Top Google Takeout Alternative for Workspace & Enterprise

Google Takeout is a free data retrieval tool developed by Google. This tool enables users to export and download a copy of the data stored in their Google account. While users can freely export the data, it is considered insufficient for long-term backups. Hence, users look for a Google Takeout alternative that is more reliable for businesses. The best solution is to use a professional tool, the Cigati Google Workspace Backup Tool. With this tool, users can securely backup their Google data efficiently and in a hassle-free manner.

Why Does Google Takeout Fail?

There are many reasons, such as:

• Extensive Data Size: The exports may exceed the processing limits.
• Google Backend Service Interruptions: Backend maintenance can interrupt the export.
• Weak Internet Connectivity: If in the middle of the process, the connection fails, the export can fail too.
• Authentication-Based Restrictions: A recent password change or, 2-step verification process can block the Takeout requests.
• Cached Data Corruption: Corrupted cache or blocked cookies may interfere with the export process.

Key Reasons Behind the Growing Need for Google Takeout Backup Alternatives

Enterprises often look for alternatives to Google Takeout as the data export is cumbersome. The following are the points to consider why users look for alternatives: 

• Takeout struggles with accounts containing big datasets, making the export process slow and unreliable.
• The Google Takeout offers limited flexibility, where users can’t selectively export their Google data. 
• Users face the challenge of downloading the archives as the export links expire quickly.
• Some of the Takeout data formats may not work well with other applications.
• Connectivity problems or account restrictions often disrupt the Takeout process. 

How to Export Google Data Without Using Google Takeout?

There are various Google Takeout alternatives to download the Google Workspace data manually and automatically. Both methods are explained below. Let’s understand each of them in detail. 

Forward the Gmail Emails Manually

Follow the steps below to start the process:

1. Visit the Gmail website and log in with your Gmail account credentials.
2. After that, go to the mailbox containing the desired email you want to forward.
3. Open the email and navigate to the Forward button.
4. Now, in the “To” field, enter the email ID where you want to forward the email. 
5. Finally, click the Send button. 

Download Google Drive Files Individually

The following are the steps to begin the process:

1. Go to Google Drive and log in to your Google account.
2. Now, head to the file or folder you want to download. 
3. Right-click on the file and click Download. Users can also select multiple files. Google Drive will download the files in a zip folder.
4. Next, select the folder to save the downloaded file and save it. 
5. You need to extract the ZIP file or folder to open it.

Users can also sync with Google Drive for Desktop as a Google Takeout backup alternative. Doing this will allow users to have a local copy of the data. 

Manually Download Individual or Multiple Google Photos 

Follow the step-by-step process to download Google Photos:

1. Head to Google Photos and log in with your Google account ID and Password.
2. Now, click on the desired photo or video you wish to download.
3. Once it is opened, navigate to the three-dot menu and select Download.
4. The selected photo or video will be downloaded to the desktop’s Downloads folder.
5. You can also select multiple photos or an entire album. It will be downloaded as a ZIP file. 

Export Google Calendar Manually

These are the following instructions to start the process:

1. Visit calendar.google.com and sign in with your Google account.
2. After that, click on the gear icon and choose Settings > Settings for my calendars.
3. Now, choose the calendar you wish to export and navigate to the Export calendar section.
4. Click on the Export button. The ICS file will be downloaded.

Users can open this ICS file in any calendar application, like Outlook, Apple Calendar, or Thunderbird.

Manually Export Google Contacts

Look at the step-by-step process to initiate the process:

1. In your default browser, visit contacts.google.com.
2. Now, sign in with your Google account. 
3. You can select specific contacts, all contacts, contact group/label to export.
4. After selecting, click on the three-dot menu and choose the Export option. 
5. Next, choose the exporting format: Google CSV, Outlook CSV, and vCard (.vcf).
6. In the end, click on the Export button.

Best Alternative to Google Takeout Using a Specialized Tool

The Cigati Google Workspace Backup Tool is a secure and advanced solution to back up Google Workspace data. It allows users to save emails into multiple standardized formats. Also, the tool ensures the folder hierarchy retention and includes advanced features like date range and duplicate email removal. Additionally, the software is fully compatible with Windows platforms and provides a free version limited to 50 emails. 

Quick and simple steps to backup Google Workspace data:

1. Download and run the application on your computer.
2. Select either Backup Google Workspace All Services or Backup Google Workspace Email Only.
3. Then, choose between Login with p12 file or Login with Json file.
4. Input the required credentials and hit the Login button.
5. Now, preview the accounts once loaded and select the appropriate User ID.
6. Select the saving File Format or Email Client in which you want to backup the data.
7. Apply the advanced filters and click on Convert to complete the process.

Conclusion

Due to the lagging performance of Google Takeout, businesses started to look for a Google Takeout Alternative. This blog has discussed various approaches to manually downloading the Google Workspace data. All of these approaches are time-consuming and inefficient for downloading all the data at once. On the other hand, a specialized tool, Cigati Google Workspace Backup Tool, effortlessly downloads the Google Workspace data like Google Drive, Photos, Contacts, etc, in one go.

You May Also Read: How to Open Google Takeout Files?

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