How to Export Gmail Emails to PST on Mac And Windows OS?
Are you looking for solutions on how to export Gmail emails to PST file format on your personal system? If Yes, then rejoice Gmail users! We are here to provide a solution to archive Gmail emails easily. In this technical write-up, we will discuss how you can export and save your Gmail emails to PST file format using different solutions. This article includes both manual as well as automated solutions, therefore, you can read this through and decide which solution is the best fit for you. So, without further delay, let’s get started with the article.
Table of Contents:
The following write-up will discuss the process of exporting Gmail emails to the PST file format. However, let us first explore the table of contents:
There is a huge population that uses Gmail for several reasons — it’s free, fast, all-time available, and provides a generous amount of storage. Consequently, it is an amazing application and one of the best examples of cloud technology.
But Do You Know? Even the data saved on Gmail accounts is vulnerable to cyber-attacks and system crashes. Moreover, you could also just accidentally delete your own Gmail emails.
Yes, you heard it right! Accidental deletion is one of the biggest reasons to archive or export emails from Gmail to PST file formats.
If you want to export Gmail emails directly from your Google account, then install the backup solution and perform your task. You can also export Gmail to PST without Outlook being installed on your Windows or Mac system.
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If you already have a Gmail MBOX file, then you can directly convert it into the PST file format. Just click the below button to get it.
Nothing is safe in the Internet world. Hackers usually attack a Gmail account through an invite to Google Docs, which when clicked enables hackers to get complete access to the account’s content such as emails, contacts, and much more.
After multiple instances of online scams and data hacks, Google has strictly warned its users about Google Docs Phishing attacks that have already targeted millions of accounts in a short period. Even, Google stated that around 1 million of its users have been affected by this Phishing attack.
Losing information could be costly. That is why it is important to make sure that data is available at another location as a copy.
Users often want to export their Gmail emails to PST format and save them locally on their system. Sometimes, users also want to transfer emails to another/same email client. Here, we will discuss two ways to export Gmail data items to PST files. Let’s start with the solution that Google itself has provided to back up its data on Google Takeout and explore its benefits and limitations.
Also Read: The Best Solution to Download Gmail Emails to Computer
Using The Takeout Service to Manually Export Gmail Emails
As we discussed above, there are a number of email clients where you transfer your Gmail email data to view it. But, before that you need to export Gmail emails account data into a supported file format. Google offers a free utility for this purpose called Google Takeout. It is a program that exports emails from Gmail in the PST file format (also, exports G Suite Gmail emails to PST format). It is a free way to export emails out of Gmail but has several limitations, which we will be discussing later. Let’s first learn how to export Gmail emails into the PST format:
- Log in to Google Takeout to Save Gmail Data by entering your Gmail credentials. You can access the login page of Google Takeout from https://takeout.google.com/.
- The Google Takeout home screen shows the list of different data items under the CREATE A NEW EXPORT section appears on the screen.
- To export your Gmail emails, select the checkbox beside the data item you wish to export. Here, as we want to export the emails, we are clicking the checkbox beside the Mail data item. Note: Deselect all the other checkboxes whose data you do not want to export. Moreover, it provides two options, i.e., Multiple formats and All Mail data included. Here, we have selected the option to select all the mail data.
- If you select the Gmail label, then a dialog box prompts on the screen. Select the checkbox against the desired labels and click the OK button to close the dialog box.
- Click the NEXT button to go to the next step, which allows you to select the File type & size in which you want your exported data.
- Next, select the delivery mode of the archive file from the Delivery method list. Here, we have selected the Send download link via email option.
- Click the Create Export button to start the export process.
Note: The data archiving process time depends on the number of mailbox items and the Internet bandwidth. It is a slow process and may take even days to bulk export Gmail emails into PST files.
- After Google Takeout has finished exporting all your data items into the PST format, it will notify you by sending you an email. Sign in to your Gmail account and open the mail sent by the Takeout program.
- Click the Download Archive button to download the exported data items on your local system in the selected ZIP format.
Note: Select the Manage archives option to view and manage your recent as well as previous archived exported data.
- Extract your exported file from the Zip folder.
- The resultant export file is in the MBOX format. You can import this file into supported email clients.
Is Google Takeout Considered an Ideal Solution?
You must be wondering if we can export Gmail data through a free utility, Google Takeout, then why buy external software for taking backups, exporting data, and viewing files? The answer is that though Google Takeout offers to export your data items and create archives, it does have certain limitations that make it a non-preferred option to carry out these tasks. You cannot export G Suite to PST of a business email account using Google Takeout.
Limitations of Google Takeout
- It takes a lot of time, sometimes even days, to export data items into another file format. Due to that, the method becomes burdensome and tiresome for users to execute.
