How to Save Gmail to Flash Drive?

Offline data storage is a requirement of present times, especially for emails. Gmail is the best email client, having a user base of around 40 per cent. The best way to store Gmail emails offline is using a flash drive. We will discuss the reasons and solutions to save Gmail to flash drive, so read the blog till the end!

Reasons For Saving Gmail Emails to Flash Drive

There are many reasons to copy Gmail to hard drive, and we will discuss some of them in the following points:

1. Email Backup: The main reason to save Gmail emails to hard drive is to back up emails offline. Many Gmail users face issues like accidental email deletion and account suspension. Creating an offline backup in the flash drive and hard drive becomes necessary to view emails when Gmail access becomes limited or impossible.
2. Legal Compliance: You may have to download Gmail emails to hard drive and flash drive for legal compliance reasons. Many nations have data laws requiring companies to backup their critical data for legal analysis. Therefore, downloading Gmail emails on flash and hard drives helps with swift email access and security.
3. Data Security: Gmail users face email security issues like phishing, ransomware, and authentication attacks frequently, and it becomes critical to copy Gmail emails to hard drive to minimise data loss risk.
4. Account Storage Limits: Gmail has 15 GB of free storage space, and sending and receiving emails becomes harder if your account storage gets full. Therefore, it becomes imperative to download Gmail to hard drive and flash drive to save older emails locally while making space for new emails.

These reasons highlight the requirement to download Gmail emails to hard drive and a flash drive, and we will discuss the solutions to save Gmail emails to hard drive in the upcoming sections.

Also Read: Import MBOX to Gmail

Methods to Save Gmail to Flash Drive & Hard Drive

The reasons for saving Gmail emails to flash drive and a hard drive show the importance of having an accessible backup of Gmail. We will explore the solutions to copy Gmail emails to hard drive and a flash drive in the following sections, so keep reading the blog!

Manual Solutions

You can manually save emails from Gmail to a hard drive and flash drive, and we will discuss four solutions in the following sections.

Solution 1: Google Takeout

The first solution to download Gmail emails to hard drive using Google Takeout. We will discuss the steps to use Google Takeout for saving emails from Gmail to a hard drive and a flash drive:

1. Log in to your Gmail account on the web browser.
2. Open the Google Takeout page.
3. Select Gmail under the Select data to include option, and select all account folders.
4. Click Next Step, select the destination, file type and size and begin the export process by clicking Create Export.

Note: Depending on the data size, the process may take limited hours to several days.

Solution 2: Saving Emails as PDF

Another way for saving Gmail emails to flash drive and a hard drive is by storing them in PDF format. Here are the steps to download Gmail to hard drive and a flash drive in PDF:

1. Log on to your Gmail account.
2. Open an email and click the Printer icon on the extreme right-side opposite the email subject.
3. Click on Save as PDF under the Destination dropdown menu.
4. Click the Save button and select the hard drive (or flash drive) as the destination to copy Gmail emails to hard drive and a flash drive.

Solution 3: Manual Downloading as EML Files

The third solution to save Gmail emails to hard drive manually is downloading the emails in EML format, and the following points highlight the steps to save Gmail to flash drive:

1. Log on to your Gmail account.
2. Open an email, and click the three dots next to the Reply icon.
3. Select the Download Message option to download the email in EML format.

Solution 4: Download Gmail Emails in PST Format

The last solution to manually copy Gmail to hard drive and a flash drive is saving the emails in PST format. Follow these steps to save Gmail emails to USB in PST format:

1. Enable IMAP in Gmail:

- Open your Gmail account on your computer’s web browser.

- Select the See All Settings option when you click the Settings icon on the top right.

- Click on the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.

- Enable IMAP access and click the Save Changes button.

2. Configure Gmail Account on Outlook:

- Open the Outlook application or download it if not installed.

- Configure your Gmail account using the IMAP settings.

3. Export Gmail Emails to PST:

- Go to the File option.

- Click Open & Export, and select Import & Export.

- Click on Export to a File, and select Outlook Data File (.pst).

- Select the Gmail account and click Browse to make the hard drive as the destination.

- Click on Finish to copy Gmail to hard drive and a flash drive.

Drawbacks of the Manual Methods

All four manual methods we have discussed look perfect to download Gmail to hard drive, but they have drawbacks that limit their usage. The following points highlight the negatives of the manual solutions:

1. Downloading Gmail emails in EML and PDF format is time-consuming since you have to save every email individually.
2. Google Takeout is a lengthy and complicated process to save Gmail emails to hard drive since the emails get converted into MBOX format, and you must have the Thunderbird application to view your Gmail emails.
3. The process for saving Gmail emails to flash drive using Outlook is technical and requires knowledge of Outlook’s export process.

These drawbacks make the manual solutions to copy Gmail to hard drive avoidable. We will explore the perfect solution to save Gmail emails to USB.

Save Gmail to Flash Drive Professionally

The manual methods to download Gmail emails to hard drive are time-consuming and technical. Therefore, Gmail users refrain from using them when copying Gmail emails to flash drive. Worry not! We will discuss the perfect solution to save Gmail emails to hard drive — automated software. The software we mention here safely migrates data from your Gmail account to various mediums without data loss. This software is Corbett Gmail Backup Wizard.

Remarkable Qualities of the Software

Some features of the automated tool are:

1. Bulk Email Saving: This software is the perfect answer for saving Gmail emails to flash drive from multiple accounts.
2. Modern Data Filters: This software has many robust email filters to download Gmail emails to hard drive like Subject, To/From, Attachment Size and others to save Gmail emails to USB in limited numbers.
3. Data Precision: Another advantage of the software is it maintains a complete email structure without misplaced emails or damaged folders.

Download Gmail to Hard Drive With the Software

The following points describe the steps to use the software to save Gmail to flash drive:

1. Install and run the software on your Windows computers.
2. Click the Open dropdown menu and select Add Account under the Email Accounts option.
3. Enter your Gmail account credentials and click Add.
4. Click the Export menu and choose PDF under the Document Files option.
5. Select the flash drive as the destination by clicking the Browse button.
6. Click Save and begin the process to copy Gmail emails to hard drive.

Note: You can use the trial version to test the efficiency of the software in downloading Gmail emails on hard drives.

Conclusion

Having an offline backup of your Gmail emails becomes crucial for the reasons mentioned in this blog. The solutions mentioned in this blog are perfect to save Gmail to flash drive. The four solutions for saving Gmail emails to flash drive manually look efficient. However, they are time-consuming, technical and lengthy. The automated software mentioned in the blog is the best solution to save Gmail emails to hard drive with features like data precision and sophisticated email filters.