How to save private messages?

[Irisha]

Can anybody tell me, please, should I open every pm in order to save it, or maybe there is a simpler method?

[CoolBee]

If you were set up for email notifications, then the message is included in the body of the email.

[Irisha]

Thank you. No, they are not included in my notifications.

[mallie]

Hi Irisha,

There is an easy way to save all your private messages (or just the ones you want to save). What you do is go to your private messages and click on ALL the messages you want to save and then go to the very bottom and where it says selected messages you click on save as text. It will then ask if you want to open or save the file and you just click on save and you can save all of the messages in one fell swoop onto your computer. Hope this helps.

[Irisha]

Oh, thank you. So, I need to open every message, no other way. I thought it's possible to do it in bulk.

[mallie]

Hi Irisha,

You are so welcome! If I understand your message correctly - you are asking if you have to open every message to save it? No you don't need to open any of your messages - by putting a checkmark next to the message you want to save and then going to the bottom and where it says selected messages and you click on the box next to that - it will then allow you to either open or save the messages you have checked and of course you would press save and then another box opens and you can name the file and press save and then you are done. If you then go to your downloads in your computers file you will see your saved files

[Irisha]

I tried to do as you said, but I haven 't found the Save button. Only Move to Folder, Download as XML, or as CSV, or as TEXT, Delete, Mark as Read, Mark as Unread buttons. I pressed Move to Folder, created a new Folder, but it only saved them in a new Folder which belongs to PD Forums.

[mallie]

I tried to do as you said, but I haven 't found the Save button. Only Move to Folder, Download as XML, or as CSV, or as TEXT, Delete, Mark as Read, Mark as Unread buttons. I pressed Move to Folder, created a new Folder, but it only saved them in a new Folder which belongs to PD Forums.

Hi Irisha

I know for me sometimes if I find something confusing - it really helps to have really detailed instructions so I hope this helps you. Btw - time is running out because steve said he is shutting down the forum on the morning of dec 26th.

Ok, here they are.

step one obviously is to click on your private messages button and once that is opened then click on the box next to each pm you want to save (if you have a ton of them to save - there is a fast way to click on all the boxes and what you do is at the top of each section (where it says where your messages are 2 weeks old or month old ) there will be a box on that same line and if you click on that box it will automatically put a checkmark next to each pm (if there are some pm's you don't want to save then all you have to do is just click on the box and the check mark will disappear). After you click on the box you will see that it has been highlighted in very light yellow.

Once you have put a checkmark next to all the pm's you want to save, then scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and where you see the words SELECTED MESSAGES (next to that will be the words move to folder) and then next to those words will be an upside down triangle and you click on that and scroll down and click on the words DOWNLOAD AS TEXT.

You then click on the box next to those words (the words say - go and then in parenthesis is the number of pm's you are saving). After you have clicked on that - that will bring up a new window and in the far left corner of that new window will be the words FILE DOWNLOAD.

In that window you would click on the save button and then that brings up a new window. Where it says file name - you can either keep the name it has or you can choose your own title for that file. You then hit the save button and then it will automatically save it to your computer usually in the file section it will be under the down load area and then that is it. I hope this helps.

The only disapointing thing is that it does not save the pm's exactly the way you see them in your private message box (meaning it does not save the avatars pictures and the words are a little different printed out). But other than than at least you are saving the words. If you want to save the pm exactly the way it is - then just copy and paste it to your email draft section and it will save everything like the avatar and so forth

[Irisha]

Thank you, Mallie, very much for such a detailed explanation! But when I download messages as TEXT and then click Go I have a new window with those message, but no buttons, such as Save. Nothing . Only the text(typed differently) of all those messages. I scroll to the bottom, there is also nothing! I think I'll have to copy and paste them all one by one. Oohooooh....

[mallie]

Thank you, Mallie, very much for such a detailed explanation! But when I download messages as TEXT and then click Go I have a new window with those message, but no buttons, such as Save. Nothing . Only the text(typed differently) of all those messages. I scroll to the bottom, there is also nothing! I think I'll have to copy and paste them all one by one. Oohooooh....

You are welcome - but I am sorry to hear that you are still having trouble. Maybe try it one more time and see what happens?

[Irisha]

Tried many times. I guess the iPad is different from a comp.

[openeyes]

I'm not sure if other people somehow have a different interface, but I noticed on my private messages screen that towards the very bottom of the page listing all messages there is a sentence that says "Download all Private Messages as:" then beneath that lists XML, CSV, and Text. I was able to simply click Text and it had me save all messages, sent and received, without having to highlight anything.

[Irisha]

oh, yes, I did it, just downloaded, then copied, and pasted the part of them all together to Notes. But now have another problem: while creating folders I divided them, and only one folder can be downloaded . When I open another folder I can see the same messages from the previous folder. It's so bad to lack elementary computer skills!

[desertrat]

Thanks for the link to the back street browser , but I think you need to put the exect adress of the thread you want or it will scan the whole site . desert rat