Detailed Guide to Backup Gmail Emails to Hard Drive – Reliable Ways
Overview: The following post will guide you on how you can backup Gmail emails to hard drive using 4 different ways. Users can choose any of the procedures described below to get the job done. However, when we talk about an expert’s suggestions, going with a professional solution is the best option.
Gmail is the most popular and widely used platform when it comes to communicating via email. The reason behind this immense fame is the services offered by this email client. It is leading the industry as it offers encryption for all the messages that a user sends and receives.
Gmail, itself blocks the spam, malware, and other dangerous links by 99.9% before it reaches your inbox. Besides this, it allows you to read, reply to, delete, and even search your emails when you are disconnected from the internet.
But this single click to delete a message could end up creating problems once the retention period to retrieve the emails gets over. To avoid all such nuisances, we, in this blog will mention the best available methods to backup emails from Gmail to hard drive.
Table of Contents
#1 Method – Via Google Takeout
#2 Method – Via PDF
#3 Method – Using Outlook
#4 Method – Professional Solution
Method 1 – Backup Gmail Emails to Hard Drive via Google Takeout
Many users opt for Google Takeout when they plan to backup complete Gmail email accounts. It is because the solution is provided by Google and is totally free of cost. You can also use this solution following the steps explained below:
- Sign in to the Gmail account >> My Account >> Data and Personalization option.
- From there click and select Download your data.
- On the next screen, click Deselect All.
- Then, from Select data to include, click All Mail Data Included.
- From the Mail content options pop up, select the desired folder for which you want to create the backup. Afterward, hit the Next Step button.
- In the delivery method, choose your requirement and the file type of your choice.
- At last, click the file size and hit Create Export.
After successfully creating the archive, a download link will be provided. You can open Google Takeout files by backing the Gmail emails on your hard drive / external hard drive.
Method 2 – Choosing PDF as an Export Option
Another backup option that users prefer the most is the PDF export option. The major reason behind this is that PDF is a platform and device-independent file format. So, many users prefer PDF option to backup their emails from Gmail to the external hard drive.
- Login Gmail >> choose a particular email and click on the Print All button from the top-right corner.
- After that, customize settings as per your necessity, and then click Print.
- In the Save as Type option, choose PDF and at the end, click on the Save button.
- These steps will backup all your Gmail emails on your hard drive. In case you have an external drive, then copy those PDFs and paste them into the external hard drive.
Method 3 – By Using Outlook
Choosing Outlook while you download Gmail emails to computer is also one of the free options. You can do this by implementing the steps mentioned below:
- From the File tab, click Info and then click Add account.
- From the Add Account screen, enter the name, Gmail email address, and passwords.
- At last, click next, and select the Sync Email option then, click Finish.
- This will let you sync your account, and the emails will appear right in front of your Outlook mailbox.
- Then, select the Open & Export option and then select Export to a file >> Next.
- Afterward, Outlook Data File(.pst) >> Next.
- From the Export Outlook Data File window, check the Include subfolders box and then Next.
- Browse the location, and at last hit Finish and then this can be transported to the storage device.
A major benefit of using the aforementioned procedure is that users will be able to export Gmail emails to PST format. Thus, it is like hitting two birds with one stone. However, there are a few limitations linked with this method. First, you must have Microsoft Outlook installed in the system, and secondly, you need to wait for the backup process until the synchronization process completes.
Method 4 – A Trusted & Reliable Professional Solution by Experts
After discussing three free ways to backup Gmail emails to hard drive, if you are still not convinced with any of these methods, then you must be looking for a quick and hassle-free solution. It is because the free ways mentioned in this article are cumbersome and require so much time and effort to perform.
Thus, it is always recommended by experts to go with the best professional solution by 3Steps Software. It is a robust, error-free, and efficient solution. The utility offers a wide range of advanced features that helps users in taking backup of crucial Gmail emails to hard drive / external hard drive in an effortless way.
Additionally, the software ensures reliability and time efficiency when compared to other available solutions in the industry.
The Bottom Line
The above-mentioned article contains various methods to help users backup their Gmail emails to hard drive or external hard drive. The first three procedures are free to use but have a few limitations associated with them. To overcome those shortcomings, we have also discussed a sure-shot solution to make the job simple and efficient.
