How to Save a Group Chat on Skype

Voiceover IPs are famous for their ability to connect voice calls over Internet lines. Skype goes a step further by enabling a fully functional chat feature. It even includes a chat saving feature so you’ll always know who said what. Chat archives are stored locally on your computer, not on the network. The only people who will ever be able to see what you said during a Skype chat are those that were in the chat with you.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer
• Internet access

1. Open Skype and log in.
2. Click “Tools” on the text menu along the upper horizontal bar of your application window. Mac users, click “Preferences.”
3. Choose “Options,” located at the bottom of the window. Mac users, click “Chat.”
4. Select “Privacy” from the options menu.
5. Select the length of time you’d like to keep your chat history from the pull-down menu. This option is located in the middle of the menu. Then click “Save.”
6. Locate the contact you’d like to chat with on your Contacts tab. If your friend hasn’t been added to your Contacts list, you’ll need to do that first.
7. Right-click the name of the contact you’d like to chat with. A pop-up window will appear.
8. Click "Start Chat" from the menu.

Tips & Warnings

• Click the “History” tab to access your chat archives. Find the magnifying glass located in the lower-left portion of the application. Click the magnifying glass and then select “Chats,” located toward the bottom of the menu. This will display chats only.
• Another way to access archived chats is to find the name of the chatter on your Contacts tab. Right-click on the name, then choose “View Chat History” at the bottom of the menu.
• Many chat options exist on Skype. A blue circle encasing a talk bubble with a plus sign allows you to add more people to the chat. This is a great opportunity to make weekend plans with friends, plan the family reunion menu or discuss an upcoming business merger with multiple participants.
• The button with a piece of paper and pencil allows you to set a chat topic. This feature is wonderful if you plan on participating in multiple chats at the same time.
• Pressing the red “X” will permanently remove you from the chat, but you’ll still be logged into Skype and any other chats you are participating in.
• To call a chat participant, click the green "Telephone" button.
• Create a new chat with current participants by clicking the white talk bubble with lines in it.
• Send a file to all participants by clicking the paper with the blue arrow in it.
• You can see what all participants have typed, including their names and times their messages are sent, in the large field located in the center of your chat window.
• Voice chats are not saved or archived. Only text chat histories are kept.