Systems
Are our old Gmail emails worth money, and how do I export them to sell?
On this page
- Are old emails worth anything to AI buyers?
- How far back does Gmail keep our email?
- What happened to the mailboxes of people who left?
- Takeout, the Data Export tool or Vault: which export do we use?
- Can a buyer connect to Gmail instead of us exporting it?
- Which buyers say they take Gmail and Google Workspace data?
- What file does the sample tool need from Google?
- Sources
They can be. Many providers that license company records name Gmail, and they value reply chains that show quotes, approvals and follow-ups. Google keeps mail until a user or admin deletes it, so the archive reaches back as far as your staff kept their mail; what is usually missing is the mailboxes of people whose accounts were deleted.
Are old emails worth anything to AI buyers?
Yes, when they are working correspondence: requests, quotes, negotiations and approvals, with the replies attached. Providers describe what they want from email in similar terms, as of October 2026:
- Polyshares, in its Gmail export guide: “Business email records how a company actually runs: quotes, negotiations, vendor disputes, approvals and customer follow-ups, each with a timestamp, sender and reply chain.”
- Troveo lists Gmail and asks for “Email threads with senders, recipients, and linked responses”.
- Avelence names Gmail and describes “Email threads, linked replies, and meeting history that preserve the context behind a conversation”.
Age is not a drawback. Scale AI looks for years of records in established systems, so ten unbroken years in one Google account is the kind of history these programs describe. What counts for less is mail nobody answered, such as newsletters and system alerts; Why would AI companies want our emails? explains the difference.
Two Gmail details help later. Polyshares’ intake asks for Gmail in gigabytes, counting Spam and Trash but not Drive or Photos, plus the years in use and the number of seats. Your labels also travel with the mail. Google says that in a Takeout download “each message’s labels are preserved in a special X-Gmail-Labels header”, so a label for a customer or a lawsuit can mark messages to keep out of scope (how exclusions work).
How far back does Gmail keep our email?
Until someone deletes it. Google says “By default, Google Workspace data stays in user accounts until the user or admin deletes it.” A deleted message sits in Trash for 30 days; an admin can then restore it for 25 more days, after which, Google says, it “can’t be restored by an admin or by Google” unless Vault kept it.
| Business Starter | Business Standard | Business Plus | Enterprise (Standard / Plus; Enterprise Essentials) | Frontline (Starter / Standard / Plus) and Education (brief) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default retention | Without Vault rules, Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Chat (history on) data stays in user accounts indefinitely until a user or admin deletes it.[1, 2] as of | Without Vault rules, Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Chat (history on) data stays in user accounts indefinitely until a user or admin deletes it.[1, 2] as of | Without Vault rules, Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Chat (history on) data stays in user accounts indefinitely until a user or admin deletes it.[1, 2] as of | Without Vault rules, Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Chat (history on) data stays in user accounts indefinitely until a user or admin deletes it.[1, 2] as of | Without Vault rules, Gmail, Drive, Calendar and Chat (history on) data stays in user accounts indefinitely until a user or admin deletes it.[1, 2] as of |
| Configured retention | Without Vault, the admin-level retention controls are Gmail auto-delete (minimum 30 days), which deletes rather than preserves, and Chat history (off deletes messages after 24 hours). Chat auto-deletion is listed only for Business Plus and higher editions.[3, 4, 5] as of | Without Vault, the admin-level retention controls are Gmail auto-delete (minimum 30 days), which deletes rather than preserves, and Chat history (off deletes messages after 24 hours). Chat auto-deletion is listed only for Business Plus and higher editions.[3, 4, 5] as of | Vault retention rules (default per service or custom by OU, dates, terms) keep data for 1 to 36,500 days or indefinitely, even if users empty trash; at expiry data is purged.[1] as of | Vault retention rules (default per service or custom by OU, dates, terms) keep data for 1 to 36,500 days or indefinitely, even if users empty trash; at expiry data is purged.[1] as of | Vault is included in Frontline Standard and Plus and in all Education editions; Frontline Starter is not in the list.[6] as of |
