Download Gmail data is simple thanks to Google Takeout. The result is a Mbox file, which can make you wonder what to do with it. There are many things you can do with this data.
Download Gmail data with Google Takeout
Google Takeout is a tool that makes it easy to download your data from many different products and services of Google. Here is how you can use this tool to download your Gmail data in the Mbox file format.
- Open any web browser, visit the Google Takeout website and log in to your Google account.
- Click the option Deselect all at the top.
- Roll through the list to find and mark the next check box Mail.
- By default, this data will include all Gmail messages but you can click on the option All mail data included To change that option.
- Roll down at the bottom of the page and click Next Step.
- Select Delivery method, Frequency and File type & size Or keep them the same.
- Click the button Create Export.

After completing the above steps, just wait for email from Google Takeout. If you only include mail during the export process, it will not take too much time. After receiving the email, open the email and click the button Download your files. You may need to verify your identity for the download process to complete.

After the download process is completed, extract the zip file on the PC or Mac, then go Takeout> Mail To access the Mbox file.
Note: Export file required will still be available to download in a week from the date you receive. After expiry, you will need to require data export again.
Enter Gmail Mbox into Thunderbird
After having Mbox file contains your Gmail data, you can use a tool like Windows Mbox Viewer to view all emails and attachments. In addition, you can enter your Gmail data into another email application that supports Mbox.
For example, if you are using a Mac, you can enter the Mbox file into the mail application by selecting File> Import Mailboxes. If you use Microsoft Outlook, you will need to convert the Mbox file to the format that Outlook supports because Outlook has no way to enter the original Mbox file. You may find it easier to just set up Gmail in Microsoft Outlook.
This tutorial will use Mozilla Thunderbird because it is free, open source and supports the original Mbox file. This is also one of the best free email applications and running on Windows, Mac and Linux.
To start, download and install Mozilla Thunderbird on your computer. After installation, you can follow these steps to enter your Gmail Mbox file.
- Open the Thunderbird application on the computer.
- Click the Hamburger menu icon in the upper right corner and select Add-on and themes.
- Search for additional utilities Importexporttools ng and click the button Add to Thunderbird Besides that additional utility.
- Click Add Again to confirm.
- After installing additional utilities, please move to the tab Mail.
- Right -click on Local Folders and choose Importexporttools ng> Import mbox files> Individual mbox files.
- Browse and select Mbox file containing Gmail data. Then click Open.

After entering the Mbox file, you will see all the exported Gmail messages. The email folder will have the same name as the file, but you can right -click and choose Rename To change.
After everything is set, you can use the offline Thunderbird to read the downloaded email. You can read messages, search and download attached files – everything you can do with Gmail online. This is a great way to protect data in the event of a problem with your Google account.
Tip: You can also save the offline copy of the Gmail account in the Mbox format on the external hard drive or USB. Of course, it is important to regularly download the new Mbox backup if you are still using Gmail to make sure the backup is always updated.
Enter email gmail into other email service
There is an Mbox file containing an email copy that also makes it easy for you to enter Gmail data into other email accounts, as long as that service supports IMAP. The older POP3 protocol will not work. The following is a guide on the difference between IMAP and POP3.
With this method, you can enter your email to another Gmail account, transfer them to Microsoft Outlook account, add them to Yahoo Mail account or enter them to any other service that supports IMAP. This is especially useful if you want to switch to a new service and remove Gmail or if you are setting up a new Gmail address.
To do this, you first need to add other email accounts to Thunderbird. On the left compartment, click on Local Folders To go to the Thunderbird overview. From here, below Choose What To Set Upclick on E-mail.

Enter detailed information about your email account. Thunderbird will try to automatically download the appropriate server information, so you do not have to configure manually but click on Manual Config To check for detailed information. Guarantee options Incoming server is placed in IMAP.
Note that Thunderbird may not automatically detect your email configuration, so you may need to look up the IMAP server name, port and SSL installation for your email service. Refer to the supplier's help documents if needed.

After setting up an email account, the account will appear in the side bar of Thunderbird. You can then easily pull and drop email – whether it is all or some specific emails – between local Gmail backup and IMAP account. Thunderbird will upload them and they will appear in your new account.
This method takes advantage of the IMAP operating method, allowing you to upload and arrange mail. Other email services do not need to know anything about Mbox or Gmail file; This service only needs to support IMAP.
You can also enter your Gmail into another account without using the downloaded Mbox file. Just add both email accounts to Thunderbird and drag and drop the message between them.
That is all you need to know about how to get your Gmail data storage and read the Mbox file easily. Although it is not necessary to use Thunderbird, you will soon find that this is a great and powerful email application.