ChatAttic gathers the chat and message history you've exported or backed up and merges it into one organized archive on your own computer. It never logs into your accounts and nothing is ever uploaded.
ChatAttic imports the export or backup files from the messaging apps you already use, and picks the right reader for each file automatically:
How to export each one: WhatsApp — open the chat, tap the contact/group name, Export Chat. Telegram — Settings → Advanced → Export Telegram data, or a single chat's ⋮ → Export chat history (choose JSON). Facebook/Instagram — Accounts Center → Your information and permissions → Download your information (choose JSON). SMS — install “SMS Backup & Restore” and back up to XML. iMessage — copy ~/Library/Messages/chat.db from your Mac. Save the file, then add it here.
Password-protected zip, 7z and rar archives are opened too — ChatAttic asks for the password, says if it did not work, and lets you try again or skip the archive. Tick “Apply to all remaining protected archives” to answer once — a password or a skip — for every protected archive the scan still meets.
Add your exported files (or a folder full of them), choose where the archive should go, and click Build my archive. Each conversation becomes its own folder of messages you fully own.
Point a later run at the same archive folder to fold in newly-found exports. ChatAttic recognises messages it already has, so re-importing an overlapping backup adds only what's genuinely new — no duplicates.
You can stop a run at any time with the Cancel button — messages already written to the archive stay put.
Every Windows drive has a few folders the system keeps to itself, such as $Recycle.Bin and System Volume Information. Nothing can read them, ChatAttic included.
If you point a run at a whole drive it steps over those folders and carries on, then says in the run log how many it had to skip. The line is there so a smaller number of chats than you expected is explained rather than mysterious.
A folder you own but have locked down with permissions is counted the same way. If the number looks high, check the log for which folders they were.
The free trial is the full app but archives up to a few hundred messages so you can see it work on your own chats. To remove the limit, click Enter license and paste the license from your purchase email.
One license can cover several apps in the Attic family (ChatAttic, EmailAttic, and so on) — a suite or bundle key unlocks each app it lists. A key that doesn't include ChatAttic won't unlock this app; it stays in trial.
ChatAttic is in English, Deutsch, Français, Español, Português and 日本語, and opens in the language your computer uses. The globe button at the top right of the main window switches language at any time; the window changes on the spot. Other languages arrive as free language packs: a small plain-text file from ChatAttic.com/languages. On the Language screen, link 1 opens that page, button 2 installs a downloaded pack, button 3 switches to it. ChatAttic never connects to the internet to fetch one.
ChatAttic never connects to the internet to move your messages. All reading, de-duplicating and writing happens locally. Your export files are opened read-only and are never modified.
Email support@ChatAttic.com. Feedback is always welcome at feedback@ChatAttic.com.