| Visible vs retained | User deletions have a deadline. Gmail messages stay in Trash for 30 days, then admins have 25 more days to restore them; Drive items stay in Trash for 30 days, and admins can recover them within 25 days after a user empties trash. After that, Google says messages 'can't be restored by an admin or by Google'; without Vault retention rules or holds, nothing is kept beyond these windows.[2, 7] as of | User deletions have a deadline. Gmail messages stay in Trash for 30 days, then admins have 25 more days to restore them; Drive items stay in Trash for 30 days, and admins can recover them within 25 days after a user empties trash. After that, Google says messages 'can't be restored by an admin or by Google'; without Vault retention rules or holds, nothing is kept beyond these windows.[2, 7] as of | Under Vault retention or holds, data a user deletes disappears from their view but remains searchable/exportable in Vault; expired data stays available to Vault for about 30 days before full purge.[1] as of | Under Vault retention or holds, data a user deletes disappears from their view but remains searchable/exportable in Vault; expired data stays available to Vault for about 30 days before full purge.[1] as of | No entry recorded yet |
| Admin rights needed | The org-wide Data Export tool requires a super admin account at least 30 days old (unless the org is newer) with 2-Step Verification on; orgs over 1,000 users must contact support first.[8] as of | The org-wide Data Export tool requires a super admin account at least 30 days old (unless the org is newer) with 2-Step Verification on; orgs over 1,000 users must contact support first.[8] as of | Vault search/export requires Manage Matters, Manage Searches and Manage Exports privileges; both the admin and the users whose data is retained need Vault-including licenses.[9] as of | Vault search/export requires Manage Matters, Manage Searches and Manage Exports privileges; both the admin and the users whose data is retained need Vault-including licenses.[9] as of | For Education K-12, the shared Takeout control defaults to Not Allowed; elsewhere Takeout defaults to Allowed.[10] as of |
| Export method | Data Export tool exports all users' data (including shared drives, suspended, archived and Vault Former Employee accounts) to a Google Cloud Storage bucket; other editions can also export a single user.[8] as of | Data Export tool exports all users' data (including shared drives, suspended, archived and Vault Former Employee accounts) to a Google Cloud Storage bucket; other editions can also export a single user.[8] as of | Data Export tool exports all users' data (including shared drives, suspended, archived and Vault Former Employee accounts) to a Google Cloud Storage bucket; other editions can also export a single user.[8] as of | Enterprise Plus (and Enterprise Essentials Plus, Education Standard/Plus) can run filtered Data Exports for an OU, group, or up to 100 users, with 2 simultaneous exports.[11] as of | No entry recorded yet |
| Export formats | Data Export output is ZIP files per service and size; it exports the same data users get from Google Takeout. Per-service formats are not stated on the admin page.[8] as of | Data Export output is ZIP files per service and size; it exports the same data users get from Google Takeout. Per-service formats are not stated on the admin page.[8] as of | Vault exports: Gmail/Groups/Chat as PST or MBOX; Drive with Docs to DOCX, Sheets to XLSX, Slides to PPTX, Drawings/Sites to PDF; Calendar as ICS or PST; metadata CSV/XML with MD5 hashes.[12] as of | Vault exports: Gmail/Groups/Chat as PST or MBOX; Drive with Docs to DOCX, Sheets to XLSX, Slides to PPTX, Drawings/Sites to PDF; Calendar as ICS or PST; metadata CSV/XML with MD5 hashes.[12] as of | No entry recorded yet |
| Plan limits | No Vault in Business Starter (not in Vault-included list); 30 GB pooled storage per user; Meet recording not included.[13] as of | No Vault in Business Standard (not in the Vault-included list), so no retention rules or legal holds; Meet recordings save to the organizer's Drive.[14] as of | Vault is included in Business Plus, Enterprise Standard/Plus, Frontline Standard/Plus, all Education editions, and Enterprise Essentials/Essentials Plus (domain-verified); since Nov 1, 2025 admins themselves need a Vault license to use Vault.[6] as of | Vault exports are deleted 15 days after they start; max 20 simultaneous exports per org; large exports stop after 24 hours with partial results.[9] as of | Archived User licenses are included in Education subscriptions.[15] as of |
What Google Workspace (Gmail, Drive, Chat, Meet, Calendar) holds: Gmail messages, Drive files and Meet recordings, Chat messages, Calendar, Groups, Voice, Sites, Gemini app, Deleted users.
The table gives Google’s defaults by edition. Your admin can check four settings that shorten the record:
- Gmail auto-delete. An admin can have Gmail move mail to Trash or delete it after a set period of at least 30 days, and Google says “You can’t retrieve permanently deleted messages”.
- Vault retention rules (Business Plus and up). They keep mail even when users delete it, but they can also purge it: Google warns that “An improperly set up retention rule might allow Google services to immediately and irreversibly purge data.” Do not create or change rules while you decide.
- Google Chat history. With history off, “messages are deleted after 24 hours”, and Vault cannot hold or search them, so your chat record may be far shorter than your email.
- Mail from before Google. If you moved to Google from another system, the older years are in Gmail only if they were migrated. Does my company’s data qualify? covers how to trace a migration gap.
Open the oldest message in two or three mailboxes of the people who have been with you longest, and ask your admin about the first two settings. Put the oldest date you find, not your sign-up year, in your data inventory.
What happened to the mailboxes of people who left?
