Corbett
Corbett Gmail Backup Tool downloads a personal @gmail.com account to Windows in eight formats. Labels become folders, attachments stay attached and several Google accounts can be queued in one batch. Formats include PST, MBOX, EML, MSG, PDF, HTML, CSV and TXT.
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Gmail travels from imap.gmail.com to your PC. Corbett never stores or forwards it.
Free demo, scanned clean on VirusTotal and a 30-day money-back window.
Lifetime licence from $99 Free trial saves 10 emails per folder
Gmail coverage
One accidental delete syncs to every phone and laptop, and Gmail Trash empties itself after 30 days. Gmail Backup Tool keeps mail, attachments and dates on a local drive, with labels turned into folders.
Comes across
6Labels backed up
7Saves as
10Not included
5A message can sit under two labels at once
Gmail allows that but a folder tree does not. Back up All Mail for one copy of everything, or select individual labels and accept that a few messages appear twice.
Related backup pages: Google Workspace backup tool, Yahoo backup tool, Outlook.com backup tool and Webmail backup tool. Any other IMAP account is on the email backup software page.
Quick answer
Gmail Backup Tool is a Windows program that downloads a personal @gmail.com account in eight formats. Labels become folders, attachments stay attached and several Google accounts can be queued in one batch.
What it saves
Gmail mail with labels, attachments, dates and headers
Where it saves
A folder, an external disk, a network share or another account
Who uses it
Anyone who wants a copy Google cannot delete or lock
Core features
Five screens of the Gmail backup wizard, in the order a Gmail email backup happens.
Connect
Choose Gmail and imap.gmail.com loads by itself. Paste the 16 character app password made under Google Account security and every label appears.
Google took away the IMAP on and off switch, so there is no setting to hunt for. Host and port are detected, several Gmail accounts can be queued in one batch and credentials are used to connect and nothing else.
Label selection
Every Gmail label appears as a branch with a checkbox and message count. Nested labels keep their shape.
Backing up one project label instead of the entire Inbox takes one checkbox. Leave Spam and Trash out, or use All Mail for one copy with no repeats.
Message preview
Open any message beside four analysis views: content, message header, properties, and hex with raw message.
A Gmail account copied for an e-discovery request needs header and source detail, including SPF, DKIM and the relay chain.
Selective backup
Filters apply before anything is saved. All mail from one client across one tax year can be backed up on its own.
Choose a From date and a To date, search sender, subject or content, keep messages with an attachment, set a size limit and exclude junk or repeated messages.
Output options
Select the destination after the preview: save a file to any folder or send mail straight into another mailbox.
Output can be PST for Outlook, MBOX, EML, MSG, PDF, HTML, CSV or TXT. Copy labels into a second Gmail account or a different mail server with the Gmail Migration Tool, or pull addresses with extract email addresses from Gmail.
Flexible use
One account, one label or a move to another mailbox: Gmail Backup Tool handles all three. Test your job in free demo before you buy.
Back up a full Gmail account
Use All Mail for one copy of everything with no repeats, saved as PST, MBOX or PDF on your own drive.
Back up one label or tax year
Tick a project label or set a date range. Filters apply before anything is saved.
Copy Gmail to another account
Send labels straight into a second Gmail account or a different mail server in matching folders.
Before connecting
Google changed how third party software connects to Gmail. Most guides still describe the old way, so here is what applies at sign-in today.
Already done
No IMAP switch to enable
Google retired the IMAP switch for personal accounts in January 2025. IMAP is always on, so tutorials telling readers to enable it are out of date. See Enable IMAP in Gmail not showing.
Required
A 16 character app password
Google switched off less secure app access in March 2025, so the normal Gmail password is rejected by every mail client. Set up two factor authentication on Gmail, then generate an app password and paste that instead.
Different
Workspace needs the admin
A work or school address on a custom domain is a Google Workspace account, covered by the Google Workspace backup tool. IMAP there is controlled in the Admin console.
One more limit applies. Gmail allows 15 mail clients connected to an account at a time, counting phones, tablets and old installs. Sign out of unused devices if a connection is refused.
Working process
Follow four steps to get a Gmail account onto your drive. Practice on one label in free demo.
Add Gmail with an app password
Install Gmail Backup Tool, choose Gmail and let imap.gmail.com load. Paste the 16 character app password and every label appears.
Select labels and filters
Every label shows as a branch with a message count. Tick the labels, then limit by date, sender, subject, attachment or size.
Select format and location
Choose PST, MBOX, EML, MSG, PDF, HTML, CSV or TXT, then point the tool at a folder, an external disk or a network share.
Start Gmail backup
Press Export and track every label on the progress screen. A log and a CSV report list all saved mail.
Want screenshots for every click? Follow IMAP backup guide.
Working process
Prefer screenshots? IMAP backup guide follows a Gmail backup screen by screen.
