Step-by-Step Guide to Backing Up Gmail Emails

Here's a simple and secure way to back up your Gmail data, including emails, contacts, calendars, and documents, with the help of the SysTools Gmail Backup software.

Gmail Backup Process for Windows

STEP 1

Launch the SysTools Gmail Backup software on your Windows machine. The initial screen will appear as shown below.

SysTools Gmail Backup Tool main interface

STEP 2

The tool provides a Help pane on the right side for quick assistance and guidance during the backup process.

Help pane in the backup tool

STEP 3

In the Setup screen, select Gmail as the source platform and choose PST as the target backup format.

Select Gmail as source and PST as target

STEP 4

Under Workload Selection, check the boxes for the data categories you wish to back up. You can select all workloads or choose them individually.

Select All Categories:

Select all workloads for PST backup

Select Email Only:

Select Email workload for PST backup

Select Documents Only:

Select Document workload for PST backup

Select Contacts Only:

Select Contact workload for PST backup

Select Calendar Only:

Select Calendar workload for PST backup

STEP 5

Optionally, apply a Date Filter to back up data from a specific date range.

Apply date filter for PST backup

You can also enable Delete after download to remove items from the server after the backup is complete.

Enable Delete After Download for PST backup

STEP 6

Navigate to the Source screen and click Sign in with Gmail to begin the authentication process.

Source screen for authentication

Click the Sign in button to proceed.

Sign in with Gmail button

STEP 7

A new User Consent Window appears on the screen. Scroll to the bottom and click the Move To Permissions Grant Page button.

Move To Permissions Grant Page

A browser window will launch, redirecting you to Google's sign-in page. The tool automatically fetches the Gmail address. Press Next.

Note: If you don't see any window enable the show Popup option in your browser. Here are the steps to enable it most popular browsers.

    • Google Chrome (Desktop): Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Site Settings > Pop-ups and redirects, and select "Sites can send pop-ups and use redirects."
    • Apple Safari (on Mac): In Safari > Settings > Websites, select Pop-up Windows and choose "Allow" for "When visiting other websites."
    • Microsoft Edge: Go to Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Pop-ups and redirects, and turn off the "Block (recommended)" toggle.
    • Mozilla Firefox: In Settings > Privacy & Security, uncheck the "Block pop-up windows" box in the Permissions section.

Google sign-in page to enter email

Enter your password. Press Next.

Enter Gmail password

If you have 2-Step Verification enabled, you will be prompted to verify your identity.

Google two-step verification prompt

Grant the necessary permissions to the application by marking the checkboxes and clicking Continue.

Google permissions grant screen

Ensure all required permissions are checked.

Marking checkboxes to grant permissions

Click Continue to proceed.

Click continue to finalize permissions

STEP 8

You will see a confirmation that the authorization was successful.

Authorization successful message

Once authorization is successful, the permissions will be validated within the tool.

Permissions successfully granted in the tool

STEP 9

In the Destination screen, click Browse to select a folder for your PST file.

Browsing for PST file destination

You can also set the PST file size to split large backups into smaller, more manageable files.

Setting the PST file size

Click Validate to confirm the destination settings.

Validate destination settings for PST backup

Once validated, the path will be confirmed. Press Next.

PST destination validation complete

STEP 10

Click Fetch Workload Folders to load all folders from your Gmail account.

Fetching workload folders for PST backup

A confirmation prompt will appear. Click Continue to proceed.

Confirm fetching workload folders

STEP 11

After folders are fetched, you can select the specific ones you want to include in the backup. Each workload will be in its own specific tab.

Emails:

Selecting folders for PST backup

Documents:

Selecting folders for PST backup

Contacts:

Selecting folders for PST backup

Calendars:

Selecting folders for PST backup

STEP 12

Click Start Backup to begin the process.

Starting the PST backup process

Confirm that you wish to start the backup. This screen also shows your license usage. If the available license count is zero, you will need to procure more.

Confirm starting the backup

An alert will confirm that the backup has started. Click OK.

Backup started alert

The tool will display the real-time progress of the backup.

Real-time PST backup progress

STEP 13

You can click Stop Backup at any time to interrupt the process.

Stop backup progress

If you choose to stop, a confirmation prompt will appear.

Confirm stopping backup

The application will show that the backup process was stopped by the user.

