Free · No sign-up · Runs in your browser

Read your Skype chat history.

Skype has closed, and the export it gave you is a .tar file that needs the command line and a separate viewer to read. Drop it here instead: every chat appears, ready to read, search and save.

Not uploaded — nobody sees it No extracting or command line Search every message Save as text or web page

Drop your Skype export here, or click to browse The .tar file from Skype, or messages.json

Your chats are never uploaded — the export is read right here in this browser tab, on your device. There’s no server involved, so we never see your messages, copy them or keep them.

At a glance

Skype Chat Viewer: quick facts

Open your Skype export and read, search and save your chats, free and in your browser.

Updated 10 October 2026

Price: Free. No sign-up.
Opens: The Skype export .tar, or the messages.json inside it.
Shows: Every chat, with names, dates, quotes, calls and photos from the export.
Saves: One chat as text or a web page, or all chats as a .zip.
Privacy: Your messages are read in your browser and never uploaded.

How it works

How to read a Skype export

Altto reads the list of files inside your .tar, opens messages.json, sorts every chat by date and shows it as a conversation. Photos and files are only read from the .tar when you scroll to them.

Add your export

Drop in the _export.tar file from Skype, or messages.json.

Pick a chat

Chats are listed newest first. Search finds any message.

Save what you need

Keep a chat as text or a web page, or save them all as a .zip.

Tips

Keeping your Skype history

Your export is the only copy of your Skype messages now, so it’s worth keeping it safe and readable.

Keep the original .tarStore the export somewhere backed up, such as a cloud drive or external disk. Everything here can be redone from it.
Save important chats as web pagesA saved web page opens in any browser for years to come and doesn’t need this site or any app.
Need a PDF?Open a saved web page, choose Print, then Save as PDF.
Search across everythingType at least two letters in the search box to see which chats mention a name, place or word.

Like every Altto tool, this runs on your device — nothing you add is uploaded. How Altto works

2025

is the year Skype closed. Microsoft extended the time to download Skype data until June 2026, so for most people the export file is the only copy of their chats left.

Compared

Ways to read a Skype export

Microsoft’s own route works, but it takes several steps.

Reading a Skype export (October 2026)
Method	Steps	Search and save?
Microsoft’s instructions	Extract the .tar with the command line, download a separate viewer, load messages.json	View only
Third-party desktop apps	Download and install software	Varies; some charge to export
Altto	Drop the .tar onto this page	Search every message; save as text, web page or .zip

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Reading your Skype export on your own device. Need to turn other files into something readable? Try RTF Viewer or PDF to Text.

How do I open my Skype export?

Drop the file Skype gave you (its name ends in _export.tar) onto this page. You don’t need to extract it first, use the command line or download Microsoft’s viewer: Altto reads the .tar directly and lists every chat. If you’ve already extracted it, choose the messages.json file instead.

Is it safe? Are my messages uploaded?

Your chats are read by code running in this browser tab, on your device, and nothing is sent anywhere. There’s no account and no server on our side, so we can’t see your messages.

Can I still download my Skype data?

Skype closed in May 2025. Microsoft extended the time to download your data until June 2026. If you saved your export before then, you can open it here at any time.

Can I save a chat?

Yes. Save any chat as plain text or as a web page that opens in any browser and prints neatly, or save all chats at once as a .zip. To make a PDF, open the saved web page and choose Print, then Save as PDF.

Are photos and files shown?

If your export includes files, photos from it are shown inside the chat and other files can be saved. Otherwise each one is listed by name (for example “📷 Photo: holiday.jpg”), because a Conversations-only export doesn’t contain the files themselves.

What about very old chats from before 2017?

Skype only kept messages on its servers from around 2017, so older chats are usually missing from the export. Those were stored in a main.db file on the old computer, which this page doesn’t read.

My export is huge. Will it work?

Yes. Only the message file is read into memory; photos and files are read when you scroll to them. Very large chats show the latest 400 messages first, with a button to load earlier ones.

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