How to Download and Delete Yahoo Messenger Chat/Message History

Apr

2011

How to Download and Delete Yahoo Messenger Chat/Message History

yahoo messenger chat history and sessions

The new Yahoo Messenger (and Windows Live Messenger) lets you store and download its chat/message history locally, on your hard disk (or to your USB pen) so that if anything bad happens to your Yahoo account or computer, you will manage to backup and restore the full chat sessions back to a new computer. The downside of this interesting feature is that, once activated and turned on, it will permanently leave your “footprint” on your computer. Basically, anyone (even if he doesn’t own your Yahoo username and password) will be able to recover your chat sessions or message history and see what you typed. This brief guide might be divided into two different mine-guides. The first one will show you how to download and get back your Yahoo Chat history by turning on a specific option. The second one will show you how to find the exact folder and path thanks to which you will be able to localize where you conversation are store. In this way, you will be able to manually delete them in order to protect your privacy from nosy users and hackers.

Turn on and open Yahoo Messenger.
Click the Preferences option.
On the left pane you will see a list of Categories. Click Archive.
On the right pane, click the Yes, save all of my messages radio button.
At the bottom of such options, on the right pane, you will also be able to see a button labeled Clear Archive now. This button, as its name goes, will let you delete the whole chat history from your computer.
Click OK.
From now on, all your chat sessions will be saved on your computer, on your hard disk.

In order to find the path and exact folder where your chat history is saved you will have to open Windows Explorer and go to:

C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\ Messenger\Profiles\ Yahoo ID\Archive\ Messages

In the Messages folder you will be able to locate all your chat sessions. From there you will be able to backup and delete everything using your mouse.