Backup stopped confirmation

The dashboard status icon for the interrupted workload will change to a red circle with a square in the middle.

Backup stopped confirmation

STEP 14

Upon completion, all the workloads tiles have a Green tick next to them.

PST backup complete

After a successful backup, you have several options for the next action.

Post-backup options

STEP 15

Retry Failed Items: Use this if the first backup run completes with missing or faulty data. The list will be empty if all items were backed up correctly.

Retry Failed

Re-run Full Backup: Performs the entire backup again. This is useful when the first run encounters a major issue.

Re-run Full Backup

Delta Backup: Use this to back up only the new items that arrived in the mailbox during or after the start of the first backup run.

Delta Backup

STEP 16

Delete backed up items: This option is only available when backing up to the PST format. Click Start to begin the deletion process.

Post-backup options like retry and delta backup

A second pop-up appears. You must type "Delete" exactly as shown (capital D, lowercase letters) to confirm.

type Delete

Press the Delete button. Only proceed if you have verified that the backup is sufficient and correct. Only items that have been backed up will be deleted; all other data in your account will remain intact.

press Delete

The license quota page reappears. Click on Start.

press Start

The tool confirms the deletion request.

press OK

After deletion, the dashboard tiles will show a red icon with a cross next to it.

Dashboard status after deletion

STEP 17

You can also download a Backup Summary Report or a Detailed Report in CSV format.

Download post-backup reports

You will be prompted to save the summary report file.

Save summary report dialog

This is an example of the summary report.

View backup summary report

You can also download the detailed report.

Download detailed report

This is an example of the detailed report.

View detailed backup reports

STEP 18

Finally, navigate to the destination folder to find your backed-up PST file(s).

View backed up PST files in destination

STEP 19

Revoke Application Permissions from Google Account

Login to any Google Web app (Search, Gmail, Drive, etc).

Tap on your Profile icon and select the "Manage your Google Account" option.

Manage your Google Account option

On the Google Account Page, switch to the Security tab.

Scroll down till you see "Your connections to third-party apps & services".

Click on the SysTools Gmail Backup tool. If you dont see the SysTools Gmail Backup tool, click on "+# more" to get the full list.

Third-party apps & services section

Then, scroll and find or use the search bar to locate the SysTools Gmail Backup tool and click on it.

Find SysTools Gmail Backup tool

(Note, you can arrive here directly by logging into the https://myaccount.google.com/connections page)

On the SysTools Gmail Backup page, scroll down and click "Delete all connections you have with SysTools Gmail Backup."

Delete all connections button

Click on Confirm

Confirm deletion of connection

STEP 3

In the Setup screen, select Gmail as the source platform and choose MBOX as the target backup format.

Select Gmail as source and MBOX as target

STEP 4

For MBOX format, the workload is automatically set to Email.

Email workload selected for MBOX backup

You can apply a Date Filter for a specific date range backup.

Apply date filter for MBOX backup

You can also enable Delete after download to remove items from the server post-backup.

Enable Delete After Download for MBOX backup

STEP 5

Navigate to the Source screen and click Sign in with Gmail to begin the authentication process.

Source screen for authentication

Click the Sign in button to proceed.

Sign in with Gmail button

STEP 6

A new User Consent Window appears. Scroll down and click the Move To Permissions Grant Page button.

Move To Permissions Grant Page

You will be redirected to Google's sign-in page. The tool auto-fills the email address. Press Next.

Note: If you don't see any window enable the show Popup option in your browser. Here are the steps to enable it most popular browsers.

    • Google Chrome (Desktop): Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Site Settings > Pop-ups and redirects, and select "Sites can send pop-ups and use redirects."
    • Apple Safari (on Mac): In Safari > Settings > Websites, select Pop-up Windows and choose "Allow" for "When visiting other websites."
    • Microsoft Edge: Go to Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Pop-ups and redirects, and turn off the "Block (recommended)" toggle.
    • Mozilla Firefox: In Settings > Privacy & Security, uncheck the "Block pop-up windows" box in the Permissions section.

Google sign-in page

Enter your password

Enter Gmail password

Complete 2-Step Verification if enabled.

Google two-step verification

Grant the necessary permissions to the application and click Continue.

Marking checkboxes to grant permissions

Click Continue to proceed.

Click continue to finalize permissions

STEP 7

A confirmation message will show that authorization was successful.

