Gmail has no "download all attachments" button, but you can still get every attachment in one ZIP. Export your mailbox with Google Takeout, then open the MBOX file in readmbox.com and save the attachments in one click.
The whole thing takes a few clicks, plus however long Google needs to package your mail. Prefer to watch? Here's the video walkthrough.
Step 1: Export your Gmail with Google Takeout
Google Takeout backs up all your email into a single .mbox file.
- Go to takeout.google.com.
- Click Deselect all, then scroll down to Mail and check it.
- Want only some labels? Click the mail options and pick the folders. Otherwise, leave all of them selected.
- Scroll to the bottom and click Next step.
- Set the file size to 50 GB. With a large inbox, this gives you one file to download instead of many.
- Click Create export.
Depending on the size of your account, the export takes anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, or longer for very large mailboxes. Google emails you a download link when it's ready.
Step 2: Download and unzip the export
Open Google's email and click the link to download your file. It arrives as a ZIP. Double-click it to unzip it into a folder. Your .mbox file is inside.
Step 3: Open the MBOX file in readmbox.com
Go to readmbox.com. It's an in-browser MBOX viewer that shows all your emails and attachments privately. It even works offline.
Your MBOX file and your emails are never sent to any server. Everything happens inside your browser, and only you can see it.
Click Choose an .mbox file, find the folder you unzipped, and double-click the .mbox file. Your whole mailbox opens: every email, ready to browse.
Step 4: Save all attachments as one ZIP
Click Attachments, then Save attachments as ZIP. That downloads every attachment from your mailbox in a single file.
Only need certain types? Filter to just images, PDFs, or documents before you save.
Open the ZIP and all your files are there.
That's it
Takeout gets your mail out of Gmail; readmbox.com gets the attachments out of the MBOX. No software to install, and your email never leaves your computer.
Have questions or suggestions? Let us know.
