Creating a Google Archive (using Google Takeout)

200 days after you leave Stony Brook University, your NetID will be deactivated.  At that time, you will lose access to anything that requires your NetID, including Google Apps for Education.  If you’d like to take all of your data (Mail, Drive, Calendar, etc.) with you, you can create an archive.

Audience: Faculty, Researchers, Staff, Students and Teaching Assistants

This KB Article References: Google Apps
This Information is Intended for: Faculty, Researchers, Staff, Students, Teaching Assistants
Last Updated: May 31, 2022
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You can use Google Takeout to create a Google Apps archive. Creating a Google Archive does not remove any data from your Google Account; it simply makes a copy of your desired items.

Remember University email belongs to Stony Brook University and is subject to all policies and procedures currently in place. Please follow appropriate guidelines.

When To Create Your Archive

If you want to create an archive, you'll need to do so before your account is deactivated (find out more about account deactivation):

Students: 200 days after you leave Stony Brook University, your NetID will be deactivated. At that time, you will lose access to anything that requires your NetID, including Google Apps for Education. If you’d like to take your data (Mail, Drive, Calendar, etc.) with you, you can create an archive.

Faculty/Staff: Accounts are disabled one day after the last effective work date entered in the University's administrative system (PeopleSoft).

At any time you have access, you can also create a Google Archive for a one-time back up of all or some of your Google Mail, Drive, Calendar, etc. for your use or to transfer content to a new project owner, for example.

How To Create a Google Archive

  1. Log into your Google Apps for Education account by going to www.stonybrook.edu/mycloud and sign in using your NetID and NetID password
  2. In the same web browser window, go to https://www.google.com/settings/takeout
  3. On this page, you'll see a list of all the Google Apps that you can create an archive from. Click Create an archive to get started
  4. Next, you can select which Google Apps you want to create your archive from
    • You can choose what format to create your archive in
    • You can see what format your files will be downloaded as
    • You can customize settings for each Google App, including creating your Archive from specific Mail labels, Drive folders and Calendars.
      This is an image of the Google Archive options list where you can select which Google Apps you want to archive.  The "Create Archive" button is circled in red. 
  5. Once you have made your selections, click CREATE ARCHIVE (see image above)
  6. Google will begin creating your archive right away; however, if you are archiving a large amount of data (emails, documents, calendars, etc.), this will take a long time (possibly hours or days). You can opt for an email notification when your archive is complete
    This is an image of the Google Archive progress screen.  The option to receive an email when the archive is complete is circled in red.

How To Access Archive mbox (Email) Files

From Google Takeout, your email is archive as an mbox file, which can be accessed and even transfered to another email account, like a personal Gmail Account, through an email client (such as Thunderbird). Please ensure that the mbox file is readily available to you either on an external drive or saved to a personal email. If the mbox file is only saved to a machine or account that you do not have access to, then you will not be able to use any of the methods below to access the archive.

Mac

Use Apple Mail to access mbox files

Windows 

Use Thunderbird to access mbox files

 

Getting Help


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