How to Backup Gmail Account Before Deleting? Complete Guide

Rollins Duke
Published: October 24th, 2025 • 9 Min Read

Are you planning to delete your Gmail account and wondering “How to backup Gmail account before deleting?”. Don’t worry, you are not alone. In this guide, we will explain some reliable manual ways and a pro solution to hassle-free save Gmail emails before deleting account. Read the article till the end to safely download data before deleting google account.

To ensure that you can access the entire Gmail data after deletion, then you can either transfer emails from Gmail account to another or download Google emails to computer. These are some additional ways.

Understanding the Key Difference: Deleting Gmail vs Google Account

Many users consider deleting their Google account and deleting their Gmail account the same thing. However, it is crucial to know the difference between them.

Key Differences	Deleting Google Account	Deleting Gmail Account
Data Deleted	All your Gmail emails, sent, received, or other custom labels will be permanently deleted	It deletes data from all Google services like Gmail, Google Drive, Docs, and others.
Deletion Process	Gmail Settings >> See all settings >> Accounts and Import >> Delete your Gmail service.	Google Account >> Data & Privacy >> More options >> Delete your Google Account
Account Login	You can’t access @gmail.com address. You’ll need a recovery email.	Username and account access are entirely deleted
Recovery Period	Gmail recovery period after deletion is a few weeks	Google’s recovery period after deletion is a few months

Why Backup Gmail Account Before Deleting It?

Gmail is used by over 1.5 billion people monthly. Gmail, as an email client, is used for important communications and account logins. It holds information like Bank & Tax documents, Social Security Administration updates, Personal Archives, and even employment contracts, which you cannot afford to lose, even if, for some reason, you need to delete your Gmail account. Here are a few reasons and scenarios why you should backup Gmail account before deleting it.

Important Data Archiving: To keep a secure copy of our Gmail emails and attachments so that you can access them even after deleting a Gmail account.
Safe Migration: If you are deleting your Gmail account to migrate to another email service, it is important to archive your complete Gmail account before deleting as it helps you reduce the chances of data loss.
No Recovery: Once you delete the Gmail account, you can not recover it completely, even in the hold period, leading to permanent data loss.
For Future Reference: Even if you stop using the Gmail client, your old emails will still remain accessible holding crucial information that you might need later.

Creating a complete backup ensures that your Gmail account data remains safe, accessible under your control regardless of what happened to your account.

Manually Save Gmail Emails Before Deleting Account

To backup Gmail account before deleting it, you can convert Gmail to PDF or convert Gmail to EML using the built-in options provided by Gmail. It is a free method, but this method is good if you have a smaller number of emails or you need to selectively backup Gmail at the time of Gmail account deletion.

Log In: Open the Gmail App or log in to Gmail in the Browser.
Open Gmail Email: Navigate to the required Gmail account you need to safeguard.
Click Menu: Click on the three dots menu on the top right.
Save the Gmail: You can choose here from the print option to get that Gmail email in the PDF form. Or choose the “Download Message” to get it as EML.
Choose Destination: Browser and select the final destination.
Click Save.
Repeat the process for all Gmail Emails.

Use Google Takeout To Backup Gmail Account Before Deleting

When you need to download Gmail data before deleting the account. Use Google Takeout, which is an advanced tool to export data from Gmail. The manual method to preserve Gmail emails using the print to PDF option is quite time-consuming, repetitive, and the human dependency makes it highly prone to data loss. Google Takeout acts as an effective solution to save all emails from Gmail before deleting the account.

Go to Google Takeout. https://takeout.google.com
Sign In: Sign in to Google Takeout using your Gmail ID to back up your data before you delete it.
Select Emails: Choose Deselect Option and select Gmail to export data from the Gmail account only.
Pick Delivery Method: You can choose from delivery methods like Google Drive export or get a download link via Gmail. Choose the desired one.
Choose File Format: Select .zip as the file format. You can also select the file size limit if you have a lot of Gmail to complete the process smoothly.
Get Export: Click on the Create Export button.
Download .ZIP: Check Google Drive to get the exported .ZIP file of Gmail email, or go to Gmail, depending on the delivery method you chose.
Extract .ZIP to MBOX: Use File Explorer/ Disk Utility to extract all Gmail emails in MBOX format before deleting the Gmail account.

