How to Restore Google Takeout Data Back in Gmail Account?
If you are a user who has accidentally deleted their Google Account data and are wondering how to restore Google Takeout data to the main account, then you are in a bit of trouble.
Mainly because there isn’t any restoration button that puts back all the data in its original position.
Moreover, there are situations where the Takeout data did not belong to your account in the first place, or there isn’t enough space to accommodate both the current data as well as the one you are about to restore.
Dont, worry, this guide is here to help. We’ll break down the process in small chunks, exploring what you can realistically restore (or import), service by service (like Gmail, Drive, Photos), and lay out the manual steps. So, without further ado, let’s unpack that zip file and see what’s possible.
How to Restore Google Takeout Data One Workload At A Time?
- Visit contacts.google.com.
- In the left-hand menu, click on “Import”.
- Click “Select file”.
- Navigate to your unzipped Takeout folder, find the Contacts folder, and select the .vcf file(s).
- Click “Import”.
Google Calendar:
- Open calendar.google.com.
- Click the settings cog in the top right, then select “Settings”.
- In the left-hand menu, click “Import & export”.
- Under “Import”, click “Select file from your computer”.
- Navigate to your unzipped Takeout folder, find the Calendar folder, and select the .ics file for the calendar you want to restore.
- Choose the destination Google Calendar you want to import the events into.
- Click “Import”. Repeat for each .ics file.
Gmail:
- You need a desktop email client that can open Google Takeout MBOX files and supports IMAP connections, so use Mozilla Thunderbird.
- Configure your Google Account using IMAP in Thunderbird.
- Use the email client’s import function (in Thunderbird, this requires an add-on like “ImportExportTools NG”) to import your Takeout archive into Thunderbird‘s “Local Folders”.
- Once the emails from the MBOX file are visible within a local folder in Thunderbird, you can manually drag-and-drop or copy these emails/folders from the “Local Folders” section into the desired folders under your Gmail IMAP account within Thunderbird.
- Thunderbird will then upload these emails to your Gmail account via IMAP. This can take a significant amount of time, depending on the number of emails.
Google Drive:
- Go to drive.google.com.
- You can drag-and-drop folders/files from your computer directly into the Google Drive web interface or use the “New” > “File upload” / “Folder upload” buttons.
- Alternatively, install the “Google Drive for Desktop” application on your computer, sync it with your Google Account, and then copy the files from your Takeout Drive folder into the local Google Drive folder on your computer.
Strategy for a Code-Based Google Takeout Restoration
We know that Google Takeout primarily exports data; it lacks a direct restore feature. Moreover, the absence of a “Google Take-in” service makes the import of external loose files that Takeout produces a tough task.
We say that it is complex because restoring requires the use of individual Google service APIs (Drive, Gmail, etc.), and that too via custom scripts (Python) to re-upload data.
Here is a list of prerequisites:
Knowledge of Google APIs: As we are trying to programmatically add data back, we have to use specific APIs (e.g., Drive API for files, Gmail API for emails).
Experience with using Google Cloud Console: GCC is the primary means of interacting with and using the APIs. Although you get up to 10 free projects, novice users may find it difficult to navigate the complex environment. Not to mention that merely accessing the portal is not enough, you need to set up OAuth 2.0 credentials, plus keep API usage within free tier limits.
Other optional settings require a place to host the scripts. Which can be Cloud Shell, Cloud Functions/Run modules, or a Compute Engine. Each has its limitations.
Also, users have to keep the Takeout data readily accessible, meaning a separate Cloud Storage must also be deployed.
Once you have the platform ready, follow the steps given below to get back Google Takeout data in your Google Account.
Conceptual Steps to Restore Google Takeout Data Using APIs and Cloud Console:
- Download and Extract Takeout.
- Then, open Google Cloud Console.
- There, create a new project.
- On the left-hand side pane, expand “APIs & Services,” select “Library”.
- Search and enable all the APIs whose data you plan to restore (e.g., “Google Drive API”, “Gmail API”, “People API”).
- Go back to “APIs & Services” and this time select “Credentials”.
- Click on “Create Credentials”, pick “OAuth client ID”.
- Select the application type (e.g., “Desktop app” if running a script locally).
- Complete the on-screen prompts to create the ID, which will allow you to restore Google Takeout data.
- Then, download the client_secret.json file.
- Install Python on your system.
- Start a new instance and call the necessary Google Client Libraries (e.g., google-api-python-client, google-auth-oauthlib, google-auth-httplib2).
- We have prepared a sample script, modify it for your environment and workload, then run the script locally or potentially on a free-tier GCP service.
Even if your script has built-in protection against overconsumption, it is necessary to keep an eye on the API usage quotas. Moreover, it is also important to check that your data is appearing correctly in the target Google services.
What Challenges and Limitations You May Face While Restoring Google Takeout Data via Script
- You need to write code (Or make heavy edits on the sample script).
- Metadata (like original creation dates, album structures, and email labels) might be lost
- API Limits/Quotas can significantly slow down the restoration of large datasets.
- Both development and execution can take a lot of time.
- There is always a risk of exceeding free tiers if not carefully monitored.
- Takeout data comes in various formats (.json, .mbox, .vcf, .jpg, .mp4, .ics, etc.), each needing specific handling in your script.
Neither the GUI-based service-by-service method nor the code-based all-in-one method is feasible. Especially in an organizational environment. So instead of that, we will introduce a couple of professional utilities that, when used in conjunction, allow admins to do a complete mailbox restoration from raw Takeout data.
How to Restore Google Takeout Data Professionally?
First, convert your existing MBOX data into PST format.
Then, deploy the SysTools MBOX to G Suite Import Tool.
Conclusion
Restoring Google Takeout data isn’t a simple click-and-restore process. While manual methods offer partial solutions for specific services like Contacts or Drive, and API scripting provides more power, both approaches are complex and time-consuming. For comprehensive restoration, especially for crucial data like Gmail, utilizing specialized professional tools often proves the most efficient and reliable strategy.