How to Export Gmail to Text While Preserving All Data?

Published By Jamie Kaler

Approved By Rollins Duke

Published On October 12th, 2026

Reading Time 7 Min Read

To export emails from Gmail to Text format, you can use manual approaches for individual emails and a professional solution if you have larger archives. As Gmail does not offer to export its email and other data to Text. So, choosing a reliable and safe method is very important to complete this process with safety. Many Gmail users are frequently searching for methods to export Gmail to Text with ease.

You can improve your email management, make quick and hassle-free communication as Gmail offers a seamless opportunity for you to streamline your inboxes with powerful and modern email managing tools. Now, let’s dive into this guide to know how Gmail export emails as Text and its related aspects.

Advantages of Exporting Gmail Emails to Text

Exporting Gmail messages to plain text files offer several key benefits for portability, security, and data management:

Offline Access: Plain-text can be opened easily on any computer or mobile without connecting to an internet connection.
Simple Backup: Text files are light weight and easy to backup. Protect your data from accidental deletion and locked accounts.
Storage Requirements: These text files consume very little disk space compared to a rich HTML and MBOX files.
Universal Usage: Text files can be opened instantly in basic built-in tools such as Notepad, TextEdit, and any code editor.
Data Portability: Storing data as plain text makes it easy to index, move, or migrate to alternative databases, note-taking apps or custom scripts.
Enhanced Security: A file that can be compressed, encrypted, or password-protected can enhance the privacy and security levels.

How Gmail Export Emails as Text Files Manually?

There are three manual techniques and one professional method is mentioned below to export emails from Gmail to Text file. You need to understand them carefully and try them and choose the best one as per your requirements. All methods have their own properties, limitations and benefits. choosing a suitable method leads to a good result.

Using Text Editor

You can save individual emails as text files without even installing additional software on Windows or on Mac. This method uses Google Docs and is suitable for converting emails containing simple text.

First, open Gmail and select the email you want to save.
Now, select and copy the email content using Ctrl+A and Ctrl+C.
Now, open Google Docs and create a blank document.
After that, paste the copied content using Ctrl+V.
Also, click on File >> Download >> Plain Text (.txt)
Lastly, choose a destination location to save the downloaded TXT file.

Limitations: This manual method requires manual copying for each email and may not preserve complete email headers, original formatting, or attachments. However, it is best for saving a few emails rather than exporting an entire Gmail mailbox.

Using Print Option

First login into your Gmail account.
Now, select an email, open it and choose the Print option.
Here, save the email in PDF format.
Right-click on PDF and select Open With option.
Select Word, go to File >> Save As option.
After this, select .txt under the All Files drop-down option.
At last, click on Save button to export Gmail to Text format.

Limitations: Users need to perform these steps again and again to export emails from Gmail to text files in bulk. It does not export attachments, it only exports emails and may bring multiple errors and formatting issues.

Using Thunderbird for Bulk Export

Download and install Thunderbird on your system.
Now, add your Gmail account with complete authentication.
Now, open Thunderbird’s Add-ons and Themes and install ImportExportTools NG.
After this, allow Thunderbird to sync the Gmail folders.
Now, select the folder and open the ImportExportTools NG export Menu.
Choose the available Plaintext export option and configure the message, attachment and index setting as required.
Lastly, select a destination folder on your computer and complete the export process.

Limitations: This method requires initial setup, also ImportExportTools NG has a cap of 4 GB to export Gmail to Text format. Cannot export multiple labels emails into a .txt file at once.

Professional Solution to Export Emails from Gmail to Text

Gmail Backup Tool can help you export Gmail to Text format in bulk. It offers multiple saving options other than just text format. You can export Gmail emails in EML, PST, HTML, and etc. It is a very helpful solution to complete the process with accuracy and safety. Below are direct download links of the trial version of this tool to understand the working of this tool:

Download Now Buy Now

Quick Steps to Export Gmail to Text Format in Bulk

Install and launch the solution on your system.
Sign in with your Gmail account with the given options.
Preview all Gmail folders in the left panel of the tool.
Now, choose RTF or Doc file format to access Gmail data as Text file.
Choose from Filter Options for selective data export.
Lastly, click on the Backup button to complete the process.

Is This Professional Solution Worth Using?

This tool guarantees safety and security of the entire data throughout the process.
Offers Filter Options for exporting data selectively as per requirements.
Also, offers quick and easy steps to complete the entire process smoothly.
Standalone solution to complete the entire process all by itself hassle-free.
Verified and secured by ADA CASA Assessor to maintain data safety.
Extract emails, attachments, phone numbers, redirected links, etc.

Comparison Between Manual Methods and Professional Solution

This comparison table will help you understand the working and feature of the methods individually and you can choose a better method as per your requirements to export emails from Gmail to Text file.

Features	Text Editor	Print Option	Thunderbird	Professional Solution
Export Type	Individual emails	Individual emails	Bulk folder export	Bulk Gmail export
Format Support	Yes	Yes, via PDF and Word	Yes, using the add-on	RTF/DOC
Bulk Export	No	No	Yes, folder-wise	Yes
Attachments Export	No, not directly	No	Depends on export settings	Yes, according to the tool’s feature
Folder Structure	Not preserved	Not preserved	Generally preserved when exporting folders	Gmail folder/label section supported
Selective Export	Manual selection	Manual selection	Folder-wise	Folder-wise
Setup Required	No additional software	No additional software	Thunderbird and add-on installation	Yes, install ad configure the tool
Best For	Saving a few simple emails	Saving individual emails	Free, folder-based exports	Bulk export and selective data extraction

Frequently Asked Question by Users and their Answers

How to Save Gmail Email as Text File?

You can export emails from Gmail to Text format with the manual and professional methods mentioned above.

How can I export Gmail to Text on my Windows 10 laptop?

The professional solution supports all versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems including Windows 10.

Does the solution allow me to export only selected emails from Gmail to Text format?

Yes, using advance filer options, you can export only required emails from Gmail to Text format.

Can I use these methods and tool on Mac Machine?

Yes, you can use these methods on all editions of Mac OS.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explained how to export emails from Gmail to Text format. All this can be accomplished with the help of the Gmail to Text Converter. If you don’t want to waste your time and need quick results, then install the recommended solution. We have discussed manual methods as well as a professional solution, read them carefully and choose either of them as per your requirements. In case you have any issues with the software and its processing, contact us on live support chat.