How to Export and Backup Archived Emails from Gmail – WP Reset

Backing up archived emails from Gmail is a crucial step in maintaining your digital security and ensuring that important correspondence or documents are not lost due to time or technical issues. Whether you’re migrating accounts, cleaning out your inbox, or simply taking precautions for long-term data storage, it’s essential that you understand how to export your Gmail messages securely.

TLDR: Google lets you export and backup your Gmail data, including archived emails, using its Takeout service. This is a free and reliable method that allows you to create a downloadable archive of your email. Once downloaded, the data can be securely stored on an external drive or transferred to another email client. Backups ensure that you are protected against data loss, accidental deletion, or account loss.

Why you should export and back up your archived emails

Archived emails in Gmail are the emails that you have deleted from the inbox without deleting them. They still exist in your account and can be accessed via the ‘All Posts’ label. However, relying solely on cloud storage (even one as reliable as Google) comes with risks. These may include:

• Accidentally delete
• Loss of access to your account
• Hacking attempts or account compromise
• Corporate email retention policy (for institutional accounts)
• Desire to migrate to another email service

Exporting and backing up your archived emails gives you peace of mind knowing that important documents, contracts, files and conversations are preserved.

Step-by-step guide to exporting archived emails with Google Takeout

Google Takeout is the official service you should use to export emails. This allows you to download all your data from various Google services, including Gmail. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Go to Google Takeout
   Visit https://takeout.google.com/ and log in to your Google account.
2. Select Data to export
   By default, all Google services are selected. Click on “Deselect all” and scroll down Mail. Check the box next to it.
3. Choose Data to include
   Click on the ‘All email data included’ button. Here you can choose whether you want to export the entire email archive or limit it using labels. Select Record all messages in Mail if you want to export everything, including archived emails.
4. Select File type and delivery method
   You can choose your preferred file format (e.g. .zip or .tgz), the file size (maximum per download file) and how you want to receive it (download link by email, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or Box).
5. Create export
   Click ‘Create export’. Depending on the number of emails, this process can take minutes or hours. You will be notified by email as soon as the archive is ready.

Important: The downloaded data is in the MBOX format, which is widely compatible with many email applications such as Mozilla Thunderbird, Apple Mail and Outlook.

Open and view exported emails

Once you download the archive, you can import the .mbox file into an email client for easy reading and retrieval.

Here’s how you can do this using Mozilla Thunderbirdone of the most popular open source options:

1. Install Mozilla Thunderbird and open it.
2. Install the ImportExportTools OR addon:
   • Go to Tools > Add-onsand search for “ImportExportTools NG.”
   • Install and restart Thunderbird.
3. Use the add-on to import the MBOX file:
   • Right-click on “Local Folders” in Thunderbird.
   • Select ImportExportTools NG > Import Mbox file.
   • Choose ‘Import one or more mbox files directly’ and then select your MBOX file.

Once imported, all your emails, including archived emails, are visible, searchable, and ready for long-term storage or migration.

Store your email backup securely

Having a backup is just the first step. It is equally important to store it wisely:

• Use external storage: Save a copy of the MBOX file on an external hard drive or encrypted USB stick.
• Cloud redundancy: Upload a copy to a secure, secondary cloud service (Google Drive, iCloud, OneDrive).
• Password protection: Use encryption tools like VeraCrypt to lock and secure sensitive data.

It’s always wise to store multiple copies in different locations to protect against physical theft, hardware failure, or digital breaches.

Email backup automation

If regular backups are important to your workflow or business, consider automating the process using third-party tools. Several cloud-to-local backup solutions for Gmail exist, including:

• Gmvault: A command-line tool for creating and syncing Gmail backups. It works on Windows, macOS and Linux.
• Mailstore Home: A free software for Windows that archives emails from Gmail and other providers.
• SysTools Gmail backup: Offers scheduled backups and several format options, although typically paid.

These solutions offer more advanced features, such as filtering by date, automatically updated backups, and easier recovery functionalities.

Restore exported emails to Gmail

In some cases, you may want to restore backup emails to your current or another Gmail account. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Set up an email client such as Thunderbird or Outlook.
2. Import the MBOX file using the appropriate method (varies by client).
3. Add your Gmail account in the same client using IMAP settings.
4. Drag emails or folders from the imported MBOX archive to your Gmail inbox or labels.

This will sync the imported emails back to the Gmail servers and make them accessible from any device using that Gmail account.

Best practices and considerations

Here are some tips to ensure your email export and backup process is effective and secure:

• Repeat the export periodically: Email archives grow over time, so set a calendar reminder to update your backup quarterly or semi-annually.
• Testing restorations: Try to import backups occasionally to ensure that the files are not corrupted and that your procedures are working.
• Stay compliant: If you work in healthcare, finance, or legal, make sure your backups meet compliance standards like HIPAA or GDPR.
• Label your files: Include date and account information in the file name to stay organized (for example, MyGmailBackup_March2024.mbox).

Conclusion

Backing up your archived emails and exporting them from Gmail is a best practice rooted in data protection and digital resilience. Whether you’re an individual user, a business professional, or an IT administrator, having access to your own data (independent of Google’s servers) will minimize future headaches and strengthen your communications strategy. With tools like Google Takeout and reliable viewing/import methods, the backup process is more accessible than ever.

By following the steps outlined above and implementing proper storage and backup routines, you will not only create a reliable recovery plan, but also safeguard years of important communications.