Export all messages from a private Google Group to MBOX format (compatible with Thunderbird, Apple Mail, etc.).
Google Groups has no native export for message content. GYB and the Admin Export Tool only work with user mailboxes, not groups. Google Vault requires a licence. The official API covers settings and membership only. This tool uses browser automation to export everything.
Download the latest version as a ZIP, then unzip it to a folder of your choice.
This tool requires Python 3.10 or newer. If you have never used Python before, follow the steps for your operating system below.
Open a terminal (see Step 2 for how to do that) and run:
python --version
If you see something like Python 3.11.2, you are good. If you get an error or a version below 3.10, install Python first.
Windows and macOS: Go to python.org/downloads and download the latest installer.
- Windows: Run the installer. On the first screen, check the box "Add Python to PATH" before clicking Install. This is easy to miss and essential.
- macOS: Run the installer and follow the steps.
Linux: Python 3 is usually pre-installed. If not:
# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip
# Fedora
sudo dnf install python3 python3-pipYou need a terminal (command line window) opened inside the folder you unzipped.
Windows:
- Open File Explorer and navigate into the unzipped folder.
- Click the address bar at the top so it becomes editable, type
cmd, and press Enter. - A Command Prompt window opens, already in the right folder.
macOS:
- Open Terminal (find it via Spotlight: press
Cmd + Space, typeTerminal, press Enter). - Type
cd(with a space after it), then drag the unzipped folder from Finder into the Terminal window, and press Enter.
Linux: Open your terminal emulator and navigate to the folder:
cd /path/to/groupscraper-mainWith the terminal open in the project folder, run these two commands one after the other.
Windows:
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m playwright install chromium
macOS / Linux:
python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python3 -m playwright install chromiumThe first command installs the required Python packages. The second downloads a browser that the tool uses to log in to Google — you do not need Google Chrome installed separately.
That's it — the tool is ready to use.
python scraper.py mygroup@example.commacOS / Linux: Use
python3instead ofpythonif the above doesn't work.
A browser window will open. Log in with your Google account and wait for the group page to load. The script detects the successful login automatically and saves the session. The window stays open during scraping.
python scraper.py mygroup@example.comThe saved session is reused. If it has expired, the script detects this automatically and opens a browser window for re-authentication before continuing.
GROUP_EMAIL Group email address (e.g. mygroup@example.com)
--reauth Force re-authentication (delete and renew saved session)
--debug Save raw ds:11 JSON blocks to debug/ for inspection
--limit N Process only the first N pending threads (useful for testing)
--attachments Download and embed attachments in MBOX
--no-attachments Skip attachments (no prompt)
--page-load-wait SECS Fallback wait time (seconds) if the thread list does not
appear within 10 s; increase on slow connections (default: 4)
If the group email is omitted, you will be prompted interactively. Attachments are prompted unless --attachments or --no-attachments is specified.
exports/
└── {domain}__{group}/
└── {YYYY-MM-DD}/
├── messages.mbox ← import this into your mail client
├── attachments/ ← downloaded attachment files (--attachments only)
├── progress.json ← tracks completed threads for resumability
└── debug/ ← raw data blocks (--debug only)
Import messages.mbox into Thunderbird via Tools → Import, or into Apple Mail via File → Import Mailboxes.
If the scraper is interrupted, re-run the same command. It reads progress.json and skips threads that were already fully exported.
- Very long threads (50+ replies) may be truncated if Google paginates the thread data — the
ds:11block may only contain the first batch of messages.
Session expired mid-run
The script detects session expiry automatically and re-authenticates without needing a restart. Use --reauth only to force a fresh login manually.
0 threads found Verify you can access the group in your browser. Then:
python scraper.py mygroup@example.com --reauthWrong message content or parsing errors
Run with --debug and inspect the .json files in debug/ to see the raw data Google returned.
Using this tool could probably violate Google's Terms of Service. However, this tool operates as a slow, almost human-paced browser session using your own credentials, not an API scraper hitting Google at scale.
EU users: GDPR's right to data portability (Art. 20) enshrines the right to receive your personal data in a portable format. Google provides no native export for Google Groups message content, making this tool the only practical way to exercise that right. This does not authorise the use of automated means under Google's ToS, but it does reinforce the legitimacy of the underlying goal.
Use at your own discretion.
This tool is an independent, open-source project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or in any way connected to Google LLC. "Google Groups" is a trademark of Google LLC. Use of that name here is purely descriptive - this tool targets the Google Groups platform but is neither authorized nor supported by Google.
This software is provided as is, without warranty of any kind. The author accepts no liability whatsoever for any damages, data loss, account suspension, legal consequences, or any other harm arising from the use or misuse of this tool. Use it entirely at your own risk.
This project is licensed under GPL v3 or later. See the LICENSE file for details.
