Gmail Backup

The quickest reliable Gmail backup is an export from Google Takeout, Google’s own tool for downloading your data. Go to takeout.google.com, click Deselect all, check Mail, click Next step, and then click Create export. Google emails you a link to an archive that holds your messages and attachments.

Google says the archive can take from a few minutes to a few days to prepare, though most people get their link the same day. That export is a snapshot of the mail in your account at the time you ask for it. To keep copying new mail after that, you can schedule repeat exports, forward incoming mail to a second address, or sync Gmail to a desktop email program. This guide covers each option, what it does and does not save, and how to check that your backup worked.

What you need before you start

These steps apply to personal Gmail accounts used in a web browser as of October 2026. Google changes page layouts and labels from time to time, so a button may be worded slightly differently on your screen.

• A computer. Google recommends downloading and viewing Takeout exports on a desktop computer, not a phone or tablet. Its forwarding instructions are also written for a computer.
• Your Google Account sign-in. Google may ask for your password again, and for your 2-Step Verification step if you use it, before it lets you download an archive.
• Enough free storage. A mailbox with years of attachments can be many gigabytes. Check the free space on your computer or external drive first.

If your Gmail address comes from work or school, some data might not be available to download, because your administrator controls that option. Ask your IT contact if Mail is missing from Takeout.

How to back up Gmail with Google Takeout

Use this method for a full copy of the mail that is already in your account. Google documents the process in its guide to downloading your Google data.

1. On your computer, go to takeout.google.com and sign in to the Google Account that holds the mail you want to save.
2. Every Google product that holds your data starts out selected. Click Deselect all at the top of the list so the export contains only your email.
3. Scroll down to Mail and check its box.
4. Optional: click the button that says All Mail data included and pick specific labels if you only want part of your mailbox. Leave it alone to export everything.
5. Scroll to the bottom and click Next step.
6. Under the delivery method, choose Send download link via email to download the file yourself. You can instead have Google add the archive to Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, or Box.
7. Choose a one-time export, or a scheduled export if you want Google to repeat it automatically.
8. Choose the file type, .zip or .tgz. Zip is the safer choice for most people because Windows and macOS open it without extra software.
9. Choose the maximum archive size. If your data is larger than the size you pick, Google splits it into several files. Picking the 50GB size reduces the chance of a split.
10. Click Create export.

Google then prepares the archive and sends an email when it is ready. If you chose the email link, open that message, click the link, sign in again if asked, and save the file to your computer. If you chose a cloud service, the email links to the folder where the archive was placed.

Do not wait too long. Google says an archive expires in about 7 days and can be downloaded only 5 times. After that you have to request a new one. An expired archive has no effect on the mail in your account.

What the Takeout export includes

According to Google’s page on exporting your data from Gmail, the download includes message content, message headers, and attachments. It covers messages in the Inbox, Sent, Drafts, archived mail, and also Spam and Trash, along with your own labels. Settings such as signatures, your vacation response, filters, blocked addresses, and forwarding addresses are part of the export too.

There are limits to know about:

• Deleted mail is not included. You can only download data that has not been deleted.
• No date ranges. Google says it does not support exporting mail by time frame. You can narrow an export by label, but not by date.
• Encrypted messages stay encrypted in the download.
• Very recent changes may be missing. Anything that changes between your request and the moment the archive is built may not be in the file.
• Labels are stored in a header. Google keeps each message’s labels in a special X-Gmail-Labels header. It notes that mail programs do not read that header on their own, so your label layout may not reappear automatically when you open the mail elsewhere.

How to open the exported mail

Unzip the archive first. Inside is a file named archive_browser.html. Open it in your web browser to see what the export contains, which file formats were used, and how to open them.

The mail itself is saved as a mailbox file rather than as separate documents. Takeout shows the format next to Mail when you set up the export, and it is commonly an MBOX file, which is a single file that holds many messages. You need a desktop email program that can import that format to read it. Check the import instructions from the maker of the program you choose.

Takeout or forwarding: which one do you need?

Many people set up forwarding and assume their whole mailbox is protected. It is not. Forwarding only handles mail that arrives after you turn it on, while Takeout copies what is already there.

Method	Copies existing mail	Copies new mail	Where the copy lives
Google Takeout export	Yes	Only when you export again or schedule exports	A file on your computer or cloud storage
Automatic forwarding	No	Yes, except spam	Another email account
Desktop email program	Yes, once it finishes syncing	Yes, while the program stays connected	Your computer
Download message	One message at a time	No	An .eml file on your computer

For the widest coverage, run a Takeout export first and then turn on forwarding or scheduled exports so new mail keeps getting copied.

How to back up new Gmail messages to another address

Automatic forwarding sends a copy of each new message to a second email address that you control, such as an Outlook.com account or another Gmail account. Google does not forward spam. The steps below follow Google’s instructions for automatically forwarding Gmail messages.

Before you start: forwarding sends a copy of all of your new mail to the other address, including password reset emails and other private messages. Only forward to an account that you own and that has a strong password and its own two-step sign-in.

1. On your computer, open Gmail and sign in to the account you want to back up.
2. At the top right, click the Settings gear, then click See all settings.
3. Click the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab. On some accounts it is simply called Forwarding.
4. In the Forwarding section, click Add a forwarding address.
5. Enter the backup email address, then click Next, Proceed, and OK.
6. Open the inbox of the backup address and click the verification link in the message Google sent there.
7. Go back to the Gmail settings page and refresh your browser.
8. Open the same tab again and select Forward a copy of incoming mail to.
9. Choose what happens to Gmail’s copy. Google recommends Keep Gmail’s copy in the Inbox. For a backup, avoid any option that deletes Gmail’s copy.
10. At the bottom of the page, click Save Changes.

