I read that you can download all your Google data with something called Takeout. I started an export of Gmail and Photos 2 days ago and it still says "in progress". Is it stuck? And what do I actually get at the end?
What is Google Takeout and how long does an export take?
Resolved
Cloud
SA
Sofia Alvarez October 18, 2026
4 replies
1,675 views
Reviewed by moderators
2 participants
Takeout (takeout.google.com) is Google's tool for exporting a copy of your data from products like Gmail, Drive, Photos, Calendar and Contacts. You select the products and a file format, and Google prepares archives for you to download.
Two days is not unusual if Photos is included. Time depends on how much data you have, not on your internet speed. A small Gmail export can be ready in minutes, a big mailbox plus years of Photos can take a few days. Google emails you when it is ready.
What you get: zip or tgz files split into the size you chose (2GB, 4GB, 10GB and so on). Gmail comes as one .mbox file (with labels as separate files), Calendar as .ics, Contacts as .vcf, Photos as the original images with JSON files for metadata.
Good to know it is normal. Is there any time limit once it is ready?
Yes, the download links stay active for 7 days and each archive can be downloaded a limited number of times, so download everything soon after the email arrives. You may be asked to sign in again before downloading.
If you want it to land somewhere automatically, Takeout can also add the export to Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or Box instead of sending links. For future backups there is also a "Export every 2 months for 1 year" schedule.
It finished this morning. Download is going now. Thanks for the clear explanation.