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Trends tell how not to lose your data from Google if the tech giant’s services are blocked
With the threat of a possible blocking of Google services, users can store their data locally in the form of an archive or on alternative online sites. We explain how to do it. This guide will also help those who decide to stop using the Google ecosystem and switch to another service.
What is Google Takeout
With the Google Takeout data archiving service, you can download any data from the Google products you use, including emails, documents, calendar data, photos, YouTube videos, Google Keep notes, and so on. A total of 51 data types are available. Like most Google services, Takeout works the same on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android devices.
How to use the Google Archiver
1. Select data to download
You need to open the “Save data” page. It will display the used Google products that store user data. In order not to download all the information, just uncheck the boxes next to the services that you do not need.
In addition, some Google products allow you to select the data you want to download. Next to these services there is a list button “All data selected”. By clicking it, you can uncheck the boxes next to those data types that are not needed.
❗️It is important to remember that if the user made changes to the data between the download request and the creation of the archive, they may not be saved in the file. These may include changes to the access or permission settings for a Google Drive file, resolved issues in a Drive file, added or removed photos or albums.
2. Set up download options
First you need to choose a method for obtaining data. The user can:
- Get the link: Google will send an email with a link to download the archive; in the letter you need to select “Download archive” and follow the instructions.
- Add to Disk: Google will store the archive in Drive and email the user a link to it; in the letter, you need to select the option “Show on Google Drive”, and a folder with the archive will open, from where it can be downloaded.
- Add to Dropbox: Google will save the archive to Dropbox and send a link to it via email. First you need to link accounts and create an export, and then log in to the Dropbox website and give access to the Applications folder for the Google export service. In this case, access to the folder must be immediately restricted. Once the archive is saved to Dropbox, Google will no longer be responsible for it.
- Add to Microsoft OneDrive: Google will upload the archive to Microsoft OneDrive and email you a link to it. Next, the user will need to follow the same steps as in the case of Dropbox.
- Add to Box: Google will upload the archive to the Box service and send you a download link. The whole algorithm of actions is similar to Dropbox and OneDrive. If the maximum file size exceeds the limit in your Box account, it will be reduced and files that exceed this limit will not be exported.
When loading data, the user will also need to select the type of export:
- single export – this type allows you to create one archive with the selected data. However, if the user has the Advanced Protection program activated, then the export will start only after two days;
- regular export – allows you to automatically create archives with selected data every two months during the year, and the first archive will be created immediately. If you have the Advanced Protection program, this type of export is not available.
Google will then prompt the user to select a file format: ZIP or TGZ (format for Unix systems). Decompressing TGZ may require special software. After that, you need to set the maximum size of the created archive. If the exported data exceeds this limit, it will be split into multiple archives. By default, the archiver limits the size of a single archive to 2 GB and creates as many sequentially numbered files as needed. However, the user can select a size up to 50 GB.
3. Download the created archive
After you have configured all the settings and clicked “Create Export”, Google will send a link to the archive via email. Depending on the amount of information, this may take a few minutes or a few days. As a rule, a link to the archive comes on the day of the request.
All data in the archive will be organized into folders whose names will match the names of Google services.
When deleting data, Google (in accordance with the Privacy Policy) first removes the information from the account and stops using it to personalize its services. The company then starts the process of completely deleting the data from the storage systems. Data such as entries on the My Activity page, photos and documents that are in the process of being deleted are not included in the archive.
If a person decides to delete their Google account, but wants to keep the data archive, it needs to be moved from Google Drive to another location.
Any archive is available for download for approximately seven days, and then it will need to be created again. One archive can be downloaded no more than five times, after which you will have to create a new request.
What data can be downloaded
Google Drive
The user can specify the file type of the documents to be uploaded, as well as the folders to be uploaded. For example, picture downloads are available in both PDF and JPG formats.
Google Docs
Google Drive documents are stored in a separate folder. It can be downloaded separately by selecting Documents from the Drive menu. In this case, all files will be saved in accordance with Microsoft Office formats. Clicking on settings opens a menu where you can select the file types for various formats yourself. For example, you can download spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel, PDF, or Open Spreadsheet format.
Gmail mail
You can choose to download specific folders. For example, you can only upload a folder with incoming emails. Each folder will be downloaded as a separate MBOX file without saving labels as mail labels. If you want to download the Hangouts chat as a mailbox, you need to select the “Chat” folder.
Google Contacts
You can choose one of three file types to save: vCard (VCF), comma-separated text (CSV), or HTML. The VCF format allows you to import contacts into a new book by double-clicking.
Google Calendars
When archiving, you can choose which calendars to upload. They will be saved in ICS format, which can be imported into a new calendar by double clicking.
Hangouts
All messages will be downloaded in JSON format, which can be opened with a regular text editor. If chats are saved as a mailbox, then it will be more convenient to work with the archive of correspondence.