Advanced options
Small options that save hours on big Gmail accounts.
App password sign-in
Credentials used to connect and nothing else
Labels as folders
Nested labels keep their shape
All Mail option
One copy with no repeats
No size limit
Any account size or message count
Date range filter
Save mail from one quarter or one year
Sender and content search
Filters cover sender, subject and content
Attachment filter
Keep only messages that carry files
Size limit
Leave the large messages out
Split PST by size
Cut large PST output into smaller files
Resume on drop
Recovers from a dropped connection
Live progress
Watch every label as it saves
Log and CSV report
Proof of what was saved
Choose output
Eight output formats are on offer. Match the format to what you plan to do with the saved mail.
| Format | Best for | Opens in |
|---|---|---|
| PST | Outlook users and mail that may return to an account | Microsoft Outlook |
| MBOX | Moving mail to a free email client | Thunderbird and Apple Mail |
| EML | One file per email, easy to search | Windows Mail and most email clients |
| MSG | Single messages kept as Outlook items | Microsoft Outlook |
| Offline reading and files that open anywhere | Any PDF viewer | |
| HTML | Reading mail with no email client | Any web browser |
| CSV | Lists of senders, dates and subjects | Excel and Google Sheets |
| TXT | Plain text archives of old messages | Any text editor |
Free demo
Test the Gmail Backup Tool Demo on One Account
Install the demo, paste a Google app password, tick one label and choose a format. Files appear only after the backup begins.
Download free demoTry before you buy
Free demo logs in with an app password, loads every label and unlocks preview and filters. Only saving is capped.
| Feature | Free demo | Full version |
|---|---|---|
| App password sign-in and label list | Yes | Yes |
| Preview, filter and analysis views | All available | All available |
| Emails saved per folder | 10 | Unlimited |
| Mailbox size limit | Saving stops at 10 per folder | None |
| Price | Free | $99 one time |
| Machines per licence | Not applicable | Up to 5 |
| Money back window | Not applicable | 30 days |
Use cases
Anyone whose Gmail holds mail that Google can delete or lock away.
Everyday Gmail users
Keep a copy outside Google before deleting an account or after a scare with lost mail.
Freelancers and clients
Save one client or one tax year by label, date or sender and keep it on a drive.
Teams moving mailboxes
Copy labels to another account or mail server. One licence installs on up to 5 machines.
Why Corbett
One licence
Covers Gmail and 209+ other providers
No subscription
Lifetime price from $99
Read-only access
Nothing is deleted in Gmail
Direct connection
No Corbett server in between
Eight formats
Plus copy to another account
No size limit
Any mailbox size or message count
Free demo
10 emails saved per folder
30 day money back
Refund window on every licence
Before purchase
Gmail syncs across devices, which is not a backup. Delete a message on the phone and it disappears everywhere. Google offers a free export instead, which works well for one export and badly for several.
| Task | Google Takeout | Gmail Backup Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | $99 one time |
| One full archive, once | Exactly what it is built for | Also covered |
| Output format | MBOX only | Eight formats including PST and PDF |
| Select individual labels | Labels yes, date range no | Labels, dates, senders and attachments |
| See mail before exporting | Not offered | Full preview with headers and raw source |
| Wait time | Hours to days, Google decides | Starts immediately |
| Several accounts | One at a time, signed in separately | Queued together |
| Opening the result | MBOX needs Thunderbird or a viewer | PST opens in Outlook, PDF opens offline |
Rows tinted green are where Takeout wins.
For one archive of one account in MBOX, Google Takeout does the job at no cost. The Free Google Takeout Viewer opens the result. Notes cover open Google Takeout files and Google Takeout not working.
Global recognition
Users rate Corbett backup software 4.6 out of 5 across 683 reviews, and software directories list it.
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Specifications
Download details
System
Supported editions
Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8 and 7, in 32 and 64 bit. Windows Server 2025 down to 2008. Outlook is not required.
No macOS or Linux build.
Corbett has built Windows email utilities since 2020. Support for Gmail Backup Tool is handled by the team that wrote it.
Full specification
Complete source and output list for Corbett Gmail Backup Tool.
Goes in
Gmail account sources
Comes out
Backup destinations
To convert saved files later, use email converter tool or single-format PST File Converter Tool, MBOX File Converter and EML Converter Tool. To move a Gmail account to a new provider, use email migration tool. To open a saved file without exporting, use free email viewer software.
User testimonials
Drawn from 683 reviews of the Corbett wizard behind Gmail Backup Tool.
Pulled from 683 reviews on rating sites and customer emails. Below are three, quoted exactly.
I was looking for a quick solution to back up Gmail emails and save them in PDF format. Before this I had tried to copy my emails using a bunch of free methods that I found over the internet. However, the copied files turned out to be missing key data. After a quick search, I came upon this Gmail backup tool.
