A self-hosted, privacy-first tool for archiving your Discord server message history to your own machine — no cloud, no third parties, just your data.
Enter your bot token and server ID, pick your channels, and hit Start Archive — everything stays on your machine.
⚠️ Compliance & Safety WarningThis tool is designed for personal archival purposes only — backing up your own servers or message history.
- Do not use this tool to mass-scrape servers you don't own or administer.
- Respect rate limits: Aggressive scraping violates Discord's Terms of Service and can result in account termination.
- Privacy: Do not distribute archives containing other users' data without their consent.
- Liability: The user assumes all responsibility for data privacy compliance (GDPR/CCPA) and account safety.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| 🌐 Local Web UI | Clean browser-based interface — no command line needed after setup |
| 📄 Multiple Export Formats | JSON, human-readable TXT, per-channel and per-user files |
| 📎 Attachment Downloads | Optionally download images, videos, and files alongside messages |
| 🔒 100% Self-Hosted | Your data never leaves your machine — no cloud, no accounts |
⚙️ Configurable via .env |
Adjust port, concurrency, and more without touching the code |
| 🔍 Filter by User, Channel & Date | Archive only what you need |
| ⏹️ Cancellable Downloads | Stop a running archive at any time |
| 🛡️ Safe by Default | Conservative concurrency defaults to avoid Discord rate limits |
| 🔔 In-App Update Notifications | Get notified when a new version is available without checking GitHub |
Every export produces a ZIP file containing:
| File | Description |
|---|---|
*_messages.json |
Full message data in JSON — portable and developer-friendly |
*_readable.txt |
Human-readable chat log, organized by channel |
by_channel/*.txt |
Individual text file per channel |
by_user/*.json |
Per-user message files (optional, enable in settings) |
attachments/ |
Downloaded images, videos, and files (optional) |
archive_info.json |
Summary: total messages, users, channels, date range |
- Download or clone this repo
- Double-click
install.bat— checks Python, installs dependencies, creates arun.batshortcut - Double-click
run.batto start the app - Open http://localhost:5000 in your browser
Chromebook users: First enable Linux — go to Settings → Advanced → Developers → Linux development environment → Turn on. Then open the Terminal app.
# 1. Install Python (skip if already installed)
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip # Debian/Ubuntu/Chromebook
# brew install python # macOS with Homebrew
# 2. Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/TanaTTV/Discord-Archiver.git
cd Discord-Archiver
# 3. Run the installer
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh
# 4. Start the app
./run.shOpen http://localhost:5000 in your browser.
Chromebook tip: After starting the app, open Chrome and go to
http://localhost:5000— it works in your normal Chrome browser, no extra steps needed.
git clone https://github.com/TanaTTV/Discord-Archiver.git
cd Discord-Archiver
pip install -r requirements.txt
python app.pyOpen http://localhost:5000 in your browser.
Discord Archiver uses a bot token to read your server's message history through Discord's official API.
- Go to the Discord Developer Portal
- Click "New Application" → give it a name → Create
- In your application, go to the Bot section
- Click "Reset Token" → copy the token and keep it safe
- Scroll down and enable these Privileged Gateway Intents:
- ✅ Server Members Intent
- ✅ Message Content Intent
- Go to OAuth2 → URL Generator
- Under Scopes, check:
bot - Under Bot Permissions, check:
- ✅ Read Messages / View Channels
- ✅ Read Message History
- Copy the generated URL, paste it in your browser, and invite the bot to your server
- Start the app (
run.batorpython app.py) - Paste your Bot Token and Server ID into the web UI
- Click "Load Channels" to select which channels to include
- Configure your options (date range, user filter, attachments, etc.)
- Click "Start Archive" and watch the real-time progress
- Download your ZIP when it's done
Once the app is running and you've opened http://localhost:5000, here is exactly what to do.
Bot Token Paste your bot token here. It looks like a long string of random characters. This is how the app connects to Discord — keep it private and never share it.
Server ID
The ID of the Discord server you want to archive. It is a long number like 123456789012345678. See How to Find Your IDs below.
Filter by User ID(s) (optional) Leave this blank to archive everyone's messages in the server. Enter your own User ID to only save your messages. Enter multiple User IDs separated by commas to filter to specific people.
Include Bot Messages
- ✅ On — bot messages (automated responses, commands, etc.) are included in the archive
- ⬜ Off — only human messages are saved
Separate User Files
- ✅ On — creates an extra folder in the ZIP with one file per user, so you can see each person's messages separately
- ⬜ Off — all messages are in one combined file (recommended for most people)
Download Attachments
- ✅ On — images, videos, and files shared in the server are downloaded and included in the ZIP
- ⬜ Off — only text messages are saved (much faster, much smaller file size)
⚠️ Enabling attachments on a large server can produce very large ZIP files and take a long time. Start without it to test.
Click Date Range Filter to expand it.
- Set a From date to only archive messages after that date
- Set a To date to only archive messages before that date
- Leave both blank to archive everything
Click Channel Selection to expand it.
