How to back up your Gmail and other Google stuff for safety, economy or switching

[sjinsjca]

Several options are reviewed.

How to back up your Gmail and other Google stuff for safety, economy or switching

Whether you're a happy user of Gmail, Google Docs or other Google goodies, or a privacy-concerned current user considering alternatives but shackled by your stash of stuff on Google's servers, having local copies of your Google-stored possessions is valuable, wise and freeing. Loyal users can take comfort in having their data available offline on their own machines and backed up by Time Machine or whatever backup process they employ. Switchers will find their options broadened if their data is in their own hands and less subject to profiling or tracking. And those continuing with Google services can keep their service free if they periodically download their Google items onto their own computer and purge them from Google rather than paying an upcharge for exceeding the free storage threshold.

But Google doesn't make it easy to extricate your data from their grasp. After all, the more of your stuff resides on their servers, the stickier their services are for you, and the more data they have about you for targeting ads to you, and more.

Gmail poses particular difficulties for downloading your data in useful form, and it's the Google service most likely to bloom out of control, as it has for me. But there are several ways to get your data into your own possession.

Here's how...