How to Download Gmail Emails in Bulk (2022 Guide)

There are plenty of reasons why you might want to download all your Gmail emails at once.

You may find it hard to keep organised, or you could be migrating to another email service. Or you might just want a hard copy of your files.

Whatever the reason, this article will show you how to download Gmail emails in bulk using a few simple steps.

How to Download and Export All Your Emails From Gmail 

Downloading emails from Gmail has several benefits, including:

• Storing your files on your computer and encrypting them for an added layer of protection,
• Sharing specific messages and email threads with users of other email services,
• Keeping a record of your professional emails for future use or reference. 

Here is a helpful step by step guide showing you how to download all your Gmail emails at once.

Step one: Select the files you want to export

• Log in to your Gmail account or click on your avatar on Gmail and go to Manage your Google Account
• Head to Data & privacy; Download or delete your data
• Select Download your data

• Under Select data to include select Deselect all 
• Then select Mail

Note: If you want to download other files from your account, select those as well. 

• Click on All Mail data included and click on Include all messages in Mail to download all your Gmail emails to your computer. If you just want to download specific categories like Archived, Spam or Trash, select just those labels. 

• Click on the Next Step button

Step two: Choose the file type and the delivery method 

Choose the delivery method

Gmail gives you a few options when it comes to delivery, including:

• Add to Drive
• Add to Dropbox
• Add to Microsoft OneDrive
• Add to Box

Whichever option you go for, Gmail will send you an email with a link to the location of the files. You will have one week to use the link.

Note: These files will impact your monthly storage quota.

Choose the frequency

You also have the possibility to export emails from Gmail once or schedule periodic backups and export files six times a year. 

Choose file type and size

Under File type & size, pick between .zip and .tgz

The .zip file type is a compressed file format, which can make downloading from your Gmail inbox faster. Plus, .zip files can be opened on any computer, while .tgz files can only be opened on devices that have the software installed to do so.

Here you can also select between 1GB and 50GB for your archive size.

Note: Google will split bigger files, which might be less efficient, making the smaller archive a better choice.

Then:

• Click on Link account and create export and wait for your files to download. Having patience is key in the process, as downloads can take hours, even days, to complete. 
• Google will send you an email when the export is complete. You can cancel the export any time you wish.

Step three: How to access or download the Gmail emails archive

Once the exporting of your Gmail emails is complete, you will receive an email with the download link.

• Follow the Manage archives link in the email or open the downloads page and check on the progress.
• On the downloads page, click Show exports
• Click on Download or Open in (online drive) if the emails have been archived there. 

That’s it! You’re done!

Now that you have a backup, you can delete your old Gmail emails from your account and start fresh with a clean inbox. 

Bottom Line

Gmail offers an easy way to download all of your emails in bulk, and we’ve made the process even easier for you. By following our simple step-by-step guide, you can clean up your inbox to receive new emails or migrate to another email service, knowing that your messages are stored safely on your device.