How to Backup Gmail Emails to Synology? Latest Guide

  

Mark Regan
Published: February 24th, 2026 • 9 Min Read

Emails tend to carry your important bank alerts, crucial client communication, significant invoices, & precious personal memories. What will happen if your Gmail account gets deleted/hacked/locked somehow? As a protective measure, you can backup Gmail emails to Synology. But, it isn’t possible to do this as you would be needing the MailPlus Server package to connect your Gmail account with Synology, a process that’s very hard for most people. Don’t worry, as in this blog, we are going to explain the manual processes to do so that may be limited, and thus introduce an adept professional tool that is very easy to use.

What would you do after losing access to your Gmail emails all of a sudden? As per Google’s official transparency & account help data, many accounts are targeted each year for security issues & recovery requests, indicating the significance of email backup. You can migrate Gmail to Synology for long-term data safety.

Understanding the Need to Archive Gmail to Synology

Gmail, provided by Google, happens to be a popularly used free email service letting users access their emails from anywhere. Users can even connect with Google Workspace tools for better communication & enhanced teamwork.

On the other hand, Synology NAS acts as your own personal, private cloud; more like a hard drive hub where you can connect multiple hard drives to keep & back up all your data in a single place on your network. Once bought, you can then have complete control over your data. Synology NAS tends to run on a Linux-based system known as DiskStation Manager, which tends to include its own email hosting & services such as MailPlus server. It is even possible to enhance its features by installing different applications/packages. Synology NAS consists of a specialized hardware equipped with a processor, RAM, & multiple drive bays for hard drives/SSDs. It even has an OS providing an easy UI for managing files, apps, & network settings.

So, when you download Gmail to Synology, your Gmail emails tend to stay in your own storage system rather than depending on Google servers only. There are multiple reasons why many users prefer to archive Gmail to Synology NAS as backing up emails imparts peace of mind. People usually want to backup Gmail to Synology NAS in the following situations:

• While safeguarding against account suspension.
• To keep offline access to emails.
• Before deleting old Gmail accounts.
• At the time of changing jobs.
• For storing large mailboxes securely.
• Reduce dependency on cloud-only storage.
• At the time of company audits.
• When Gmail’s storage limit nears its threshold of space.
• Before any legal/compliance checks.
• To avoid any accidental email deletion.

Manual Process to Migrate Gmail to Synology

There are a few free ways available to do this, as follows:

Steps of the First Manual Process Using Google Takeout to Backup Gmail Emails to Synology

Unfortunately, you can’t access Gmail straight on a Synology device as it runs its own Linux OS. But it allows access to multiple formats, such as PDF, & MBOX, and more. So, to back up your file, you have to export your emails from Gmail and then move that exported file to Synology NAS. For exporting Gmail email data, you can use Google Takeout that allows exporting of Gmail data. This is a free method that provides direct export from Google and you don’t need any 3rd party tool here.

1. Firstly, for getting your Gmail emails in one single MBOX file, you have to go to the Google Takeout’s site.
2. Here, you have to sign in to that same account where your Gmail has been connected.
3. Now, click on the Deselect All option.
4. Then, you have to scroll down to the Mail option.
5. After that, select the Mail check box.
6. Next, press the Next step button.
7. Then, select the delivery method, frequency, & file type.
8. In the end, click on the Create Export option.
9. The tool will then start extracting your emails from Google Takeout, and once this has been done, you would get an email with the download link to your exported file.
10. Initially, this exported file would be in the ZIP format; you can extract the files from this ZIP file to get your MBOX file.
11. You can then move your exported file to Synology NAS using File Station.
12. For this, log in to Synology’s DiskStation Manager from your web browser.
13. Now, open the File Station application.
14. Then, define a destination location to save your shared file.
15. Afterwards, simply drag that ZIP file from your Windows PC into the File Station window.

Constraints with the Above Manual Process

With the help of these steps, you can smoothly save your Gmail emails in the Synology NAS. But there are issues with using Google Takeout. While Takeout is a free way to get your Gmail emails, it also helps you move to Synology. But it is not suitable every time. Here’s why.

• If you have to save a large Gmail mailbox, then Google Takeout will take hours, or even days for exporting your email data. So, backing up would take a very long time.
• Your data would get downloaded in MBOX file format. This means that you would need Mozilla Thunderbird to view your email data making it hard in Synology
• Google Takeout tends to skip big attachments & only downloads emails.
• With no direct sync Gmail to Synology option.
• You cannot enjoy selective email backup here.
• The steps would appear to be intricate to beginner-level users.

So, for once, you can definitely make use of Google Takeout for saving your Gmail emails in Synology NAS. However, for doing multiple backups, it is always recommended to go for a professional tool.

Significant Qualities of the Software 

The software is endowed with many capabilities and these qualities make it truly unique:

• The software helps you backup Gmail emails in 35+ different saving formats such as EML, PST, PDF, MBOX, and more.
• It is possible to either backup a Single Gmail account or multiple Gmail accounts in one single shot using the bulk/batch mode feature.
• The software downloads Gmail emails with contact details, calendar entries, email attachments, & other mailbox items.
• The tool presents different filter options for backing up data based on Date Range/From/To/Subject, etc. There is also the incremental backup option too.
• It is possible to backup Gmail emails from any of the mailbox folders, be it Inbox or Sent Items or All Mail, etc.
• This software backs up all labels as well as sub-labels that are maintained in hierarchy.
• With an easy to understand user interface, this software supports almost all Windows OS both 32-bit & 64-bit and also Mac OS with a convenient Demo version for trial before purchase.

Backup Gmail Emails in Just Six Simple Steps

The tool ensures secure login and safe Gmail to Synology mail transfer without data loss.

1. Firstly, download the software on your Mac/Windows machine.
2. Now, enter your email address and then click Sign In with Google.
   
3. After that, click Select all and then press the Continue button.
   
4. Next, check/uncheck the email folders that you wish to backup.
   
5. Further, select the relevant/preferred Savings Option from the available list.
   
6. Select the destination path of your Synology storage.
   
7. Finally, press “Backup” to start the process of backing up your Gmail emails.
   

Why is a Professional Tool Better?

Using a professional tool reduces risks and also avoids a great deal of manual effort.

FAQs: Gmail Emails to Synology

Check out some queries:

Q 1: How to backup Gmail emails to Synology NAS automatically?

You can make use of a professional tool, which supports scheduled/incremental backup to straightaway save your Gmail emails into Synology NAS location.

Q 2: Is it possible to download Gmail to Synology without using Google Takeout?

Yes, it is possible by configuring IMAP in Synology Mail Server or by using an automated tool for direct exportation.

Q 3: How to backup Gmail emails to Synology in an easy way?
You can either make use of Google Takeout or pick a specialized professional tool to transfer Gmail emails to your Synology NAS in an easy manner.

Q 4: Is it safe if I migrate Gmail to Synology for storage purposes?
Yes, storing your Gmail emails on Synology NAS tends to keep your email data fully under your control and also safeguards against any online risks.

Conclusion

We all know the criticality of email data these days, so you cannot go wrong by doing the process to backup Gmail emails to Synology as it presents more control & better security. Manual processes have certain limits, so the professional alternative helps!