Just a few days back we talked about the advantages of backing up our contacts (email, phone numbers, etc.). And with that in mind we saw how to create a local copy of Outlook Mail, Gmail, and Yahoo Mail contacts. Well, we never know when a bad day strikes with any of the services that we use. Thus, we will also learn to backup our Skype contacts and restore them whenever required.

In the legacy version of the software, the process to export your chat history was straightforward. To extract the Skype '.tar' file on Windows 10, use these steps: Open Start. I managed to get the files needed for version 6.3 mstsc from an old server. It's not an install package, so not quite sure if it will work as described in the previous post. Never the less, I can open mstsc as version 6.3, as long as I keep the files in that structure as in my zip file. Maybe it can get you through. Until the app developer has fixed the problem, try using an older version of the app. If you need a rollback of Skype, check out the app's version history on Uptodown. It includes all the file versions available to download off Uptodown for that app. Download rollbacks of Skype for Windows. Any version of Skype distributed on Uptodown is completely virus-free and free to download at no cost.

This isn’t just about being defensive. In fact, the process may also be used if ever you decide to share your contacts or migrate to a different Skype ID. Let us see how it works.

Cool Tip: We also have a post on how to import and export contacts from different services using Yahoo Mail.

How to Backup Skype Contacts

The process is as simple as it can get. You just need to know the exact steps and navigation areas on the interface. Here it is.

Step 1: Launch your Skype interface. Surely, you must be having a desktop shortcut, or you can use the start menu for a quick search.

Step 2: Log in to Skype by entering your username and password.

Step 3: From the toolbar, click on Contacts and navigate to Advanced -> Backup Contacts to File.

Step 4: After having clicked on that option you will be asked to Save As your file. Choose a directory location, give the file an appropriate name (do not play with the file extension) and hit on the Save button.

That’s it, you have just created a backup of your Skype contacts that you can keep on your hard drive, save on an external drive, migrate to the cloud or even share with your friends.

How to Restore Skype Contacts

Lost your contacts due to some malfunction? Got a new Skype ID? Sharing your contacts with somebody? In all such cases the restore contacts feature would work and save you time in doing additional work.

Step 1: Launch the Skype interface and log in to the account where you want to restore contacts to.

Step 2: From the toolbar, click on Contacts and navigate to Advanced -> Restore Contacts from File.

Step 3: After having clicked on that option you will be asked to select the backup file that you had once created. Click on Open when you are done.

Depending on the size of the file and number of contacts to be imported it may take some time.

Bonus Tip: Since the backup file is in vcf format (i.e. a Business card) you can use it across other services as well. No guarantees on how smooth that will or won’t go.

Conclusion

Go ahead and create a copy if you haven’t already, especially if you are someone who relies on Skype for his everyday conversations.

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

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Is

Skype is widely used for business and personal conversations that include video and instant messaging. Now, let’s say that you had an important call or a conversation which you feel might come in handy later. What would you do?

As far as a video call is in question, you need to decide even before you begin and then you have to record and save the call. That’s the way to create a local backup and here are 5 tools to help you do so. If it is just about a chat session, you do not have to worry; Skype maintains a local copy on your machine.

But trusting Skype’s backup alone isn’t prudent, especially if the chat is really important. I suggest that you take a backup before you are struck with some bad luck and end up losing the Skype memory. Today we will tell you how to backup and restore chat history on Skype.

Cool Tip: We have also covered on how to backup Facebook chat history. Do check that out.

Restore Previous Version Of Skype Windows 10

Backup Skype Chat History

The steps we are going to discuss are specific to Windows 7. However, it should be easy for you to find the path on other operating systems as well.

Step 1: Navigate to the following location (put your Windows username in place of ‘UserName’):

C:UsersUserNameAppDataRoamingSkype

Step 2: Find the folder that is named exactly like your Skype name. In my case it is san_aggg as in the image below. Copy this folder.

Step 3: Place this folder in a safe location to complete the backup of your chat history.

Restore Skype Chat History

It is as simple as it can get. Navigate to the above mentioned directory (on the machine where you want to restore chat history). Copy the backup folder and place it there. That’s it, you have restored the chat history.

Important Note

You need to make sure that Skype settings are active to store the chat history on the local machine. Else, the folder you backup will not carry any data. Here’s how to set it:

How To Restore Previous Version Of Skype

Step 1: Open Skype and log in to your account. Navigate to Tools -> Options.

Step 2: On the settings window that opens, go to Privacy -> Privacy Settings. Set the Keep history for attribute to forever from the drop down menu.

Backing up chat history does not mean that you can read the chat conversation outside of the application. If you are looking to do that you need to export the history in a readable form. Users were allowed to do that in html format in the older versions of Skype. The latest upgrades do not have that option anymore. But, we’ll be talking about a workaround in another post so hit one of the subscription options on the sidebar so that you know when we publish it.

Conclusion

So, overall a pretty simple method but as it happens with all the simple things in life, we tend to take them for granted. At least you can knock off Skype backup from that list now. 🙂

Similar post: how to backup and restore Skype contacts.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

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