This wikiHow teaches you how to copy your Skype chat history to another location using Windows or macOS.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Windows

  1. 1
    Press Win+R on the keyboard. This brings up the Run prompt.
    • Win is the key with the Windows logo in your keyboard’s bottom row.
  2. 2
    Type %appdata%\Skype into the box and click OK. This opens the Skype folder on your PC.
  3. 3
    Right-click the folder with your Skype name.
  4. 4
    Click Copy.
  5. 5
    Navigate to the backup destination. This is the folder where you’ll save your chat history. You can go to a different folder on your computer, a thumb drive, or a cloud drive like Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox.
  6. 6
    Paste the folder into the backup location. To do this, right-click a blank area of the folder, then select Paste. Your chat history will now back up to this location.
    • Depending on your settings, you may also be able to do this by clicking Paste at the top of the window.
    • Future backups will not happen automatically--you’ll need to repeat this method each time you want to save your history.
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

macOS

  1. 1
    Click the Finder icon in the Dock. It’s the two-toned blue square with a smiling face.
  2. 2
    Press Command+ Shift+G. The “Go to a folder” dialog will appear.
  3. 3
    Type ~/Library/Application Support/Skype/ and click Go. This opens the Skype folder on your Mac.[1]
  4. 4
    Click the folder with your Skype name. Make sure to only click it once so it’s highlighted.
  5. 5
    Press Command+C.
  6. 6
    Navigate to the backup destination. This is the folder where you’ll save your chat history. You can go to a different folder on your computer, a thumb drive, or a cloud drive like iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox.
  7. 7
    Click the Edit menu in the destination folder.
  8. 8
    Select Paste. The folder containing your chat history will now copy to this folder.
    • Future backups will not happen automatically--you’ll need to repeat this method each time you want to save your history.

About this article

Written by:
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions.
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 218 times.

Is this article up to date?

Thanks for sharing feedback! Read more articles like this one.
Thanks for sharing feedback! Read more articles like this one.
We're sorry this article wasn’t helpful. Here are some similar articles that might be more helpful to you.
We're sorry this article wasn’t helpful. Here are some similar articles that might be more helpful to you.