Export data from Vault

After you identify and collect the data for your Google Workspace eDiscovery project with search, you can export it for further analysis. When you export data from Vault, the export contains copies of the data that matched your search. Your organization’s Google Workspace data isn't modified or removed by the export process.

Tips for a successful export

• Have no more than 20 simultaneous exports in progress across your organization.
• Don't use special characters (such as ~!$'(),;@:/?) in the name of the export. Special characters can prevent you from downloading exports.
• If your export takes too long, consider canceling it and use a different search strategy, for example:
  • Identify the accounts you need to export and perform several searches, each searching for a few of the accounts.
  • Perform several searches using date ranges. For example, search for messages sent in 2013, then do another search for messages sent in 2014.

Start an export

To search for and export data, your Google Workspace administrator must assign you the Manage Matters, Manage Searches, and Manage Exports privileges.

1. If you haven't already, sign in to https://vault.google.com.
2. Open the matter you want to export data from and search for the data.

   For details, go to Get started with Vault search and export.

3. Click Export.
4. Enter a descriptive name for the export.
5. If your organization has a data region policy, select the data region for the export.

   For details, go to Choose a location for your Vault export data.

6. If you're exporting from Gmail, Google Groups, or Google Chat, choose the format for the message content files, PST or mbox.

   For details, go to Export contents.

7. (Optional) If you're exporting from Gmail, you can choose to:
   • Include Gmail confidential mode messages—If you exclude confidential mode message content, your export includes only the message metadata.
   • Export linked Drive files—For details, go to Hyperlinks to Drive files in messages.
8. If you're exporting from Drive, choose whether to include access level information for accounts that have indirect access to Drive items.

   For details, go to Exporting access-level information for users with indirect access to files.

9. Click Export.

   Vault immediately starts to process your export. You can close Vault and return later to check your export's status.

Check the status & download an export

1. Click Exports and review the Status column.

   When the export is complete, the Status column has a green checkmark, and the Download button is enabled.

2. Click Download to access your exported data.

   Export files are available for 15 days after you start the export. After 15 days, they're deleted and you must re-create the export if you need to access the data. For details, go to Download an export from Vault.

Exports with partial results

Large exports can take several hours to process. If a large export hasn't been completed after 24 hours, Vault stops the export, and you get an Export contains partial results message.

You can download the messages and items Vault was able to retrieve up to that point, along with a CSV file that lists the accounts that weren't exported. When you're ready to resume the export, do the following:

1. Click Continue export.
2. Give the export a new nameExport.

   Vault gathers more messages and items for another 24 hours.

You can continue an export as many times as necessary to retrieve all the messages and items that matched your query.