- Along with that, if your Internet connection breaks up during the data exporting process in Google Takeout, then you again need to re-run the entire process for the export process.
- It does not ensure the complete data export on the local machine. Many times, it fails to save the archive file on your system.
- In addition to that, the tool does not offer any facility, such as the Date Range filter option, to export only selective Gmail emails.
- Moreover, there is no option for Incremental Export to export only the newly-appeared Gmail data items. You need to re-run the entire export process again and again to export your Gmail data.
Some real-life users’ problems from the Google Forum:
Download Emails from Gmail as PST File Using the Expert Recommended Solution
SysTools Gmail Backup Software is an impeccable program that allows you to save all the data items of your Gmail account by exporting them in multiple file formats — PST, EML, PDF, MSG, and MBOX on your local system.
This software supports different file formats and is capable of exporting Gmail data items in any of these, as per the user’s requirement. However, as PST is the most preferred file format among users, we will discuss how to export Gmail emails into PST format.
We all know that PST files are created and viewed in Outlook. However, this software allows you to export Gmail to PST without Outlook installed on your Mac or Windows systems. This exportation process is mostly ‘automated’ as the advanced features of the SysTools Software require you to only check or uncheck certain options and the rest of the task will be done automatically.
Moreover, the utility is available for the latest versions of Windows as well as Mac OS. Here, we show its descriptive working that fulfills almost every need of users. Features like Date Range Filter, Incremental Backup, Folder filter, Pause and Resume option, etc., make this an outstanding software for users. Install the Demo version of this utility and take a test drive.
Also, try another program to backup Google Workspace for Business account in various other classic file formats. Let’s see how it works and how the software’s outstanding features will help the user to export G Suite to PST format.
Export Gmail Emails to PST – Quick Steps
- Step 1: Install the Export Gmail Emails to PST Software Solution
- Step 2: Enter the Gmail Account Credentials to log in
- Step 3: Select the “Export Type as PST” from the category
- Step 4: Choose the “Destination Location” on the PC
- Step 5: Click on the “Export” button to finish backup
So, these are the quick steps that you can execute to efficiently and smoothly download your Gmail emails to PST format. Furthermore, in the following segment, we have also shared a detailed step-by-step guide to approach the task using the automated solution. Follow the instructions to successfully download your Gmail emails.
How to Export All Gmail Emails, Contacts, Calendar, and Google Drive Documents?
Install the demo or full version of the application.
- Launch the utility. A welcome screen appears on the system. This page looks similar to the Gmail login page. Select the language, type your credentials, and click the Login button.
Note: Before logging in, make sure to turn off the Two-Step Authentication process and turn on the access for Less Secure Apps.
- In the next screen, navigate to the Activate tab and enter the Activation Code. Click the Activate button to start working with the tool.
- Make your selections for exporting Gmail data on the Options page:A. Select E-mail Format: Select the format in which you wish to export your data. Here, we have selected PST (Microsoft Outlook)
B. Select Category: Choose the data items you wish to take a backup of. In this case, we have selected E-mails.
C. Select Destination: Fill in the destination folder in which you wish to save your exported file.
Note: The following table lists some of the formats to which Gmail data items can be exported:
Email Messages Outlook PST, MSG, EML, or MBOX Contacts vCard Calendar Entries ICS Documents Save as Original File Format ( .doc, .ppt)
- The Options page also offers you the following functionalities:A. Delete After Download: Erases all your Gmail data from the cloud once it is saved to the local machine.
B. Apply Filter: Allows you to customize your export options by sorting them as per the following features/ criteria:
- Select Folders: Displays a tree view of all the folders present in your Gmail account. With the help of this feature, one can select only those folders whose data is important and convert them into the desired file type. By default, all the folders are marked as selected.
- Email Filter: Allows you to export only the emails sent/received within a particular time period. To use this feature, you need to provide a specified date range in the From and To columns. Only the emails lying within the mentioned date range will get exported.
Note: The Select Folders and Email Filter can be accessed through the Filter page, which opens when you select the Apply Filter option.
C. Incremental Backup: Allows you to export only newly appeared Gmail emails. This means there is no need to save the same email items multiple times on your system.
- Now, click the Start button to begin the process of exporting emails from Gmail to PST. Afterward, the live status of the ongoing process with complete details and status will appear on the screen. This representation helps you to know which data items are currently being processed.
You can also try SysTools PST to G suite program to import PST to another Gmail or G Suite business account.
Export Emails From Gmail into Multiple File Formats
The very first question before exporting the emails to Gmail is ‘Where do you need to open those exported messages, contacts, calendar, and Google Drive documents?’.
