Backing Up Gmail Emails Locally
Recently I was tasked with creating a local backup for my team’s old emails. Extra storage space is always for sale from large providers like Google. Creating local email storage backup will save your team money on your ever-expanding email inbox as well as make these emails searchable/viewable offline if you’re ever disconnected from the internet. Take these steps to save money and increase your information security:
- Go to myaccount.google.com
- Enter in your applicable username/password if prompted
- Click on “Manage your data & personalization” within the Privacy & personalization section in the middle of the page
- Scroll down to “Download or delete your data” and click on the top option allowing you to make a copy of your gmail data
- Deselect all options here
- Select the box next to “Mail”
- Click on other applicable services if you’re interested in backing them up
- Scroll all the way down the page and click onto “Next step”
- A menu will open with delivery preferences. You can save your email backup files (.mbox format) via Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or even with an email link to your own directory.
- An export can be initiated once or setup automatically for every 2 months
- .zip/.tgz files can be selected to your preference (.zip are most versatile)
- .mbox size split preferences are accessible as well
- Click “Create Export” and you will be notified via email when the export file is ready
- This could take a very long time
- Mozilla’s Thunderbird platform is my preferred way to view .mbox backup files
Need help with your IT? Contact Jeffrey Edwards at jedwards@smartofficeusa.com or 469-281-1425.
Written by Jeffrey Edwards.
