How to Read Old Skype Chat Messages
By Melissa King
Skype is an invaluable resource that enables you to make free or inexpensive calls to almost any phone number in the world. Skype also includes an instant messaging feature so you can chat with contacts without making a call. If you regularly use the chat feature to converse with customers, employees or clients, you may occasionally need to review your message history to find order information or project details. Skype saves all your conversations with each contact so you can read them again at any time.
Sign in to Skype.
Click on a contact in the Recent or Contact list to display your conversation history with that person. Skype displays chat history in chronological order, with the newest conversation at the top.
Click "Show earlier messages" if you want to review older conversations.
Click the search field under the Recent tab to look for a specific conversation. Type the name or subject of the conversation in the search field. Skype automatically searches your history for matching conversations.
Find specific content within a conversation by selecting the conversation in your history list. Click "Conversation" and "Find," or press "Ctrl-F" on the keyboard. Enter your search terms, then click "Next" or "Previous" to begin searching the conversation.
Right-click a conversation and select "Hide conversation" when you finish reading it to temporarily remove it from your history. To see the messages again, click "View" and "Show hidden conversations."
Tips
If you want to organize your conversations, click "View" in Skype, then click "Compact View." Each conversation you select will open in a different window.
Right-click on a conversation, then click "Mark as Unread" to flag a conversation for further review. Use this tool to remind yourself to read an important conversation.
Skype does not allow you to delete individual conversations, but you can erase your entire history. To do so, click "Skype" and "Privacy." Click "Clear History" under "Keep History For." In the "Keep History For" menu, you can also choose how long Skype keeps your messages, such as three months or one week. Choose "Forever" if you never want Skype to erase your history.
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Writer Bio
Melissa King began writing in 2001. She spent three years writing for her local newspaper, "The Colt," writing editorials, news stories, product reviews and entertainment pieces. She is also the owner and operator of Howbert Freelance Writing. King holds an Associate of Arts in communications from Tarrant County College.