Beta. main.db support is built from published descriptions of the file and tested on files made to match them, but hasn't yet been tried on a real main.db from an old computer. If something looks wrong, the export file from Skype is the better-tested route.
Where main.db lives
| Computer | Folder |
|---|---|
| Windows (Skype 7 and earlier) | %APPDATA%\Skype\your Skype name\main.db |
| Mac (Skype 7 and earlier) | ~/Library/Application Support/Skype/your Skype name/main.db |
On Windows, type %APPDATA%\Skype into the File Explorer address bar. On a Mac, in Finder choose Go > Go to Folder and type the folder above. The file may also be in an old backup or on an old hard drive in the same place.
Newer Skype (version 8 onwards, from about 2017) did not use main.db for history; its messages were kept online, which is why the export was needed.
Open it
- Copy main.db somewhere easy to find, such as your desktop. Work on the copy, not the original.
- Drop it on the box on this page.
The file is read in your browser with SQLite compiled for the web. It is not uploaded. Photos sent in classic Skype were not stored in main.db, so only their names appear.
What is shown
Conversations with their messages, edits and deletions, calls with their length, group chat changes, and shared file names. Very old messages from before about 2010 may have simpler formatting.