Our separate guide on how to automatically forward emails in Gmail covers forwarding in more detail, including forwarding only certain messages with a filter.

How to keep a synced copy in a desktop email program

A desktop email program, also called an email client, can download your Gmail to your computer and keep it up to date. Google names Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail, and Mozilla Thunderbird as examples, and says your messages and labels are synced with the client when you add Gmail.

Older instructions, including the earlier version of this article, told you to check Enable IMAP in Gmail settings first. That step is gone. Google says that since January 2025 personal accounts no longer have an Enable IMAP or Disable IMAP option, because IMAP access is always turned on. IMAP is the standard that lets a mail program sync with a mail server. You can read more in our article about IMAP in Gmail.

1. Install the email program you want to use and open it.
2. Start adding an email account and look for the option to Sign in with Google.
3. Sign in on Google’s own sign-in page and approve the access request.
4. Leave the program open until it finishes downloading your mail. A large mailbox can take a long time.

Google no longer supports apps that ask you to type your Google username and password directly into the app. If a program does not offer Sign in with Google, Google’s advice is to contact that program’s developer. See Google’s page on adding Gmail to another email client for the current rules.

One caution: a synced copy is a mirror, not an archive. Depending on how the program is set up, a message you delete in Gmail can also disappear from the program at the next sync, and some programs download only part of each message until you open it. Do not rely on a synced client as your only backup. If you want the copy protected against a failed hard drive too, include the program’s data folder in your regular computer backup. A backup assistant program can handle that for the rest of your local files as well.

How to save a single important email

You do not need a full export to keep one receipt or contract.

1. On your computer, open the email in Gmail.
2. Click More, the three-dot button on the message.
3. Click Download message.

Gmail saves the message as an .eml file. Google notes that you need a desktop mail client to open that file.

Other things worth backing up

• Filters. In Gmail, go to Settings > See all settings > Filters and Blocked Addresses, check the box next to the filters you want, and click Export at the bottom. Gmail gives you an .xml file that you can bring back later with Import filters. If you want to tidy them up first, see how to delete or edit a filter in Gmail.
• Contacts. Your address book is a separate Google product. In Google Contacts, select the contacts, click More actions, then Export, and choose Google CSV for a backup.
• Calendar, Drive, and Photos. These are separate entries in Google Takeout. Check their boxes in the same export, or run a second export for them.

How to confirm your backup worked

• Takeout: unzip the archive, open archive_browser.html, and confirm that Mail is listed. Check that the mail file is a sensible size for your mailbox. For full confidence, import it into a desktop email program and look for a few old and a few recent messages.
• Forwarding: send yourself a test email from a different account and confirm it arrives in both inboxes. Gmail also shows a notice that says you are forwarding your email to the address you chose.
• Desktop program: disconnect from the internet and try to open an older message with an attachment. If it opens, that message is stored on your computer.

Store at least one copy somewhere other than your main computer, such as an external drive, so a single failure does not take out both your computer and your backup.

How to turn a backup off

To stop forwarding, open Gmail on your computer, go to Settings > See all settings, open the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab, click Disable forwarding, and then click Save Changes.

A Takeout export does not need to be undone. Downloading your data does not delete anything from Google’s servers, so your mailbox stays exactly as it was. To stop scheduled exports, return to Google Takeout and manage your exports there. To stop a desktop program from syncing, remove the Gmail account from that program.

Troubleshooting Gmail backup problems

• Mail is not listed in Takeout. On a work or school account, an administrator may have turned off downloads for that product. Personal accounts should see Mail in the list.
• The export fails or the download does not work. Google suggests creating another archive, selecting fewer products, or choosing a smaller archive size. Sending the export to a cloud storage service is another option it suggests.
• The export is delayed. Google says actions that seem risky may be delayed or unavailable to protect your account. If you are enrolled in the Advanced Protection Program, the archive is scheduled for two days in the future.
• The download link stopped working. The archive has probably expired after about 7 days or reached its 5 downloads. Request a new export.
• You cannot open a .tgz file. Google notes that special software may be required to unpack that type. Request the export again as a .zip file.
• An email program rejects your password. Use the program’s Sign in with Google option. Gmail no longer supports apps that need your Google password typed into them.
• The verification email for forwarding never arrived. Check the spam folder of the backup address and confirm you typed the address correctly, then add the forwarding address again.
• A forwarding notice appears and you did not set it up. Treat this as a security warning. Turn off forwarding, change your Google password, and review your account security settings.

Frequently asked questions

Does Gmail back up my email automatically?

Gmail stores your mail on Google’s servers, so it survives a lost or broken computer. That is not the same as a personal backup. If you delete a message, it stays in Trash for up to 30 days and is then permanently deleted, and Google says it cannot be recovered after that. A separate copy protects you from that kind of loss and from losing access to the account.

Is backing up Gmail free?

Yes. Google Takeout, automatic forwarding, and the Download message option are built into your Google Account at no charge. An export sent to Google Drive is stored in your Drive, so make sure you have room there.

Can I export only the emails from one year?

Not by date. Google says Takeout does not support time frame exports. A workaround is to apply a label to the messages you want in Gmail, and then choose only that label when you set up the Mail export.

Will forwarding back up my old emails?

No. Automatic forwarding only sends new messages that arrive after you turn it on. Use a Google Takeout export or a desktop email program to copy the mail that is already in your account.

Should I back up Gmail before deleting my Google Account?

Yes, if you want to keep any of the mail. Run the export, download it, and confirm you can open it before you delete anything. If you sent the export to Google Drive, Google warns that you must move the archive to a different storage space before deleting the account.

Next step

Start a Google Takeout export of Mail today, then add a reminder to download it when Google’s email arrives, since the link expires in about a week. Once the file is saved in a second place, turn on forwarding or scheduled exports so new mail is covered as well.