If you want to maintain the emails with the same integrity then, focus on those desktop-based email clients and cloud-based email clients that provide similar types of personalized or customized touch such as MS Outlook, Thunderbird, Windows Live Mail, Mac Mail, Entourage, Office 365, Yahoo, Hotmail, Zoho, etc.
Here, we choose some trendy options like Outlook. In this section, we are going to show you the most trending file formats supported by top email programs. So, you just need to export emails from Gmail to PST format or in any of the desired formats and import them into their compatible email clients. Furthermore, we will discuss the conversion technique after this.
1. Sophisticated ‘PST’(.pst) Format
PST stands for Personal Storage Table and was created in the Microsoft Outlook application. Basically, Outlook is a desktop-oriented email application that has an integrated contact and calendar facility. Nowadays, it is one of the best secure programs that can be used in various domains for email management. It provides Search, Spam filters, Rules, and many more outstanding features and makes email service facile.
It saves all its data such as emails, calendars, appointments, meeting requests, contacts, distribution lists, tasks, journals, notes, etc. in a PST file on the local system. Also is very beneficial to export Gmail emails to Outlook PST format. Apart from this, the PST file has several other advantages.
- The PST file is portable in nature. Therefore, users can move the data file from one system easily and copy the data file to the external storage device. Later, import the .pst into Outlook and get your data.
- PST files can be easily prevented from unauthorized access by applying the security feature to it. Thus, the user can make PST files strong passwords password-protected.
- Outlook is available for Windows as well as Mac operating systems. And, users can import PST files on both the platform and view the content of it. Besides this, PST file data can be transferred to multiple Gmail / G Suite or Google Workspace accounts using the GWMMO (Google Workspace Migration for Microsoft Outlook) tool provided by Google.
- PST is a manageable file format, it’s stores all the data even deleted. You can further recover the deleted emails from PST files.
2. Universal ‘MBOX’(.mbox) Format
MBOX stands for Mailbox. It is the most common format for storing email messages on the local drive. All the emails are saved as a single, long, text file in the form of concatenated emails of string. In addition to that, a list of email applications is listed below that support the MBOX file type.
- Mozilla Thunderbird
- Entourage
- SeaMonkey
- Netscape
- Apple Mail
- The BAT
- Turnpike
- Earth Link
- Berkeley Mail
- MailCopa
- Chaos Intellect
- Netscape Mail
- Pocomail
- Spicebird Mail
- Eudora Mail
The MBOX format has a wide scope that provides a broad spectrum of email applications. Therefore, if you have exported Gmail email data into MBOX format, then you have all the options that are mentioned above.
3. Save Single Email as ‘EML’(.eml)
EML format stored a single email message file along with its associated attachment. Thus, if you want to export only a few Gmail emails, then go with this file type. It can be importable and accessible in various email programs such as
- Microsoft Outlook 2021, 2019, 2016
- Outlook Express
- Windows Live Mail
- Mozilla Thunderbird
- Mozilla SeaMonkey
- Apple Mail
4. Export Gmail Email in ‘MSG’(.msg)
MSG file is similar to the EML file format but it only creates in Outlook application. It represents a single message file that comprises information such as Date, Sender, Recipient, Subject, and Message body. In addition to that, MSG file can be compatible with other application that uses MAPI or Microsoft’s Messaging Applications Programming Interface. Moreover, their free tools are available to read this kind of file format.
Bringing It All Together
This article describes two ways on to export Gmail emails to PST on Windows and Mac OS. As hackers constantly keep searching for loopholes in users’ accounts, consequently, experts always recommend securing your data items at some other safe location. This helps you avoid data loss in case of any unforeseen disaster, hacking, or phishing attack.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How to export Gmail emails using the best method?
A: Use the above-mentioned software to easily transfer all emails from Gmail to Outlook PST data files.
Q: Is it possible to export a Gmail account to PST without any file size restriction?
A: Yes. Use the software to export your data items from Gmail to PST. In addition to that, the software does not pose any limitation on the amount of data migrating.
Q: How much time is required to export emails from Gmail to PST?
A: The amount of time required for exporting Gmail emails to PST depends upon the speed of the Internet and the amount of the data being exported.
Q: Can I transfer data from my Business Gmail account to PST?
A: No, the tool only works for a free Gmail account, i.e., ‘@gmail.com’. Therefore, it is not possible to export a business G Suite account to PST using this tool.
Q: Is it possible to export Gmail emails to PST without Outlook installation?
A: Yes, using this tool, you can easily save Gmail emails to PST without the installation of Outlook.
Steps to export Gmail emails to PST without Outlook are:
- Firstly, Select the export type as PST (without Outlook).
- Next, Apply appropriate filters to export selective Gmail emails to the PST format.
- Finally, Click the Export button to start the backup process.
