It’s no secret that Google collects immense amounts of data from its users every day. Locations, photos, messages and more, it’s all in the cloud. Ever wonder what they have on you?
Fortunately Google makes it easy to get a copy of your data. It’s useful for review, or for importing your data into a different service provider. If you are an investigator (that has the proper credentials and permission), it’s also a great way to get a copy of a custodian’s cloud data.
So how do we get started?

First, go to Google Takeout and log in.

Next, select the services you want to export data from:

Scroll down to the bottom and click “Next Step”, and then choose your export settings. You can change the export type, export frequency, and how you are notified.

When you are ready, click “Create Export”.

That’s it! Depending on how much data you requested, it can take several hours while Google pulls it all together. Eventually, you will receive a download link with your requested data. Download and unzip it, and you are ready to review, import, or analyze a forensically sound copy of Google’s cloud data.