Limitations of Manual Methods

Manual methods to save Gmail account data before deleting are totally effective and get the job done. But these methods have some drawbacks, making them ineffective in certain scenarios.

Technical Steps: Both of the manual methods to export Gmail account email before deleting involve complex steps not suited for non-technical users.
Limited File Formats: The manual method gives you a limited file-saving option to download Gmail data before deleting the account. It is restricted to only EML, PDF, and MBOX.
Incomplete Backup: There is no guarantee of complete backup. Built-in features may cause data loss as it is highly dependent on humans. And Google Takeout often fails to backup Gmail account before deleting when the file sizes are large.
Loss of Structure: No manual method guarantees that the folder hierarchy will be retained after you have downloaded then on a PC.

Professional Solution: Backup Gmail Account Before Deleting Safely

If you need to overcome the shortcomings of manual methods and secure a Gmail backup before permanently deleting it. It is better to use a professional solution like BitRecover Gmail Backup Software . This tool provides you with multiple file formats as compared to Google Takeout. With this tool, you can backup Gmail messages within a single or multiple Gmail accounts at a time. It will allow you to take a backup of all default mailbox folders, like the Inbox, Draft, Sent items, etc.

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How to Save Gmail Emails before Deleting Account? Steps

After downloading the software, it will ask for your Gmail account credentials.
After that, select the folder or sub-folders that you want to backup in your Gmail email account.
Now choose the file format, and location, and then hit the backup button.

Delete Gmail Account Permanently via a Professional Tool

Once the backup is completed by the above solution, Then you will need to delete your Gmail account properly with a perfect solution. BitRecover EmailRaser Software is an expert-recommended solution to permanently delete all emails from any email account or server. This tool clears emails with attachments cluttering your mailbox and reduces email bounces. This tool is designed with an advanced algorithm. It supports 90+ cloud email sources to delete Gmail accounts.

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How to Erase Gmail Account? Simple Steps

First, download the software on your computer, then provide Gmail account details that you want to delete permanently.
After that, click the browse option to upload the CSV file that contains multiple Gmail account details.
Choose the folders that you delete after backing up your Gmail account.
Now hit the Delete button to permanently erase the account. After erasing the account, you will never get back the deleted account data.

Manually Delete Gmail Account After Backup

First, login to your Gmail account that you want to delete.
Secondly, go to the profile icon >> manage your Google Account.
Hit the “Data & Personalization” option, then click on the “Delete a service or your account” option.
After that, click on the “Delete a service” option.
In the next window, click on the trash icon, and your Gmail account will be deleted successfully.

Conclusion

In this blog, we provide you time-saving solution to backup Gmail account before deleting. And also gives you additional information about the difference between deleting a Gmail account and deleting a Google account. Additionally, after backing up with professional solutions, permanently delete Gmail account with third-party tools.

FAQs: Backup Gmail Account Before Deleting

Q1: Can I get my Gmail account back after deleting it?

It is possible to recover your Gmail account after deletion, during the hold period of 2-4 weeks in general. Open the Google Account Recovery page, log in with your required Gmail account, and verify your identity by following the steps on the screen.

Q2: Does deleting Gmail delete all accounts?

No, there is a key difference between deleting a Gmail account and deleting a Google account. You will lose all your accounts if you delete the Google account, not the Gmail account. Deleting the Gmail account will remove all the emails and the ability to send ot receive emails.

Q3: What to do before deleting your Gmail account?

If you are considering deleting your Gmail account, make sure you backup Gmail emails before deleting it. Also, ensure all your Gmail contacts are informed of the deletion and another email ID to contact. Make sure you also update the socials where the Gmail account is linked.

Q4: What is the best way to backup Gmail account before deleting it?

The best way to archive a complete Gmail account before deleting it is by using an advanced tool like Gmail Backup Wizard. It allows you to back up the entire Gmail Mailbox with attachments and complete data integrity securely and within minutes.