the reason why i'm still using Skype 3.

what were they thinking when they removed the /htmlhistory command???

with Skype 4 i'm afraid the only options are commecial programs such as Pamela for Skype (chat recording is not available in the free version).

as for backup and restore the chat history, that's fairly easy:

Locate the folder Application Data\Skype\ (your username) and copy it to another location such as a CD or DVD-ROM.

To restore the history files just copy the files back to that folder.

Answer 3

There is Skype Historian, it can export to plain text, json, csv and xml; also able to group data.

As of 2013, it worked for me out of the box (my skype is 6.0.0.126). However it's successor seems to be the open-source skype-ninja, which I haven't tried yet.

System Requirements: Windows 7 / Windows XP with .NET Framework 3.5

Found the link to this project on the blog in harrymc's answer.

Answer 4

The Skype plugin G-Recorder works great for me to backup chats.

Answer 5

Yo can use this to export chat history data:

http://www.gammatwo.com/2010/12/18/save-skype-chat-history/

Answer 6

You just have to go to your user main folder as in win7: C:\Users[your_user]\AppData\Roaming\Skype

Remember that the "AppData" folder is hidden, so you might have to select the option to show hidden folders.

Then find the folder with the user name of your skype account and copy it to the new pc... all your chats and contacts icons and etc will be copied to the new computer.

Answer 7

Just open a new chat window with the contact for whom you want to save the chat history. Type "/history" (without the quotation marks) in the chat window. Once the history is populated, select/highlight a portion of the text with your mouse cursor. Then, (on Windows) press "Ctrl+A" on your keyboard. Once everything is highlighted, press "Ctrl+C." Open Microsoft Word (or a similar word processing software, like OpenOffice.org Writer) and press "Ctrl+V" on your keyboard. Save the file on your harddisk or USB drive, and voila: You have a complete record of your chat history.

Answer 8

Software which allows to record calls and store recorded calls/chat history/file transfers to your email - http://skype2email.com

Skype2email is a commercial program with a 14 days free trial.
Disclaimer: I worked on this program.

Answer 9

The easiest thing to do if you just want to transfer the history to another computer is to follow the advice by Skype here: https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA10649/Can-I-transfer-my-chat-history-from-one-computer-to-another?frompage=search&q=chat+history&fromSearchFirstPage=false . What you do is mark your conversations as Unread, and they get transfered to another computer when you sign in to it the next time.

Answer 10

There is an option to export Skype history in CSV etc from your Account page on Skype.com.

Answer 11

I think there is a more elegant way to save your chats and calls then send it to email. For example using Skype Recorder lets you save all of it to online storage as well as add such functions like full-text search, play your calls online, and many others nice features. I think it will really help you with your problem.