Google Workspace, or G Suite, is a cloud-based productivity suite that includes tools for email, online storage, and real-time collaboration. It is available for both business and personal use. The core components of Google workspace are Gmail, Google Drive, Google Sheets, and Google Docs.
If you’re a business user who uses G Suite, you may want to import PST in Gmail. You would need to do this if you’re migrating from Microsoft Outlook to Gmail or creating a backup of your G Suite account.
If you are doing the opposite, meaning you want to export G Suite email from your G Suite account to PST format, there are two different ways. Which way works best depends on whether you have Microsoft Outlook or not.
Thanks to the user-friendly interface on both platforms, the good news is that you don’t need any technical expertise to easily export emails either way!
Export G Suite to Outlook Data File with Google Workspace Admin Console
If you don’t have MS Outlook, use the G Suite Admin console to export G Suite data from your G Suite account to a PST file. This will create an Outlook Data File (.pst) that can be imported into Microsoft Outlook or other email clients that support the PST format.
What Do You Need to Export G Suite Email to PST with G Suite Admin?
Before starting the G Suite to PST export process with your G Suite email, you’ll need the following:
- The Google Workspace Admin console enabled for your G Suite user account.
- For more than 30 days, you must have an account in your domain.
- Superstar admin permissions for your workspace.
- You should enable 2-step authentication for your account.
- Your Google Workspace account cannot have 1,000 users or more.
If your account meets these criteria, proceed with exporting your G Suite mailbox.
How to Export Your G Suite Emails: Step by Step
Upon verifying these criteria, take the next steps:
- Log in to your G Suite Admin Console with your Google Workspace email.
- Open the Data Export tool by looking on the right-hand side of your screen for “Data Export.”
- Click “Start Export” and begin the process. In the next window, select which users’ data you want to export. Choose either all users or specific ones. After making your selection, click “Continue.”
- On the next page, you will be asked to select the data types you want to export. The options are Contacts, Calendar, Drive, and Docs. Select to export one, export multiple mailboxes, or export all of these options. For this guide, we will focus on exporting email messages only. For that, select “Mail” and click “Continue.” Next, you will be asked to choose the file format for your export. Pick either PST or MBOX. Pick PST and click “Continue.”
- Finally, select a delivery method for your exported data. The options are Drive, Google Cloud Storage, SFTP, or Email. Choose the desired format that works best for you and click “Continue.”
- Your export will now begin and you can see its status in the Data Export tool. When it is complete, you will receive an email notification. You can then import your PST file into Microsoft Outlook or your preferred email client.
That’s it! You have now successfully exported G Suite emails to PST format. The process may take around nine days depending on the size of your G Suite mailbox.
Limitations of Using Google Data Export Tool
Although the Google Data Export Tool is a quick and easy way to export G Suite mailbox to PST files, there are some limitations to be aware of.
- It can only export data for accounts that have been active for more than 30 days. So, if you’ve recently migrated to G Suite or created a new account, you won’t be able to use this method.
- It can only export data for up to 999 users at a time. So, if you have a large organization with thousands of G Suite mailboxes, you may need to export your data in batches.
- You can only export once every 30 days per user. So, if you need to export more than once a month, you’ll need to do it for each individual user.
- You can only export specific data. For example, you can’t export G Suite Groups or Google Chat messages.
- Data will be stored in .zip files on the cloud
How to Export G Suite Mailboxes With MS Outlook
If you have Microsoft Outlook, you can use it to export G Suite mailbox data to Outlook PST files with the Import/Export feature. For this, follow these steps:
- Open MS Outlook and log in to your G Suite account.
- Click “File” > “Open & Export” > “Import/Export.”
- In the next window, select “Export to a file” and click “Next.”
- Then, choose “Outlook Data File (.pst)” and click “Next.”
- Now, you will be asked to choose the folder you want to export. You can either export all folders or only selected ones. Pick the option that works best for you and click “Next.”
- On the next page, pick a location for your exported PST file. Select the desired output folder and click “Finish.”
- Your export will now begin and you will see the progress in the next window. When it is complete, you can import your PST file into Microsoft Outlook or your preferred email client.
Once you have done this, the process is complete and your G Suite mailboxes should now be PST files.
Limitations of Exporting With Microsoft Outlook
There are a few limitations to be aware of when exporting G Suite mailbox data with Microsoft Outlook:
- It can only create PST and CSV files. So, if you need to export to another file format, you should use a different method.
- Outlook can handle up to 15 GB of data in a file, which is too small for many G Suite mailboxes.
- The PST file is only available in Outlook.
- CSV files sometimes have missing data.
- It can be time-consuming to export G Suite mailbox data one at a time.
Final Thoughts: The Best Way to Export G Suite Email to PST File Format
There are many methods you can use to export G Suite emails to PST file format, but not all methods are created equal. The Google Data Export Tool is quick and easy, but it has some limitations. Exporting with Microsoft Outlook is a more direct method, but it can be time-consuming and requires that you have Outlook, which you may not.
Thus, which option works better for you will depend on your specific needs and circumstances. Either way, the process for getting your PST files from G Suite is very straightforward.