When you download an archive of your Google data from Google Takeout, your files and folders are saved as a compressed file called either a ZIP or TGZ file. This minHour article teaches you how decompress the ZIP and TGZ archive files you downloaded from Google and access their contents.
Windows
Save your Google archive to your computer.
If you haven’t already saved your Google data as an archive to your computer, you can do so at https://takeout.google.com. You’ll be given the option to save the file as a ZIP or TGZ file. ZIP files can be open without installing extra software, but if you choose the TGZ format, you’ll need to complete some extra steps.
- If you selected the option to have a download link sent to your email when the archive is ready, click the link in your email to start the download. If you’re saving more than 50 GB of data, the download will be broken into multiple files.
- If you chose to save the file to your Google Drive, Dropbox, or another service, log into that service and download the file to your computer.
Install software that can unpack your TGZ file (optional).
Skip this step if you’ve downloaded a file (or files) that ends with the .zip file extension, which is most common. 7-Zip is a great free option for unpacking the file. Here’s how to get it:
- Go to https://www.7-zip.org and click Download next to your version of Windows in the first section.
- Double-click the downloaded file and click Yes to let it run.
- Click Install to install the app.
Open the folder containing your downloaded Google archive.
It’ll usually be in your Downloads folder unless you chose another location.
Double-click the file.
This displays the contents of the archive.
- If it’s a .TGZ file, the contents will open in the 7-Zip app.
Click Extract All (ZIP) or Extract (TGZ).
This option is at the top of the window.
Click Extract (ZIP) or OK (TGZ).
This extracts the files to a new folder with the same name. The folder will open automatically and display the files inside.
macOS
Save your Google archive to your computer.
If you haven’t already saved your Google data as an archive to your computer, you can do so at https://takeout.google.com. You’ll be given the option to save the file as a ZIP or TGZ file. You can choose either format, but ZIP is more common.
- If you selected the option to have a download link sent to your email when the archive is ready, click the link in your email to start the download. If you’re saving more than 50 GB of data, the download will be broken into multiple files.
- If you chose to save the file to your Google Drive, Dropbox, or another service, log into that service and download the file to your computer.
Open Finder.
It’s the two-toned smiley face icon on the Dock.
Open the folder containing the file(s) you downloaded from Google.
The filename(s) will end in .zip or .tgz.
Double-click the downloaded file.
This automatically unzips the file to a new folder with the same name. You can now access the files inside.
Tips
- The files in your Google archive may open in a variety of apps. For example, when you download your contacts, they’ll save as a VCF file by default—this type of file is designed to be imported into email and contacts apps, not read as text.
- Google Calendar exports save in the .ICS file type and can be imported into most calendar apps.
- Before downloading your archive, you can choose your download preferences in Google Takeout. For example, you can choose certain albums in Google Photos to download, customize which mail folders to include, and elect not to save map data.