+Spencer Wade explains Google Takeout

+Spencer Wade explains Google Takeout

Originally shared by Spencer Wade


Google Takeout: Hot, Fresh & Made to Order

As we’ve made our way through G+ Settings Tab, and have so far explored all the ways it gives us control over our experience, we came across the Album Archive during our discussion of Photos in G+. That discovery led us to a brief mention of Google Takeout which we’ll dive into a bit here. It’s a worthwhile addition, I promise.

Google Takeout is basically Google’s way of giving you ownership of all the data Google holds which is in some way connected to you. You’re given the option of creating and managing archives of your own data drawn from an incredibly diverse range of products and services provided by our good friends at Alphabet. It’s super simple and takes less time than you might expect. Take a look at the image below and get an idea of the options and the interface.

Now that you’ve selected the different data sources you’d like to archive, all you have to do is hit the next button located at the bottom of the list. The archive created can use three different file formats – including .zip – and allows for a maximum file size to be set. There’s also the all-important delivery method to think about. Your options range from a download link via email to any of the cloud-based storage services. Here’s a view of the options below:

Now all that remains is pressing go and getting all that data into your hands for whatever uses you see fit. It’s good to know that everything you’ve done, all your posts and interactions, your +1’s and Hangouts, your Keep data and Photos, can be saved to your own storage. It gives you a feeling of permanence and ensures that no matter what, your Google experience will always be right at your fingertips – even the experiences from your first days on the platform. In the end, that’s all archiving is anyway – protecting digital memories.

Create an archive w/ your data: (https://goo.gl/vVFbq8)