Don’t Lose Your Emails: Backup with Google Takeout (and More!)
Even without a paid backup service, you can easily create a backup of your email with Google Takeout. This is crucial in today’s world of cyber threats like ransomware and phishing.
We at SaneBox care about your email wellbeing, and that includes keeping your messages safe. Here are some ways to ensure you have a copy of your emails:
Google Takeout: A Free Backup Solution
- What it does: It creates a downloadable archive of your emails at the time you use it. This doesn’t delete anything from your Gmail account.
- Delivery options: You can choose to save your backup to your Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box account.
Get Started with Takeout:
- Visit Google Takeout: Google Takeout
- Learn more about Takeout: Google Takeout help page
- Note for G Suite admins: You can disable Takeout for users in your organization. G Suite Takeout info
Bonus Tip: Free Backup with Another Gmail Account
SaneBox founder Stuart suggests creating a second Gmail account and forwarding all your emails to it. This way, if you lose access to your primary account, you’ll still have a copy of all your emails in the backup account. Google Takeout then allows you to create a more complete backup of your existing email history.
Securing Your Backups
- Local storage: Most modern computers with macOS or Windows 10 Pro already have disk encryption enabled.
- Cloud storage: Use two-factor authentication (2FA/MFA) for any cloud storage account where you store backups.
- External drives: Consider encrypting backup files on external hard drives or USB drives.
Remember: Always print out emergency recovery codes for your 2FA accounts and store them securely.
By following these tips, you can ensure your emails are safe and secure – no matter what happens.