I really like Trillian and it lets me keep my buddy list well organized, but it doesn’t keep your settings on a server so when you install it on another PC you have to do all the organization again manually. After searching the support forums, I found a solution that saved me that trouble. As part of a developing series of posts with things I’ve discovered moving from one laptop to another, here’s how to copy/move your Trillian buddy lists so you don’t have to rebuild them.

This will work to builid your list a fresh install or replace it on an install you’ve already been using. If it’s a fresh install, make sure that you’ve already installed all the plugins for the services you want to connect to (MSN, AIM, Yahoo, etc…).

1. Exit Trillian on the target computer if it’s running
2. On the source computer, make a copy of this file and send it somewhere it’s accessible to the target:
   
   C:\Program Files\Trillian\users\default\Buddies.xml
3. On the target computer, rename that file (just in case) and paste the one you copied in the same directory
4. Start up Trillian on the target computer and you should see your list configured like the one on the source.

Easy right?

As a side note, my two favorite plugins for Trillian are the spellchecker and the splitter (I am notorious for typing too much). And I also can’t live without SIMP, a Trillian compatible message encryption tool to keep your messages private (free for one provider in a Lite version, but cheap to cover them all).