How to export your Skype contacts

Changing Skype accounts soon? Grab a copy of your contact list information from your current account before you switch.

Whether a swarm of spammers is attacking your Skype, or you just decide that you're tired of your current username, you may want to export your contact list and move it to another account. Ghacks.net recently shared a post about an application that can show you all contact information in an organized window, but this example will use Skype's default tools. Skipping on the third-party application means the data will be a bit messier to look at, but you can still get the job done with relatively little effort.

Here's how to export your Skype contact list:

Nicole Cozma/CNET

Step 1: Click the Contact menu in your Skype window and select Advanced > Back up Contacts to file.

Step 2: When the window appears for saving the file, you can either keep the *.vcf file extension if you're going to import to another Skype account, or you can change the extension to *.txt.

Note: You can also assign *.vcfs to open with Notepad, too.

You should see all of your contacts, their usernames, and any other information they have made available on their Skype profile. Additionally, all accounts you've blocked in the past will also be included in the file.

(Optional) Step 3: Delete any entries in the file you do not want to import to your new account. Then head to the Contacts menu > Advanced > Restore contacts from file.

Contacts will be sent a request for you to add them to your new list. If you don't hear back from them, you can right-click their username in the list and resend the invitation, along with a personalized message.