Download your Google data

In February 2021, Google announced it would be phasing out the unlimited and free storage allocation previously available to schools and universities that use Google Drive. Instead, it will offer a base amount of storage for a fixed fee and a charge for additional storage. An initiative is underway to support the university’s transformation to a new Google service. 

You can download all your Google data, including Gmail messages, Drive files, contacts, and more, using Google Takeout. Here’s how:

Using a web browser:

  1. Go to the Google Takeout page: https://takeout.google.com/settings/takeout
  2. You might need to sign in to your Google account if you aren’t already.
  3. The page will display a list of all Google products for which you can download your data. By default, most products will be selected.
  4. Deselect any products you don’t want to download data from.
  5. You can also choose specific data points within a product. For example, in Gmail, you can choose to download all labels or only specific ones. Look for the dropdown menu or “Select data” option next to the product name.
  6. Scroll down and choose your preferred export options:
    • Delivery method: Select how you want to receive your data. You can choose to download it directly, add it to your Dropbox or Google Drive, or schedule exports every two months for a year.
    • File type: Choose between a ZIP archive or a .tgz archive.
    • Archive size: You can set a maximum size for each archive file (default is 2GB). This might be helpful if you have a limited internet download capacity and want to split the data into smaller chunks.
  7. Once you’ve selected your options, click Next.
  8. Google will start preparing your data archive. This might take some time depending on the amount of data you have. You’ll receive an email notification when your archive is ready for download.
  9. In the email, click the link to download your archive. You’ll need to sign in to your Google account again.
  10. Locate the downloaded archive file on your computer and extract its contents.

Important Notes:

  • Downloaded data might not be in its original format for all products.
  • Google Takeout might not support downloading data for all Google products or features. Refer to the Google Takeout help page for the latest information: https://takeout.google.com/settings/takeout
  • Make sure you have enough storage space on your device to hold the downloaded archive.

By following these steps, you can create a backup of your important Google data and download it for safekeeping or transferring to another platform.

Useful Links

Google Workspace
Google Collaboration