Authorization successful message

The granted permissions for email will be validated within the tool.

Email permissions successfully granted in the tool

STEP 8

In the Destination screen, click Browse to select a folder for your MBOX file.

Browsing for MBOX file destination

Click Validate to confirm the path.

Press validate for MBOX destination

The destination path will be validated.

MBOX destination validated

STEP 9

Click Fetch Workload Folders to load email folders from your account.

Fetching workload for MBOX backup

Select the email folders to back up.

Selecting email folders for MBOX backup

After selecting folders, click OK.

Email folder selection complete for MBOX

STEP 10

Click Start Backup to begin.

Start backup button

A confirmation prompt will appear. Click Continue.

Confirm start backup for email only

Monitor the backup progress in the real-time dashboard.

MBOX backup in progress

STEP 11

You can click Stop Backup at any time.

Stop backup progress

If you choose to stop, a confirmation prompt will appear.

Confirm stopping backup

The application will show that the backup process was stopped by the user.

Backup stopped confirmation

The dashboard status will show a red circle with a square in the middle.

Backup stopped confirmation

STEP 12

When the backup is fully complete, the dashboard will show a green tick.

MBOX backup complete

After a successful backup, you have several options for the next action.

Post-backup options

STEP 13

Retry Failed Items: Use this if the first backup run completes with missing or faulty data.

Retry Failed

Re-run Full Backup: Performs the entire backup again.

Re-run Full Backup

Delta Backup: Use this to back up only new items.

Delta Backup

Delete backed up items: This option allows you to remove the data you just backed up from your Google account.

Post-backup options like retry and delta backup

STEP 14

You can also download a Backup Summary Report or a Detailed Report in CSV format.

Download post-backup reports

You will be prompted to save the summary report file.

Save summary report dialog

This is an example of the summary report.

View backup summary report

You can also download the detailed report.

Download detailed report

This is an example of the detailed report.

View detailed backup reports

STEP 15

Navigate to the destination to find your MBOX file.

View backed up MBOX file

STEP 16

Revoke Application Permissions from Google Account

Login to any Google Web app (Search, Gmail, Drive, etc).

Tap on your Profile icon and select the "Manage your Google Account" option.

Manage your Google Account option

On the Google Account Page, switch to the Security tab.

Scroll down till you see "Your connections to third-party apps & services".

Click on the SysTools Gmail Backup tool. If you dont see the SysTools Gmail Backup tool, click on "+# more" to get the full list.

Third-party apps & services section

Then, scroll and find or use the search bar to locate the SysTools Gmail Backup tool and click on it.

Find SysTools Gmail Backup tool

(Note, you can arrive here directly by logging into the https://myaccount.google.com/connections page)

On the SysTools Gmail Backup page, scroll down and click "Delete all connections you have with SysTools Gmail Backup."

Delete all connections button

Click on Confirm

Confirm deletion of connection

STEP 3

In the Setup screen, select Gmail as the source platform and choose File System as the target backup format. This format saves items as individual files:

  • Emails are saved as EML files.
  • Contacts are saved as VCF (vCard) files.
  • Calendars are saved as ICS files.
  • Google Drive Documents are saved in their native formats (e.g., .docx, .xlsx, .pptx).

Select Gmail as source and File System as target

STEP 4

Under Workload Selection, check the boxes for the data categories you wish to back up. You can select each workload option individually.

Select Email:

Select Email workload for File System backup

Select Contacts:

Select Contact workload for File System backup

Select Calendar:

Select Calendar workload for File System backup

Select Documents:

Select Document workload for File System backup

STEP 5

Optionally, apply a Date Filter to back up data from a specific date range.

Apply date filter for File System backup

You can also enable Delete after download to remove items from the server post-backup.

Enable Delete After Download for File System backup

STEP 6

Navigate to the Source screen and click Sign in with Gmail to begin the authentication process.

Source screen for authentication

Click the Sign in button to proceed.

Sign in with Gmail button

STEP 7

A new User Consent Window appears. Scroll down and click Move To Permissions Grant Page.

Move To Permissions Grant Page

A browser window will launch for Google sign-in. Press Next.

Note: If you don't see any window enable the show Popup option in your browser. Here are the steps to enable it most popular browsers.

