Did you know that the default setting for the Skype Chat History is forever ? That means, every chat with every contact is still visible using the View Chat History right-click menu option. This could be a privacy related issue if someone else has access to your computer.
Skype offers a way to delete the complete chat history of every contact and to change the time period in which the chat history is kept. It leaves the user clueless however on how to remove the chat history with one contact only and the official answer from Skype is that it is not possible to delete the chat history of one contact.
This is only partially correct. There is no easy way to clear the chat history but there is one. Skype saves all chats with contacts in a Skype folder in Documents & Settings. The full path would be C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Skype\skype username.
In there you find the databases chatmsg256.dbb, chatmsg512.dbb, chatmsg1024.dbb, chatmsg2048.dbb, chatmsg4096.dbb and chatmsg8192.dbb. Those files contain your chat history. Unfortunately though those are not sorted by contact but by length.
This means that you would have to open each of the files and look for the lines of the contact that you want to delete. What makes things worse is that there will be lots of garbage in the text editor and that it is not always obvious who the chat contact of the current line is.
The best approach in my opinion would be to make copies of the files and work with them. You can’t open the originals if Skype is open and you do need Skype to look at the chat history and search for the phrases in those files.
It is lots of work but the only working way of clearing the chat history of one contact in Skype.
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Excellent directions. bravo.
Wow…this is simply marvellous coz Skype had me stumped. Can’t thank you enough.
How do you delete chat history in Yahoomessenger? does anyone know?
you can delete it.
thanks for you help but if you go to
options -> chat and sms -> advance options -> clear chat history
Small utility can do this also: http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=178741
Ok, there is a way to clear the message history, just go to “tools”, “options” and there is an option to choose for how long you will like to keep track of your conversations. Also yu will find a clear history option.
Hope this information works for you all!
Xcellent I tried this it really works, thanx for helping me
Hi everyone!
I tried to follow the directions to remove the chat history from one contact but I came across two difficulties:
1) I am only able to find one database file, main.db. I couldn’t find any of the files chatmsg256.dbb, etc.. mentioned above.
2) I am not able to open the file that I have found (main.db). I tried it with Microsoft access but it didn’t work. Neither does it work with a notepad.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
T.
open skype and then click:
tools—>options—>privacy(which is on the left)—>show advanced options—>clear history
For some reason when i go to “Computer” i can’t even find the documents and settings. i have windows vista. so does anything change for me?
If you know one thing or another in SQL you can more comfortably delete the history. Skype 4 saves the history in a SQLite format.
You could delete the history for a specific contact/conversation using
DELETE FROM messages WHERE dialog_partner =
For more details on the Skype internal storage and some tricks you can have a look over at
http://kosi2801.freepgs.com/2009/12/03/messing_with_the_skype_40_database.html
SQL got messed up in the reply, sorry.
Use
DELETE FROM messages WHERE dialog_partner = skype_name
where you exchange “skype_name” with the skype-name of the person you want to delete the history of.
But how would one go about this with a mac?
for the life of me I can’t seem to find any of these files!
Hello people,,,
Gud news to u all…… At last I figured out a solution to delete Skype history.
This works in Skype. 4.1.0…. Unfortunately I dont know about the older versions. But using this option you can only delete complete chat history. It is not possible to delete Contact specific history..
To delete the same you just have to follow the following steps…
Step 1- Open up skype as then click on “tools” in the top right hand corner.
Step 2 – Select “options”
Step 3 – Choose the “Privacy” icon on the left hand side then click on “Privacy Setttings” from the exanded tab.
Step 4 – Look in right side of the menu about the middle vertically. You can see the option ” Keep Chat History for” just select “no history” click save and you are done.
To also delete your old chat history just follow the same steps above then
Step 5 – Click on the form button that says “Clear Chat History”
Click save and you are done.
This works.. trust me…..
Happy Skyping………….
Rajesh you boob, you ought to learn to read first before offering such lousy advice. Your suggestion deletes chat skype history for ALL contacts not just one.
I hope your careless advice doesn’t ruin someone’s day!
on a mac just go click on skype in the toolbar and go to preferences. There is a way to clear the history that way.
tools—>options—>privacy(which is on the left)—>keep chat history for —-> disable history will prevent saving the chat history.
wow half of you guys are fucking retarded. the thread is about how to delete individual conversations what you’re saying is prevent saving and deleting ALL the conversations.
Can not agree with you more. retardation all around us :(
on Mac OS , skype 5.1 , find the file main.db at /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Skype/skypename
stop skype
open the main.db and edit… What I did was to find all stings matching the target skype contact name and replace with a different string of the same length (for safety)
Save the modified file
open skype
now I had TWO contacts – one with modified name and all the history, another one with original name and no history. Remove the contact with history using standard skype option “contacts -> delete contact”
you are left with the contact and no history
done
Beast, good reply…
What do I open the DB with? When I used text/edit there was a gabillion list of code and I can’t sift through that to find the chat I want to delete
Can you go through this again for the more non porous :))
You can go to history –> press control then delete each conversation or call, but you cant do one contact in particular.
GUYS its very simple i have done and it worked, Go to skype menu — privacy—-and find their keep history for and front of it clear history the button press and hurrah history clear.
enjoy
You are last from many morons which are unable to read the topis, please try harder to understand:
“Clear the Chat History of one contact in Skype”
Hint for you, one nad all are a two different things.
Excuse me, but I had to write this…
my problem is,that i dont want any of m chat histor to be even saved to start with,and even with the “no history” option on, i still get my last messages on every time i log in…anone to know how to get rid of it all without complications?
This looks useful:
http://www.codeproject.com/KB/database/RemoveSkypeHistory.aspx
hey i was just wondering how you look at old chat history since the sms only goes so far back, how would i go to open up old chat historys with one person?