Export Teams Chat History for a Whole Company
Here is how to export teams chat for the whole company. Teams has no export button for chats. The supported way for a company is eDiscovery in Microsoft Purview. Here's the current process.
Sign in to the Microsoft Purview portal with eDiscovery permissions, create a case and a search across user mailboxes, then export with Teams conversations included and the option to organize them as HTML transcripts. Download the package when it's ready. The old PowerShell export and classic Content Search were retired in 2025.
Before you export Teams chat
| Method | Who it's for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Purview eDiscovery | Admins exporting the whole company | Needs the right Purview licensing and eDiscovery permissions |
| Teams Export API | Developers | Protected API. You apply for access and messages are billed per message. |
| Copy or print to PDF | One person, one chat | Fine for a single thread, useless for company history |
Step by step
01Get eDiscovery permissions
Have a global admin add you to an eDiscovery role group in Microsoft Purview.
02Create a case
In the Purview portal, open eDiscovery and create a new case.
03Build the search
Add a search scoped to all user mailboxes and the Teams sites. Leave keywords empty for full history, or set a date range.
04Export with Teams options
Choose export, include Teams and Viva Engage conversations, and select the option to organize conversations into HTML transcripts.
05Download the package
When processing finishes, download the export from the case. Store it somewhere you control.
How to find the size of your Microsoft Teams data
Teams usage reports in the Microsoft 365 admin center show recent activity only. For the full picture, the eDiscovery search statistics show how many items and how much data your search found.
What a full Microsoft Teams export is worth
AI companies license company records like this to train software agents on real work. Team chat shows how people actually decide and hand off work. Years of channel conversations and group chats are some of the most valuable records a company has.
Buyers price on depth: years of continuous history with real discussion in it. A partial export or a single report is worth far less than the complete record.
How much is your Microsoft Teams data worth? · Run the value calculator
Common problems
- Guides mention PowerShell or Content Search. Those were retired in 2025. Use the current eDiscovery experience.
- Export is a pile of separate messages. Re-run with the HTML transcript option.
- Can't see eDiscovery. You need eDiscovery permissions and the right Purview license.
- Former employees missing. Their chats can be gone once their mailbox is deleted. Export before removing licenses.
Common questions
How do I export all Teams chats for my company?
Use eDiscovery in the Microsoft Purview portal: case, search, export with Teams conversations included.
Can a user export their own Teams chat?
There's no export button. A user can copy messages or print a chat to PDF from the web.
What format is a Teams eDiscovery export?
It can be organized into readable HTML transcripts, or exported as individual items.
Should I export Teams before closing my business?
Yes. Once Microsoft 365 is cancelled and the retention period ends, chat history is gone.