A colleague suggested this Gmail account backup software to help me copy my Gmail emails to a desktop email client. This application works really fast and efficiently perform all the task. The best part is I was able to copy multiple emails at a single go.
After the recent break down of Google services, I became concerned for the integrity of my Gmail data and started to look for efficient Gmail account backup solutions. That's when I found out about the Corbett Gmail backup tool. The software is really amazing as far as it comes to backing up Gmail emails.
Best practice
Saved mail is only useful if it opens later. These four habits protect your Gmail archive.
Back up before deleting
Delete messages in Gmail only after the backup opens offline. Trash empties itself after 30 days.
Open a sample file
After saving, open a handful of messages. Confirm labels came across as folders and attachments open.
Keep a second format
Repeat the backup with another format. PST for Outlook and PDF for offline reading is a common pair.
Store a copy elsewhere
Keep one copy on your PC and one on an external disk or network share, named by account and date.
Common questions
App passwords, labels, Takeout and where the tool stops.
Syncing is not backing up. A message deleted on one device is deleted everywhere, Trash empties itself after 30 days, and Google makes no promise to keep an account open forever. A copy on your own drive is the only version nothing else can reach.
Google no longer accepts normal passwords from mail apps. Since March 2025 every outside client is refused. Enable 2-Step Verification, create an app password under Google Account security and enter it in Gmail Backup Tool.
There is not one any more. Google removed the switch for personal Gmail accounts in January 2025 and IMAP is always on, so nothing needs enabling before you connect. Google Workspace accounts differ, since an administrator still controls IMAP there.
Yes, provided the administrator allows IMAP for the account. Workspace stopped accepting app passwords in May 2025, so sign-in there goes through the standard Google consent screen. See the Google Workspace backup tool.
Yes. Every label becomes a folder and nested labels keep their order. A Gmail message can carry several labels at once, which a folder tree cannot mirror, so it appears in every selected label folder.
All Mail gives you one copy of everything with no repeats, which suits an archive you may never open. Individual labels suit a smaller selection like one client or one project and finish much faster.
No. The tool copies mail out and modifies nothing in the account, so your 15 GB stays untouched. Delete messages in Gmail yourself once the backup opens offline.
Yes. Accounts are added one after another and the backup covers all of them in a single batch. Every account needs its own app password.
No. The tool connects to the mailbox over IMAP, so it copies mail, attachments, contacts and calendar entries. Files in Google Drive are a separate store and stay where they are.
Yes. Attachments and inline images are saved with the messages. Contacts, calendars and tasks come across where the account holds them, with contacts in vCard and calendar entries in ICS. Attachments, email addresses, phone numbers and contact photos can also be extracted on their own under Extract.
No. The full edition has no limit on account size or message count. Google throttles IMAP downloads, so a 15 GB mailbox takes a while, but the job recovers from a dropped connection.
Gmail allows 15 mail clients connected to one account at a time and counts phones, tablets, browser add-ons and old installs. Sign out of anything you no longer use, wait for the sessions to close and try again.
No. Your PC links to Gmail directly and saves messages to a drive you choose. Corbett keeps nothing.
No. Gmail Backup Tool is Windows-only: desktop 7 to 11 and Windows Server 2008 to 2025.
Yes. The trial logs in with an app password, loads every label and unlocks preview and filters. Output is capped at 10 emails per folder, so results can be tested before purchase.
PST, MBOX, EML and MSG open in mail clients. PDF, HTML, CSV and TXT serve documents and lists.
Yes. Choose a From and To date, or search sender, subject and content. Filters also cover attachments and message size.
For one archive of one account in MBOX, Takeout works at no cost. The Free Google Takeout Viewer opens the result. The tool adds eight formats, label and date choice, preview and several accounts together.
Yes. Copy labels into a second Gmail account or a different mail server with the Gmail Migration Tool.
Yes. Open it read-only in the free email viewer software.
Yes. Windows 11 and 10 are supported along with all older versions.
One payment of $99 buys a lifetime licence for up to 5 machines, with a 30 day refund window.
Step by step
Guides for one task before or after a Gmail backup, from start to finish.
Every other provider is listed on the email backup software page. Shifting a Gmail account uses the Gmail Migration Tool, saved files convert with the email converter tool and a lost mailbox goes through email recovery software. Sibling pages: Google Workspace backup tool, iCloud backup tool, Hotmail backup tool, Office 365 backup tool and Yahoo backup tool. More walkthroughs: Download Gmail emails to hard drive, Save Gmail emails offline and Archive emails in Gmail by date.
Get started
Get the free demo, paste an app password and test a few messages per label. Personal licence: $99 for life, refundable within 30 days.
Download free demo Purchase now
87.4 MB · Windows 11 to 7 and Windows Server 2025 to 2008 · 30 day money back