Google Takeout & Email Transfer — How-To

Purpose: Help you export your Eastern Google data (Mail/Drive) with Google Takeout and import emails to another account if you choose.
Scope: Self-service guidance. IT can help with login issues or errors that explicitly say contact an administrator. IT does not move or import personal data for you.

Overview: What Takeout Does (and Doesn’t)

• Does: Creates a downloadable archive of your Google data (Mail, Drive, Photos, etc.).

• Doesn’t: Automatically move/merge emails or files into a different account. You must download first, then import yourself.

Before You Start

• Confirm account: Sign into your Eastern Google account (top-right avatar).

• Optional cleanup: Delete items you don’t need to reduce archive size.

• Free space: Ensure enough local disk space for a large .zip.

• Browser: Use Chrome or Edge for best results.

Create Your Takeout Export

1. Go to takeout.google.com.

2. Click Deselect all.

3. Turn on Mail (and Drive/Photos if needed).

4. Click Next step.

5. Delivery method: Send download link via email.

6. File type: .zip · Split size: choose (e.g., 2 GB) if you expect a big export.

7. Click Create export.

8. Wait for the email from Google with your download link, then download the archive.

What You’ll Receive

• One or more .zip files. Inside you’ll find:

  • Mail: one or more .mbox files (email archives).

  • Drive/Photos: normal folders/files.

• On Mac, if unzip fails, use The Unarchiver.

Note: .mbox doesn’t open like a web inbox. To read or move messages, you must import the .mbox into a mail app or into Gmail via an app.

View or Move Your Emails (You Do This Part)

IT  cannot perform the transfer for you.

Mozilla Thunderbird (free)

1. Install Mozilla Thunderbird.

2. In Thunderbird, right-click Local Folders → New Folder… (e.g., “Eastern Emails”).

3. Install add-on ImportExportTools NG (Tools → Add-ons → search).

4. Right-click your new folder → ImportExportTools NG → Import mbox file → select your .mbox.

5. Read messages locally in Thunderbird.

Apple Mail (Mac)

1. Open Mail → File → Import Mailboxes…

2. Choose Files in mbox format → select your .mbox.

3. Imported mail appears under On My Mac.

Handling Drive Files (Often Easier Than Takeout)

If you only want Drive folders/photos:

1. Go to drive.google.com.

2. Right-click the folder(s) → Download (creates a .zip).

3. Upload to your personal Google Drive, OneDrive, etc., as desired.

Troubleshooting

• “This isn’t my email.” Likely exported while signed into the wrong Google account. Sign into your Eastern account and re-run Takeout.

• Don’t see mail in Gmail after import. Make sure you imported the .mbox into a mail app (Thunderbird/Apple Mail) and copied the messages to your Gmail via IMAP.

• Archives are huge. In Takeout, pick a smaller split size and import in chunks.

• Mac unzip issues. Use The Unarchiver to extract the .zip.

Data Safety

• Keep a backup of your .zip and .mbox (external drive or cloud).

• Treat .mbox as sensitive—it contains full email contents.

• After you confirm a successful import, delete local copies if you don’t need them.

When to Contact IT

Email helpdesk@eastern.edu if:

• You can’t log in to your Eastern Google account to run Takeout, or

• You see an error that explicitly says to contact an administrator.

For privacy and scope reasons, IT does not move, import, or manage your personal emails/files. We’re happy to point you to the right steps.