Export Gmail on Windows When Takeout Is Disabled
Your IT admin has disabled Google Takeout — but you can still export your Gmail history using Thunderbird or Microsoft Outlook. Here's how.
To check: open Gmail → Settings (gear icon) → See all settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP. If you see an IMAP section and it says "IMAP is disabled" — or the tab is missing entirely — your admin has disabled IMAP too. In that case, contact your IT department and ask them to enable IMAP access for your account.
Use Thunderbird (free, open-source)
Thunderbird is a free email client that exports directly to MBOX format — the same format Evermail accepts. No Microsoft 365 subscription needed.
Enable IMAP in Gmail
In Gmail, click the gear icon → See all settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
Under IMAP access, select Enable IMAP and click Save Changes.
If this option is greyed out or the tab is missing, IMAP has been disabled by your admin. Contact IT and ask for IMAP access to be enabled for your account.
Download and install Thunderbird
Download Thunderbird from thunderbird.net and run the installer.
Add your Gmail account
Open Thunderbird. On the setup screen choose Email, enter your name, Gmail address, and password, then click Continue.
Thunderbird will auto-detect Gmail's IMAP settings. Click Done to finish.
If your Google Workspace account uses Single Sign-On (SSO), Thunderbird will open a browser window for authentication — sign in there.
Install ImportExportTools NG
Go to Tools → Add-ons and Themes. Search for ImportExportTools NG and click Add to Thunderbird.
This free add-on adds folder export options to Thunderbird's right-click menus.
Sync and export your folders
Wait for Thunderbird to finish downloading your messages (the status bar at the bottom shows progress).
Once synced, right-click a folder (e.g. All Mail) → ImportExportTools NG → Export folder → MBOX format.
Choose a save location and click OK.
Upload to Evermail
Go to app.evermail.ai, create a free account, and upload your .mbox file.
Evermail indexes every message so you can search by sender, keyword, date, or attachment.
Upload MBOX free →Use Microsoft Outlook (exports to PST)
If you already have Outlook installed, you can add your Gmail account and export it as a PST file. Evermail accepts PST files directly.
Enable IMAP in Gmail (same as above)
In Gmail → Settings → See all settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP → Enable IMAP → Save Changes.
Add your Gmail account to Outlook
Open Outlook → File → Add Account. Enter your Gmail address and click Connect.
Outlook will guide you through Google's OAuth sign-in. Follow the prompts and grant the requested permissions.
If your org enforces conditional access or MFA, you may need to approve the Outlook connection in your Google account security settings first.
Wait for Outlook to sync
Outlook will download your Gmail messages via IMAP. This can take a while for large mailboxes — keep Outlook open and connected to the internet.
You can monitor progress in the bottom status bar ("Sending and Receiving").
Export to a PST file
Go to File → Open & Export → Import/Export.
Select Export to a file → Outlook Data File (.pst) → Next.
Select the top-level folder for your Gmail account (to include all subfolders, tick Include subfolders).
Choose a save location — pick somewhere with plenty of disk space — and click Finish.
Upload to Evermail
Go to app.evermail.ai and upload your .pst file.
Evermail reads PST files directly — no conversion needed. Your folder structure is preserved.
Upload PST free →Ready to search your Gmail archive?
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