While there are a few different ways to backup your Gmail account data, let’s start with the easiest method that does not require any additional third-party software.
Method 1 – Gmail Backup using Takeout (Google’s native tool)
Google Takeout is Google’s native backup tool that allows you to create a copy of all your Google account data, along with the Gmail data.
Here’s how to use it – i. Go to MyAccount page and sign in to your account. ii. Click on Data & personalization on the left side. iii. Scroll down to the Download, delete, or make a plan for your data section, and select Download your data. iv. Next, from the list of all the different Google products and services that you have used, select the ones that you want to take the backup for and click on the Next step. v. Now, select the delivery method for your backup, export type, and the file size and type. And finally, click on Create archive.
Method 2 – Forward to another mail service (non-Google)
Unlike the first method where you use Google’s native tool to backup all your account data in a simplified manner, this method forwards all your upcoming emails to the account that you assign to forward them.
Here’s how – i. Open Gmail and sign in to your account. ii. Click on the gear icon next to the email count and select Settings. iii. Next, select Forwarding and POP/IMAP from the top menu bar. iv. Now, tap on Add a forwarding address and enter the email address you want to forward/backup your emails to. And, hit Next. v. On the pop-up window, click Proceed. vi. Now, sign in to the account you are forwarding your mails to and find the confirmation code. vii. Enter the code in the Forwarding section, next to the Verify input box, and hit Verify. viii. Finally, in the Forwarding section, select Forward a copy of incoming mail to [your email address] and select keep Gmail’s copy in the inbox, from the dropdown menu.
Method 3 – Download and archive
For this method, you can use any of the local email client apps such as Thunderbird, Outlook, or Apple Mail, and all your emails will be downloaded and archived to your local machine for offline access. So, even if you no longer have access to your account, you still retain access to your archive offline. For this method, we suggest using Microsoft’s Outlook, which works pretty well.
Here’s how to do it – i. Go to Gmail and sign in to your account. ii. Click on the gear icon next to the email count and hit Settings. iii. From the list of options in the top menu bar, select Forwarding and POP/IMAP. iv. Here, under IMAP access, select Enable IMAP. v. Next, select Labels from the top menu and check the Show in IMAP checkbox next to Inbox. vi. Now, open Microsoft Outlook, click File, and under the Account Information section, hit Add Account. vii. Here, enter the Gmail account and password for the account you want to add and hit the Connect button.
Method 4 – Third-party Gmail backup utilities
This method relies on third-party apps that allow you to backup your Gmail account data on the cloud. And since it does not store a local copy of all the data, a disadvantage with this method is that you can only access the data when you are connected to the internet. Here are a few third-party apps for the same – i. UpSafe – it is a simple and easy-to-use app that allows you to perform a full backup of your Gmail account. Some of the other benefits that it offers include backup on schedule, granular control over data, archiving mails, and more. In addition, it also allows you to backup your Office 365 data. ii. Spinbackup – Spinbackup is another backup solution similar to UpSafe. It allows you to backup all your Gmail data along with Office 365 data. Additionally, the service includes features like automated backup, deletion control, fast search, and many more.
Method 5 – Backup using Got Your Back
Got Your Back is a command-line tool that allows you to backup and restore your Gmail account in a few steps. Essentially, it is a Python app that connects to Gmail via oAuth to capture all your Gmail data. Here’s a detailed guide on how to use Got Your Back from start to finish. Those were some of the methods to backup your Gmail account data. Earlier, back when Google did not have its native tool for backup, things used to be slightly difficult. However, with Takeout, it is now as simple as a few clicks to backup all your Gmail data.
