Find a free tool that backs up all your Google Docs, and is available for Mac, Linux, or PC.
Method #1: Use the Google Docs built-in export function. Go to your list of documents, click the check box next to “Actions” in order to select all, then click Actions → Download. This brings up a menu that allows you to select the file formats for the documents. There is a size limit: “You can export up to 2 GB at a time.”
Method #2: Use the Google Docs Download GreaseMonkey script, which produces a page with export links for each of your documents. The DownThemAll! add-on can be used to grab all of the links at once. (Note that this method requires Mozilla Firefox.)
Method #3: Use GDocBackup, a utility which “runs on Windows (tested on XP, Vista and 7), Linux (tested on Ubuntu 8.10 and OpenSuse 11.1) and Mac (tested on OS X 10.5.6).” After making a backup for the first time, this program can download only modified documents for subsequent backups.
Google Docs’ built-in export function fails. It doesn’t give an error, but it only exports 20-50 documents on each try.
The Google Docs Download GreaseMonkey script works, but DownThemAll pauses for 30-90 seconds between each document download, and thus would take days to download all my documents.
GDocBackup used to work but now it doesn’t.
My current working solution is to use Firefox + GDD + FlashGot + iGetter. When downloading stops working on the iGetter queue, I need to click ‘Pause All’, wait 10 seconds, then click ‘Start Auto.’
I think these failures of previous solutions are due to Google Docs being upgraded to/supplanted by Google Drive. Google Drive apparently has a built-in desktop sync feature, making exporting unnecessary. (Disclaimer: I haven’t tried this yet myself.)
There is a company called Backupify which offers a tool that integrates with Google Drive to do an additional backup (rather than just syncing), but their app is listed with a cost of $3/month.
I also tried the desktop sync feature, but it doesn’t actually store local copies of the files in an accessible format. It just means that you can load it up in your browser in ‘offline mode’ on the particular computer on which you have the Google sync software installed.
Method #1: Use the Google Docs built-in export function. Go to your list of documents, click the check box next to “Actions” in order to select all, then click Actions → Download. This brings up a menu that allows you to select the file formats for the documents. There is a size limit: “You can export up to 2 GB at a time.”
Method #2: Use the Google Docs Download GreaseMonkey script, which produces a page with export links for each of your documents. The DownThemAll! add-on can be used to grab all of the links at once. (Note that this method requires Mozilla Firefox.)
Method #3: Use GDocBackup, a utility which “runs on Windows (tested on XP, Vista and 7), Linux (tested on Ubuntu 8.10 and OpenSuse 11.1) and Mac (tested on OS X 10.5.6).” After making a backup for the first time, this program can download only modified documents for subsequent backups.
GDocBackup: I followed the Mac howto using Mono and the GUI. It works! Thanks!
You’re welcome!
07/21/2012 update:
Google Docs’ built-in export function fails. It doesn’t give an error, but it only exports 20-50 documents on each try.
The Google Docs Download GreaseMonkey script works, but DownThemAll pauses for 30-90 seconds between each document download, and thus would take days to download all my documents.
GDocBackup used to work but now it doesn’t.
My current working solution is to use Firefox + GDD + FlashGot + iGetter. When downloading stops working on the iGetter queue, I need to click ‘Pause All’, wait 10 seconds, then click ‘Start Auto.’
I think these failures of previous solutions are due to Google Docs being upgraded to/supplanted by Google Drive. Google Drive apparently has a built-in desktop sync feature, making exporting unnecessary. (Disclaimer: I haven’t tried this yet myself.)
There is a company called Backupify which offers a tool that integrates with Google Drive to do an additional backup (rather than just syncing), but their app is listed with a cost of $3/month.
Yeah.
I also tried the desktop sync feature, but it doesn’t actually store local copies of the files in an accessible format. It just means that you can load it up in your browser in ‘offline mode’ on the particular computer on which you have the Google sync software installed.
Backupify seems like it should work.
Correction: Backupify only works if you use Google Apps. It doesn’t work for personal Gmail accounts.
If you need scriptability, the GoogleCL command-line tool may be handy, or the underlying gdata-python-client library.