A simple guide to backup Google Hangouts/Chats

Read time 8 minutes

Google Hangouts, the communication application from Google, is used extensively to keep in touch with friends, colleagues, and clients through chat, audio, and video calls. It is a helpful communication method since users can conduct a simple interface chat instead of sending elaborate emails every time. Google had released it as a part of Google + but made it a standalone application in 2013.

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 Google Hangouts that help in maintaining an enhanced quality of communication:

• Multiple users can chat with each other.
• All the previous chats are saved online, making them accessible on various devices.
• Images are sharable.
• Users can share emoji symbols.
• A video chat facility is available.
• The Android and iOS platforms have mobile versions of the application.
• Google Chrome users do not need to install a plugin separately, as it is available by default.

Why to take the backup of Google Hangouts messages?

Besides informal chats, Google Hangouts is also used extensively for professional work between team members, like interviews, webinars, client demonstrations of your software, business consultations, etc. During the pandemic, it gained popularity among schools and teachers as well to take online classes.

Due to the importance of the content of these messages, you will not want to lose such messages. So, taking backups of Google Chats is also essential.

Instant solution

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

Free Download 100% SecureBuy Now

How to take the manual backup of the Google Hangout?

Google has not provided any dedicated method to backup the chats separately. But there are two simple methods that you can apply to save the chats in PDF and.zip format, respectively.

Taking Google chats backup using print command-

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 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 on 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 PDF format. Such options are available in major browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, etc.
7. You can save the G Suite Emails to PDF format at any desired location.

Limitations of using Print command to take backup of Google chats:

When you save the Hangouts chats in PDF files, you can keep the chat for only a day. It will take much time if you have to backup chats for many months. Imagine taking a backup of chats with multiple users over a period of time! It is tiresome to save the chats of multiple days and with different users.

Taking Google Hangout backup using Google Takeout

Google Takeout is a free tool that allows users to export various types of Google data for backup. It is a quick and hassle-free way to export your data and save it in your local storage.

1. Open the Google Takeout web page.
   https://takeout.google.com/takeout
2. Scroll down and select the Hangouts section. Click on Next step to proceed.
3. Choose the destination, frequency, file type, and file size.

Destination– Add the data to the Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box or download it via a link on your email

Frequency– Export once or export every two months for a year

File type– .zip or .tgz. You can easily open .zip files on almost all computers, while .tgz requires additional software on Windows.

File size– 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 10GB or 50GB. If the data size is larger than the selected option, it will be split into multiple files.

4. Click on Create export, and the export time will depend on the data size.
5. You will receive the email along with the option to Download the file.

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 Software is a unique tool that backs up all Google Apps. You can also save Gmail emails, contacts, calendars, appointments, and chats. If you want to keep your chats in backup, then you can follow the below procedure.

1. Start the software. On the Home screen, click the Add button to add the G Suite account.
   
2. You must provide the G Suite account, its Service Account ID, and the public P 12 key on the Google Workspace Login page. Then, choose a single mailbox. Click Add.
   
3. After successfully adding the G Suite account, click Set Filter and Migrate.
   
4. On 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.
   

Conclusion

There are two possible methods to take a backup of all Google Hangouts chats, one using the Print option and the other using the Google Takeout tool. But sadly, both bring along many limitations. Try an automated Kernel G Suite Backup advanced 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 a backup of 10 items per folder. The report option is also available in the trial version.