QQ keeps a local data store — a vault — on your device. Before reinstalling or switching computers, backing it up is the safest way to keep your cached chats and received files.
It helps to know what lives where. Your account, contacts and recent synced history are tied to your QQ number in the cloud and return automatically when you sign in. The local vault holds cached message history and files you have received on that specific device. Cloud data is safe by default; the vault is the part worth backing up.
Exit QQ from the system tray and end any QQ processes in Task Manager. Copying a vault while QQ is running can produce an incomplete backup.
Find QQ's local data folder (its vault) in your user profile's documents or app-data area. This is where cached chats and received files are kept.
Copy the whole folder to an external drive or a cloud-storage folder. This is your backup — keep it until you have confirmed everything is restored.
In a simple markdown file, record your QQ number, registered phone and any important group IDs. Store it with the vault backup so restoring is effortless.
After reinstalling QQ and signing in, close QQ again and copy your backed-up vault folder back into place if you need the local cache. Reopen QQ to confirm.
The QQ vault is the local data folder QQ keeps on your device for cached chat history and received files. It is separate from your cloud account data, which is tied to your QQ number. Backing up the vault preserves anything stored only on that device.
Fully close QQ, then copy its local data folder (the vault) to another drive or a cloud folder. Keep a markdown note of your QQ number alongside it. After reinstalling and signing in, restore the folder if you need the local cache.
Cloud-synced account data returns when you sign back in, so contacts and recent history are safe. Only locally cached items that were never synced live solely in the vault, so backing it up is the way to be certain you keep everything.
Back up your vault, then reinstall or move devices with confidence.