Microsoft gives you three ways to export Teams data and chats. Personal accounts use a data export page. Admins use Microsoft Purview eDiscovery or the Microsoft Graph export APIs. Learn which route fits, what every route saves and where chats actually live before you start.
Your manager asks for "the Teams chats" of a user who left. Where do you even click? Teams has no single Export button for work accounts.
I get this request on almost every tenant project. This guide shows how to export Microsoft Teams data and chats with Microsoft's own routes, and where every route stops.
Why is It Hard to Export Microsoft Teams Data and Chats?
Teams stores its data in more than one place. Microsoft says 1:1 chat messages sit in the Exchange Online mailbox of every person in the chat. Files shared in a 1:1 chat sit in the OneDrive of the person who shared them.
Channel files live on SharePoint. Private and shared channels have their own SharePoint sites too. So one export never covers everything, and you need to know which place holds the data you want.
Which Teams Export Method Fits Your Case?
Choose the route by who asks and what they need. This table covers the three Microsoft routes.
| Method | Account | Best for | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data export page | Personal use | Chat history and media | Not for work or school accounts |
| Purview eDiscovery | Work or school | Legal and compliance searches | Needs eDiscovery permissions |
| Microsoft Graph export APIs | Work or school | Bulk export of chats and channels | Needs an app and admin approval |
How do You Export Teams Chats From a Personal Account?
Microsoft's page on exporting or deleting your data in Microsoft Teams covers Teams for personal use. Go to the export page and sign in with your Microsoft account. Choose Chat history, Media or both, then select Submit request and Continue.
Check Available Exports at the top of the page. When your file is ready, select Download. Microsoft gives no set time for chats and media, so check back later. The file is a .tar archive, and Windows 10 users can open it with the tar command.
This route is only for personal accounts. Work and school accounts need an admin route, which comes next.
How do You Export Teams Chats With Purview eDiscovery?
Microsoft's page on searching Teams content in eDiscovery says you need a user account with eDiscovery permissions. It lists what you can search: 1:1 and group chats, standard channel messages, private and shared channel messages, edited messages, attachments, meeting recordings, transcripts and reactions.
You search first, then export the results from the case flyout page. Teams data shows up as IM or Conversations in the Excel output. If you export a .pst file, Outlook shows the chats in the Team Chat folder under Conversation History.
Know the limits. Reactions are searchable only from June 1, 2022. A recorded meeting .mp4 over 350 MB causes a processing error but stays available for download. Shared channel messages must be searched through the parent team's mailbox. Guest content needs PowerShell connections.
How do You Export Teams Data and Chats With Microsoft Graph?
This route fits bulk exports. Microsoft's page on Teams export APIs lists the steps. Here is the order I follow.
- Confirm licenses. The users whose data you export need an active Microsoft Teams license.
- Register an app. Register it with the Microsoft identity platform.
- Request permissions. Ask for the application permissions Chat.Read.All for chats and ChannelMessage.Read.All for channels, plus User.Read.All. An administrator must approve them.
- Get an access token. Sign the app in to Microsoft Graph and keep the token for your calls.
- Call the export endpoints. Use getAllMessages for a user's chats or for a team's channels. Add a date filter on lastModifiedDateTime to keep every pull small.
- Follow every page. Keep reading @odata.nextLink until it is empty, then save the output to disk.
The same page says the APIs export 1:1, group and meeting chats and channel messages, with replies, reactions and attachment metadata. Meeting recordings and transcripts come from separate calls for private scheduled meetings. Throttling limits apply, so large tenants need patience.
Mind the retention windows. User-deleted messages can be exported for up to 21 days after deletion. Deleted teams and channels can be exported for up to 30 days. Messages under a hold or retention policy can be exported beyond the 21 days.
What do Microsoft's Export Routes Leave Out?
All three routes give you a copy to read or archive. None of them rebuilds the team in another tenant. A file of messages cannot be opened as a live channel with members, tabs and files.
The Graph route needs developer work. The eDiscovery route needs compliance roles and gives search output, not a clean per-user folder. So many admins want a simpler option for chats.
RecoveryTools Teams Migrator can save chats to disk per user. It also copies teams and channels, standard, private and shared, with the author, date and reactions on every message. It carries owners, members and guests with their roles. For a full move, read how to migrate Microsoft Teams to another tenant.
Save Teams Chats to Disk for Every User
RecoveryTools Teams Migrator saves chats to disk per user and copies teams and channels between Microsoft 365 tenants with the author, date and reactions. Test one team first, then export the rest.
The trial unlocks every option and caps volume at 25 items per channel and per chat. Works on Windows 11, 10 and Windows Server.
Chats follow different rules from channels. For that, read do Teams chat messages migrate between tenants and what does not migrate in Microsoft Teams.
What are the Best Practices to Export Teams Data and Chats?
- Name your goal first. A legal search, an archive and a migration need different routes.
- Export before you delete. Microsoft keeps deleted messages for a short window only.
- Pull files separately. Chats and files sit in different places, so export both.
- Test with one user. Check the output before you pull the entire tenant.
- Store exports safely. Chats hold private data, so limit who can open the files.
Which Mistakes Break a Teams Chat Export?
Four come up often. First, using the personal export page for a work account. Second, forgetting that 1:1 chats live in mailboxes while files live in OneDrive. Third, waiting past the deletion window. Fourth, treating an export file as a backup you can restore into Teams.
My Verdict on Exporting Teams Data and Chats
Choose the route by account type and goal. Personal users have a simple page. Admins have eDiscovery for searches and Graph for bulk work.
Plan the export early, because deleted data does not wait. Then keep the files safe and use a migration tool when the goal is to move the team.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I Export My Microsoft Teams Chat History?
For a personal account, open the Teams export page, sign in and choose Chat history. Submit the request, then select Download when it appears under Available Exports. Work accounts need an admin route.
Can I Export Teams Chats From a Work Account?
Not from the personal export page. Admins can search and export with Microsoft Purview eDiscovery or pull chats with the Microsoft Graph export APIs.
Where are Teams Chat Messages Stored?
Microsoft says 1:1 chat messages are stored in the Exchange Online mailbox of every chat participant. Files shared in a 1:1 chat are stored in the OneDrive of the person who shared them.
Can I Export Deleted Teams Messages?
Through the Graph export APIs, Microsoft says user-deleted messages can be exported for up to 21 days after deletion. Messages under a hold or retention policy can be exported beyond that window.
Which Permissions do the Teams Export APIs Need?
Microsoft lists Chat.Read.All for chats, ChannelMessage.Read.All for channel messages and User.Read.All for the user list. They are application permissions and need administrator approval.
Does an Export Let Me Restore Chats Into Teams?
No. An export gives you files to read or archive. Rebuilding teams and channels in another tenant needs a migration route. Read about it in migrate Teams chat from one user to another.
Can RecoveryTools Teams Migrator Save Chats to Disk?
Yes. It saves chats to disk per user, and it copies teams and channels with author, date and reactions. The free trial caps volume at 25 items per channel and per chat.
Jamie blends strategic marketing insight with technical writing, turning migration and recovery topics into guidance that works for technical and general readers alike.
Published 19 October 2026. Export steps and limits come from Microsoft's page on Teams export APIs. Search details come from Microsoft's page on searching Teams content in eDiscovery. Personal export steps come from Microsoft's page on exporting your data in Microsoft Teams. Product behavior comes from the RecoveryTools Teams Migrator page. Microsoft can change these limits, so check them before you plan.