    • Google Chrome (Desktop): Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Site Settings > Pop-ups and redirects, and select "Sites can send pop-ups and use redirects."
    • Apple Safari (on Mac): In Safari > Settings > Websites, select Pop-up Windows and choose "Allow" for "When visiting other websites."
    • Microsoft Edge: Go to Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Pop-ups and redirects, and turn off the "Block (recommended)" toggle.
    • Mozilla Firefox: In Settings > Privacy & Security, uncheck the "Block pop-up windows" box in the Permissions section.

Google sign-in page to enter email

Enter your password.

Enter Gmail password

Verify your identity if prompted.

Google two-step verification prompt

Grant the necessary permissions to the application and click Continue.

Google permissions grant screen

Marking checkboxes to grant permissions

Click continue to finalize permissions

STEP 8

A confirmation page will show that authorization was successful.

Authorization successful page

Once authorized, the permissions will be validated in the tool.

Permissions successfully granted in the tool

STEP 9

In the Destination screen, click Browse to select a folder path for your backup files.

Browsing for a destination folder

You can also set a Naming Convention for the exported files.

Setting a naming convention for backed up files

Click Validate once done.

Destination path validated successfully

STEP 10

Click Fetch Workload Folders to load all folders from your Gmail account.

Fetching workload folders

Once the fetch is complete, Click OK. Now you can select specific folders for each category.

Workload fetch complete

STEP 11

Select Email Folders:

Select specific email folders

Choose specific email folders to back up.

Email folder selection for backup

Select Document Folders:

Select specific document folders

Choose specific document folders to back up.

Document folder selection for backup

Select Contact Folders:

Select specific contact folders

Choose specific contact groups to back up.

Contact folder selection for backup

Select Calendar Folders:

Select specific calendar folders

Choose specific calendars to back up.

Calendar folder selection for backup

STEP 12

Click Start Backup to begin the process.

Click start backup button

The tool will show a real-time dashboard of the backup progress.

Real-time backup progress dashboard

STEP 13

It is possible to stop the backup midway. Click on the Stop button at the top right corner.

Stop backup progress

Confirm that you want to stop the process.

Confirm Stoppage

The tool stops the backup.

Backup Stops

If you stop the backup, the status icon of the workload changes to a red circle with a square in the middle.

Dashboard Icons after stopping

STEP 14

Once the backup is complete, a confirmation screen will appear. A green tick indicates a successful, error-free backup. A red tick also indicates completion but with errors.

Gmail backup process complete

You have four different post-backup options:

Post-backup options

STEP 15

Retry Failed Items: Use this option if the first backup run completes with missing or faulty data.

Retry Failed

Re-run Full Backup: This performs the entire backup again.

Re-run Full Backup

Delta Backup: Use this to back up only the new items that arrived since the last backup.

Delta Backup

Delete backed up items: This option allows you to remove the data you just backed up from your Google account.

Post-backup options like retry and delta backup

STEP 16

You can download a Backup Summary Report or a Detailed Report for your records.

Download post-backup reports

Save Summary Report

Save backup summary report

This is a view of the backup summary report.

View backup summary report

Downloading the detailed report requires a few more steps. First, select the user(s) and click on Download.

Generate detailed backup reports

Download the newly generated detailed report.

Download detailed backup reports

Save the newly downloaded detailed report.

Save detailed backup reports

The detailed report is in ZIP format, so you will need to extract it.

Extract detailed backup reports

This is a view of the detailed report. Open the workload-wise CSV to see its content.

View detailed backup reports

STEP 17

Navigate to the destination folder to view your backed-up data, organized by category.

Main Backup Folder:

View all backed up data in destination folder

Data will be organized by folder as it was in your account.

View data organized by folder

Email Data (EML files):

View backed up email data

Contact Data (VCF files):

View backed up contact data

Calendar Data (ICS files):

View backed up calendar data

Document Data (Native formats):

View backed up document data

STEP 18

Revoke Application Permissions from Google Account

Login to any Google Web app (Search, Gmail, Drive, etc).

Tap on your Profile icon and select the "Manage your Google Account" option.

Manage your Google Account option

On the Google Account Page, switch to the Security tab.

Scroll down till you see "Your connections to third-party apps & services".

Click on the SysTools Gmail Backup tool. If you dont see the SysTools Gmail Backup tool, click on "+# more" to get the full list.

