Note!

Google Takeout and Google ‘Download’ may not retrieve all files! This is mostly due to permissions and ownership issues. It is up to you to make sure you have saved everything you require. (Your IT staff are happy to assist!)

For a detailed explanation of the issues, we strongly recommend that you watch our VIDEO, which covers specific examples and definitions.

Overview of Inconsistencies/Brief Examples

Google Takeout may miss files that you have told it to download, depending on the ownership permissions of those files.

  • It is critical to check your download, regardless of method, to be sure it includes all files you want to keep, before deleting the originals from your Google Drive.

Downloading directly from Google may miss files as well. Google Forms are a good example of this.

  • You can't be sure you get everything, whichever method you choose. There are other pitfalls to both the ‘Download’ method and the ‘Google Takeout’ method. We cannot cover them all here. In the end, you may have to try several options, find out what works for you, and really check to make sure that the files you need have been downloaded to your computer before you delete them from Google.

If you encounter problems, please contact us at engtechteam@vt.edu or 540-231-9076