A Simple Guide to Backup Google Hangouts/Chats

Aftab Alam | Updated On - 22 Apr 2022 |

Read time 8 minutes

Google Hangouts, the communication application from Google, is used extensively to chat with friends, colleagues, and clients. Google had released it as a part of the Google + but made it a standalone application in 2013. It is useful in communication processes because it provides a simple messaging interface where the user does not need to send a mail to others but conduct a simple chat.

Today, it is part of the Google Workspace (G Suite) line of products and consists of two essential components: Google Meet and Google Chat. Here are the features of the Google Hangouts that enhance the quality of the communication:

• More than two users can chat with each other.
• The previous chats are saved online, which makes these messages available on various devices.
• Images can be shared.
• Users can share emoji symbols.
• A video chat facility is available.
• The Android and iOS platforms have mobile versions of the application.
• The Google Chrome users do not need to install a plugin separately as it is available by default.

Why Should You Take the Backup of Google Hangouts Messages?

Google Hangouts is used not only for informal chats with your team members but for professional purposes also. For example, for interviews, webinars, client demonstrations of your software, business consultations, etc.

Due to the importance of the content of these messages, you will not like to lose such messages. So, backups are also important.

Instant Solution

Kernel G Suite Backup an automated tool to backup Google Hangouts/Chats, Contacts, Emails, Google Drive data and Calendar in few steps.

How to Take the Manual Backup of the Google Hangout?

Google has not provided any dedicated method to take the backup of the chats separately. But there is a very simple method that you can apply to save the chats in PDF format.

1. Login to your Gmail account.
2. In the textbox type in:chats and press enter. It will retrieve all the messages present in the hangout chats.
   
   Note: You can also type label:chats, and it will recover the same results.
   
3. If the Chats folder is visible in the folder list of your mailbox, then then you can select the messages there.
   
4. Choose the emails that you want to save and open them. Gmail will open all the chats from the same day in an email like page.
5. Click the three dots at the top-right hand side. Then click Print.
6. In the given printer options, there will be options for saving the emails in the PDF format. Such options are available in major browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, etc.
7. You can save the emails in the PDF format, and you can save them at any desired location.

Limitations of the Manual Method

When you save the Hangouts chats in the PDF files, then you can keep the chat of only a single day. It is tiresome to save the chat of multiple days and with different users. If you have to backup chats of many months, then it will take much time.

An Automated Method to Backup G Suite Data

If you want to easily backup your Google Hangouts chats, then you should use a professional tool that supports the Google environment. Kernel G Suite Backup tool is one such a unique tool that does the backup of all the Google Apps. You can save Gmail emails, contacts, calendars, appointments, and chats, also. If you want to keep your chats in backup, then you can follow the below procedure-

1. Start the software, and on the Home screen, and click the Add button to add the G Suite account.
   
2. In the Google Workspace Login page, you need to provide the G Suite account, its Service Account ID, and the public P 12 key. Then choose a single mailbox. Click Add.
   
3. After successfully adding the G Suite account, click Set Filter and Migrate.
   
4. In the Filter Selection page, you can see all the folders of your G Suite mailbox. You can also see the Chat folder. Deselect all the other accounts except the Chat folder. Apply the remaining filters and click I am OK Start Migration.
   
5. Choose the destination format and click OK.
   
6. Browse the folder to save the chats in the selected format. Click OK.
   
7. The Chat folder is saved successfully. Click OK.
   
8. Save the report in the CSV format. Click OK.
   

Video Tutorial How to Take a Backup of Google Hangouts Chats?

Conclusion

The manual process to backup Google Hangouts chats has many limitations. The above mentioned KernelApps tool is an advanced backup tool that simplifies the G Suite/Google Workspace backup process, including that of Google Hangouts chats. You can get the free trial version of the software and take the backup of 10 items per folder. The report option is also available there in the trial version.