Third-party apps & services section

Then, scroll and find or use the search bar to locate the SysTools Gmail Backup tool and click on it.

Find SysTools Gmail Backup tool

(Note, you can arrive here directly by logging into the https://myaccount.google.com/connections page)

On the SysTools Gmail Backup page, scroll down and click "Delete all connections you have with SysTools Gmail Backup."

Delete all connections button

Click on Confirm

Confirm deletion of connection

STEP 3

In the Setup screen, select Gmail as the source platform and choose PDF as the target backup format.

Select Gmail as source and PDF as target

STEP 4

Under Workload Selection, choose the categories (Email, Contact, Calendar) you wish to save as PDF.

Select Email:

Select Email workload for PDF backup

Select Contacts:

Select Contact workload for PDF backup

Select Calendar:

Select Calendar workload for PDF backup

STEP 5

Apply a Date Filter.

Apply date filter for PDF backup

Enable Delete after download if required.

Enable Delete After Download for PDF backup

STEP 6

Navigate to the Source screen and click Sign in with Gmail to begin the authentication process.

Source screen for authentication

Click the Sign in button to proceed.

Sign in with Gmail button

STEP 7

A new User Consent Window appears. Scroll down and click Move To Permissions Grant Page.

Move To Permissions Grant Page

A browser window will launch for Google sign-in. Press Next.

Note: If you don't see any window enable the show Popup option in your browser. Here are the steps to enable it most popular browsers.

    • Google Chrome (Desktop): Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Site Settings > Pop-ups and redirects, and select "Sites can send pop-ups and use redirects."
    • Apple Safari (on Mac): In Safari > Settings > Websites, select Pop-up Windows and choose "Allow" for "When visiting other websites."
    • Microsoft Edge: Go to Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Pop-ups and redirects, and turn off the "Block (recommended)" toggle.
    • Mozilla Firefox: In Settings > Privacy & Security, uncheck the "Block pop-up windows" box in the Permissions section.

Google sign-in page to enter email

Enter your password

Enter Gmail password

Verify your identity if prompted.

Google two-step verification prompt

Grant the necessary permissions to the application.

Google permissions grant screen

Marking checkboxes to grant permissions

Click Continue.

Click continue to finalize permissions

STEP 8

A confirmation page will show that authorization was successful.

Authorization successful page

Once authorized, the permissions will be validated in the tool.

Permissions successfully granted in the tool

STEP 9

In the Destination screen, Browse for a destination path.

Browsing for PDF file destination

Set a Naming Convention for your PDF files.

Setting a naming convention for PDF files

Click Validate to continue.

Validate PDF destination settings

STEP 10

Click Fetch Workload Folders to load folders from your account.

Fetching workload for PDF backup

Once fetched, select the specific folders for each category (Emails, Contacts, Calendars).

Select Email Folders:

Selecting email folders for PDF backup

Email folders selected for PDF backup

Select Contact Folders:

Selecting contact folders for PDF backup

Contact folders selected for PDF backup

Select Calendar Folders:

Selecting calendar folders for PDF backup

Calendar folders selected for PDF backup

STEP 11

Click Start Backup.

Start Backup button

Confirm the backup and your license usage.

Confirm starting PDF backup

An alert will confirm the backup has started.

PDF backup started alert

Monitor the process in the real-time dashboard.

PDF backup in progress

STEP 12

View the completion status and download reports as needed.

PDF backup complete

Navigate to the destination folder to view your backed-up PDF files.

View backed up PDF files

STEP 13

Revoke Application Permissions from Google Account

Login to any Google Web app (Search, Gmail, Drive, etc).

Tap on your Profile icon and select the "Manage your Google Account" option.

Manage your Google Account option

On the Google Account Page, switch to the Security tab.

Scroll down till you see "Your connections to third-party apps & services".

Click on the SysTools Gmail Backup tool. If you dont see the SysTools Gmail Backup tool, click on "+# more" to get the full list.

Third-party apps & services section

Then, scroll and find or use the search bar to locate the SysTools Gmail Backup tool and click on it.

Find SysTools Gmail Backup tool

(Note, you can arrive here directly by logging into the https://myaccount.google.com/connections page)

On the SysTools Gmail Backup page, scroll down and click "Delete all connections you have with SysTools Gmail Backup."

Delete all connections button

Click on Confirm

Confirm deletion of connection

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