- Click Load Channels to fetch the list of channels from your server
- Check/uncheck individual channels to include or exclude them
- Use Select All to toggle everything at once
- Leave all unchecked to archive every channel
Click 🚀 Start Archive.
You will see a real-time progress screen showing:
- Which channel is currently being scanned
- How many channels have been completed
- How many messages have been found so far
- Attachment download progress (if enabled)
You can click Cancel at any time to stop. Messages already collected will still be available to download.
When the progress bar hits 100% and shows Done, you will see two options:
- Download ZIP — saves the archive directly to your Downloads folder through the browser
- Save to Local Folder — saves the ZIP to the
downloads/folder inside the project directory
Extract the ZIP file and you will find:
| File | How to open it |
|---|---|
*_readable.txt |
Open with Notepad, TextEdit, or any text editor — easiest to read |
*_messages.json |
For developers — open with a code editor or import into other tools |
by_channel/ |
One text file per channel — open any in a text editor |
by_user/ |
One file per user (if Separate User Files was enabled) |
attachments/ |
All downloaded images and files — open normally |
archive_info.json |
Summary stats — total messages, users, date range |
The *_readable.txt file is the easiest for most people — it looks like a chat log with timestamps, names, and messages.
All settings live in the .env file (created automatically from .env.example on first run via install.bat).
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
PORT |
5000 |
Port the web UI runs on |
CONCURRENT_CHANNELS |
1 |
Channels scanned in parallel — keep at 1 to avoid rate limits |
CONCURRENT_DOWNLOADS |
5 |
Attachment downloads in parallel — keep low to stay safe |
⚠️ Warning: RaisingCONCURRENT_CHANNELSorCONCURRENT_DOWNLOADSsignificantly increases the risk of Discord rate-limiting or flagging your bot token.
First: Enable Developer Mode — Discord Settings → Advanced → Developer Mode
| ID | How to Get It |
|---|---|
| Bot Token | Developer Portal → Your App → Bot → Reset Token |
| Server ID | Right-click server icon → Copy Server ID |
| User ID | Right-click your username → Copy User ID |
install.bat+install.sh— one-click installers for Windows, Linux, macOS, and Chromebook.envconfiguration — change port and concurrency without touching the code- In-app update notifications — get notified when a new version is available without checking GitHub
- Cancellation support — stop a running archive at any time
- Concurrent download protection — starting a second archive while one is running returns a clear error
- Proper error logging — all errors are logged with context, nothing silently swallowed
- CORS locked to localhost — the API is not exposed to other origins
- Python 3.10–3.14+ compatibility — works across all modern Python versions
- HTML export — browse your archive like a real chat interface in your browser
- DM backup support — archive direct messages and group DMs
- Scheduled backups — run automatic archives on a timer
- Search & filter — find specific messages inside a saved archive
- CSV export — open your messages directly in Excel or Google Sheets
- Incremental backups — only download new messages since your last archive
- Theme toggle — light mode option for the web UI
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| "Invalid bot token" | Verify the token is complete — try resetting it in the Developer Portal |
| "Server not found" | Make sure the bot has been invited to the server |
| "No messages found" | Check your User ID is correct and the bot can see those channels |
| "A download is already in progress" | Wait for the current download to finish or click Cancel |
pip install fails |
Make sure Python 3.10+ is installed and on your PATH |
| Port already in use | Change PORT=5000 to another port in your .env file |
| Chromebook: Linux not available | Go to Settings → Advanced → Developers → Linux development environment → Turn on |
Chromebook: python3 not found |
Run sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip in Terminal |
./install.sh: Permission denied |
Run chmod +x install.sh first, then ./install.sh |
Browser UI → Flask API → Discord Bot (discord.py)
↓
Reads message history
via official Discord API
↓
Filters by channel / user / date
↓
Downloads attachments (optional)
↓
Packages everything into a ZIP
↓
Download or save to disk
- You enter your bot token and server ID in the browser UI
- A Discord bot connects using the official
discord.pylibrary - It scans selected channels and collects message history
- Optionally downloads attachments in parallel batches
- Everything is packaged into a ZIP archive on your machine
- You download the ZIP or save it to the local
downloads/folder
Contributions are welcome! Please make sure any changes stay compliant with Discord's Terms of Service.
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch:
git checkout -b feature/your-feature - Commit your changes:
git commit -m 'Add your feature' - Push:
git push origin feature/your-feature - Open a Pull Request
MIT License — see LICENSE for details.
This software is provided "as-is" for personal archival purposes. The developers assume no liability for violations of Discord's Terms of Service, account suspensions, privacy violations, or any damages arising from the use of this software.
Use responsibly and at your own risk.
If Discord Archiver saved your memories or saved you time, consider giving it a star — it helps others find the project.
Found a bug? → Open an issue Have an idea? → Start a discussion Want to contribute? → Fork it, build it, PR it.
Built for personal data sovereignty and digital archival.