How to Retrieve Instant Messages Off of Yahoo! Messenger

From time to time, it may be necessary to reference past conversations that have taken place on Yahoo! Messenger. If a person has given you a phone number or driving directions and you accidentally close the window before writing them down, pulling up a past conversation may be the only way to retrieve this information. Configure Yahoo! Messenger to save your instant message conversations so that you can retrieve them to reference information when needed.

Instructions

1. Launch Yahoo! Messenger and log in. Click "Messenger" at the top of the window, then click "Preferences."

2. Click the "Archive" tab.

3. Confirm that the radio button labeled "Yes, save all of my messages" is selected. If your messages are not saved, it is not possible to retrieve them.

4. Click "View Archive" to retrieve your past messages.

5. Click the plus sign next to "Messages" if the category is not expanded already. Messages are organized according to the name of the contact and the date.

6. Click the name of the contact on the left side of the window, then click the date on the right side of the window to retrieve the saved conversation.

References

• Yahoo! Messenger Help Files: Working With the Archives