

To open these attachments in their actual format like. Note: In Google Takeout, you get the attachments in Base64 code in the MBOX file itself.

However, when it comes to exporting a large mailbox that has thousands of emails, you may face some issues. Google Takeout works seamlessly most of the time when you need to export small mailboxes. The following are a few things about Google Takeout that make it unsuitable for email forensics: 1. Why Google Takeout is not suitable for Email Forensics? It also exports email data in different file formats, such as PST, MSG, HTML, etc. The tool can give you more control over mailbox filtering with functions such as Boolean Search and Regular Expression Search. This software comes with a functionality that is specifically designed for digital forensic professionals. So, it’s recommended that you use a dedicated email forensic tool, such as Stellar Email Forensic. But its limitations may outweigh the advantages when it comes to the rigor of email forensic investigation. Google Takeout has its merits, like simplicity and a wide scope for data collection.


You can correlate this data with the collected emails and reconstruct the documented events to verify the facts and identify any discrepancies. The utility allows you to acquire additional information about a user by exporting the data stored in Google products, such as Calendar, Contacts, Photos, etc. The area where Google Takeout shines is the scope of data collection. Figure 1: Mail Content Options for Mailbox Folders in Gmail
