Your email data holds answers to a lot of questions: how much you send, when you send it, who you talk to most, and how fast you reply. But that data is locked inside your inbox until you export it. Once it is out, you can back it up, move it, or turn it into your own analysis in a spreadsheet or a data warehouse.
This guide covers how to export your email data from the three places it usually lives: Gmail, Outlook, and email marketing tools. Then it shows how to export the metrics that matter most for teams, so you can actually act on what you pull out.
How to export your emails from Gmail
Gmail does not have a simple "export" button inside the inbox. The official route is Google Takeout.
- Go to Google Takeout while signed in to your account.
- Click Deselect all, then scroll down and tick Mail. You can choose all mail or specific labels.
- Choose your delivery method (a download link by email is the simplest), file type, and size, then click Create export.
- Google prepares the file and emails you a download link. Your mail arrives as an MBOX file, which you can open in most email clients or convert to another format.
To export your contacts instead, go to Google Contacts, select the contacts you want, and choose Export as a CSV or vCard file.
How to export emails from Outlook
Outlook makes this easier than Gmail because export is built into the desktop app.
- In Outlook for Windows, go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export.
- Choose Export to a file, then click Next.
- Pick your format: Comma Separated Values (CSV) for a spreadsheet-friendly list, or Outlook Data File (.pst) for a full backup you can re-import later.
- Select the folder to export (your inbox, a specific folder, or the whole mailbox), choose where to save the file, and finish.
Microsoft's guide to exporting to an Outlook data file covers the full steps. On Outlook.com (the web version), full mailbox export is limited, but you can still export contacts to CSV from the People section. For the analytics side of Outlook, see our guide to tracking email analytics in Outlook.
Saving individual emails as PDF
If you only need a few messages as files rather than a full export, save them as PDF. Open the email, go to File > Print, choose Microsoft Print to PDF (or Save as PDF) as the printer, and save. In Gmail, use the print icon on an open email and select Save as PDF as the destination. This keeps a clean, shareable copy of a single email without exporting the whole mailbox.
How to export data from email marketing tools
If your question is really about campaign data, most email marketing platforms (Mailchimp, Brevo, HubSpot and the like) follow the same pattern:
- Contacts and audiences: open your Audience or Contacts view and look for an Export option, which downloads a CSV of subscribers and their fields.
- Campaign reports: open a campaign's report and export the results (opens, clicks, bounces, unsubscribes) as a CSV or XLSX.
- Automation and revenue data: pull these from the analytics or reporting section, again as a CSV.
The exact menu names differ, but "Export" almost always lives inside the Contacts view and inside each report. From there you can combine everything in a spreadsheet.
How to export your email analytics and metrics
Exporting raw emails or campaign lists is one thing. Exporting the performance data behind your team's email, response times, reply volumes, workload per person, is a different job, and it is the one most teams actually need. That is where Email Meter comes in.
- In Email Meter, build the report you want to export: set the date range, the team members, and any filters.
- Click CSV export in the top right. Anything visible in your report is included in the file.
- You receive a download link. The export uses email headers, the metadata about each message (sender, timestamp, whether it is a reply), rather than the private content of your emails.
From there you can build your own metrics in a spreadsheet, or push the data further. Teams that want to combine it with other sources often send it to a warehouse, which we cover in our guide to turning email data into business value with BigQuery. Note that CSV export is available on Email Meter's paid plans.
What to do with your exported email data
Raw data is only useful once you turn it into a decision. A few starting points:
- Measure response times. Timestamps let you calculate how long replies take. See how to measure email response times from your data.
- Spot your busiest relationships. Grouping by sender shows who generates the most work, the same idea behind finding your top senders.
- Build a full picture. Once your data is out, our guide to email analytics for teams walks through the metrics worth tracking.
Frequently asked questions
How do I export all my emails from Gmail?
Use Google Takeout: deselect everything, tick Mail, and create an export. Google sends you a download link, and your emails arrive as an MBOX file.
Can I export Outlook emails to a CSV or Excel file?
Yes. In Outlook for Windows, go to File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Export to a file, then choose Comma Separated Values (CSV). For a full backup, choose the Outlook Data File (.pst) option instead.
How do I export email performance data for my team?
Exporting the raw mailbox will not give you clean metrics. A tool like Email Meter exports your team's response times, volumes and workload as a CSV you can analyze directly.
Turn your exported data into insight
Exporting is the first step. The value comes from what the numbers tell you. If you want your team's response times, reply rates and workload ready to analyze without building it by hand, request a demo of Email Meter.
