How to download emails from your Gmail inbox
News Web Services / / January 03, 2021
If you've been using Gmail for a long time and have a large archive of work correspondence there, you may want to keep a copy of it just in case. It will come in handy if, for example, you need to "move" to another mailbox, or just make a backup for every fireman. Here's how to do it.
1. Request Gmail details
Open the service "Google Archiver". It can download all data from your Google account - contacts, Drive content, notes and letters including.
By default, the archiver will try to unload everything it can, but if you click the “Deselect” button and check one “Mail” box, only letters and attached files will be saved.
Click "Next" → "One-time Export" → "Create Export" and wait. The process, depending on how many emails you have, can take hours or even days.
When the archive is ready, you will be notified by email.
2. Import MBOX file into Thunderbird
After the creation of the archive is completed, you will receive an email "Data from your Google account is ready to download." Click “Download Data” and download the provided MBOX file. If you have a lot of letters, there will be several files.
There are several programs available that can open MBOX format file. We'll stick with the free Thunderbird. Download and install it.
Download Thunderbird →
When Thunderbird prompts you to set up an account, you can click Cancel, you won't need it. We will only need local folders. Click Blogs & Newsfeeds → Continue → Finish to access them.
Click on the "Local folders" text that appears on the left and click "Options". Copy the path to the local directory shown in the window.
Now press Win + R on Windows or Shift + Cmd + G on macOS and paste the copied address there. The Local Folders folder will open in front of you. Drag the MBOX file into it and restart Thunderbird.
The import will take some time.
When it's over, you can view the local archive of all your messages ever created in Gmail.
3. Recovering messages from the archive
Whenever you need to transfer messages from MBOX back to Gmail, for example, to a new account, open Thunderbird again. Click "Menu" → "Create" → "Set up my mail account".
Enter your details.
And then just drag and drop the emails you want to recover to your Gmail All Mail folder.
And they will be transferred to the new Google account.
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