A deleted account’s mail can be recovered only by restoring the user within 20 days; a suspended or archived account keeps everything. When a user is deleted, Google deletes their Gmail and the Drive files they owned, keeps them for 20 days, and makes them accessible only if you restore the user. Vault does not protect them after that: “any retention rules or holds placed on the deleted user’s data no longer apply. Data can be purged immediately.”
| What the admin did | What Google keeps | Can it be exported? |
|---|---|---|
| Deleted the account | Gmail and owned Drive files, for 20 days, if the user is restored | Only after restoring within 20 days; the Data Export tool leaves out deleted data unless Vault retained or held it |
| Suspended the account | Everything, at the full license price | Yes, the Data Export tool includes suspended users |
| Gave it an Archived User license | Everything, with sign-in blocked; it counts toward pooled storage | Yes; searchable in Vault if the license includes Vault |
| Transferred files, then deleted | Drive files and calendar under the new owner; Gmail is not among the transfer options during deletion | The transferred files only |
Before anyone deletes another account, archive it or export it. Google’s own deletion page suggests the first: “To keep the user’s data and reduce costs, assign an Archived User license to their account, instead.” A deleted person’s emails with colleagues who are still at the company usually survive in those colleagues’ mailboxes; Does my company’s data qualify? explains what that leaves.
Takeout, the Data Export tool or Vault: which export do we use?
Takeout is for one person’s mailbox, the Data Export tool for the whole company, and Vault for a selection by person, date or search term:
| If you want | Use | Who runs it | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| A first look at one mailbox | Google Takeout, signed in as that user | The user, if your admin allows Takeout | A .zip or .tgz that expires in about 7 days and can be downloaded 5 times |
| Every mailbox, for delivery | The Data Export tool | A super admin | All users’ data in a Google Cloud Storage bucket, deleted 60 days after the export starts |
| Selected people, dates or search terms | Vault, on Business Plus and up | Someone your admin has given the Manage Matters, Manage Searches and Manage Exports privileges | Mail as PST or mbox, with metadata; files available for 15 days |
Three things to know before you choose:
- Format. Gmail comes out of Takeout as an mbox file, the format TechCrunch reported when Google added mail to Takeout in December 2013, and Google says the Data Export tool exports “the same data that’s available with Google Takeout”. In Vault, choose mbox rather than PST if you want to read the files with the sample tool.
- Frequency. Outside Enterprise Plus and a few other editions, the Data Export tool runs a full export once every 30 days and filters only to a single user, so agree the scope before the first run.
- Vault licenses. Google’s list of editions that include Vault does not include Business Starter or Business Standard, and since November 1, 2025 the admin running it needs a Vault license too.
If your IT firm set up Google Workspace, it may hold the only super admin account; How much work is it? covers checking who holds admin roles and the steps for each export.
Can a buyer connect to Gmail instead of us exporting it?
Some providers offer to, but Google’s rules for apps that read Gmail restrict AI training on what they read. Google’s Workspace API User Data and Developer Policy, last updated September 3, 2026, applies to apps using Workspace API scopes such as Gmail, Drive and Chat. Under “Limited use of user data”, it says other uses are “completely prohibited”, including “Transferring, selling, or using user data to create, train, or improve a machine learning or artificial intelligence model beyond that specific user’s personalized model for the appropriate use case or user-facing feature.”
That policy binds the developer of an app reading your mail through Google’s APIs. An export your own admin makes with Takeout, the Data Export tool or Vault is a different route, and your Google Workspace agreement is the document to read for it. If a provider proposes to connect, ask whose app it is, which Google scopes it requests, and how its use fits this policy. Is it legal to sell company emails and records? covers platform terms alongside your other contracts, and How much work is it? shows which providers connect and which take a copy you prepare.
Which buyers say they take Gmail and Google Workspace data?
Thirteen of the 25 buyers and intermediaries Data Licensing Report tracks name Gmail, Google Workspace or a Google app on their own pages, as of October 2026. Introducers do not pay you themselves; they match you with a buyer who does.
| Provider | What it is | What its own page names |
|---|---|---|
| Avelence | Introducer; does not buy data | Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive (source) |
| Corpus | Licenses directly | Google Workspace (source) |
| Handshake AI | Licenses directly | Gmail, Google Drive (source) |
| Mercor | Licenses directly | Gmail, Drive (source) |
| Miro Advisory | Introducer; does not buy data | Email and Google Drive among the systems it covers (source) |
| Nyne | Licenses directly | Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Chat, Docs, Sheets, Drive (source) |
| Polyshares | Licenses directly | Email and Drive in its list of operational data; Gmail in its homepage example (source) |
| Replay | Licenses directly | Gmail, Google Docs, Google Sheets (source) |
| Scale AI | Licenses directly | Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Chat, Docs, Sheets, Drive (source) |
| Sell My Business Data | Introducer | Gmail and Drive (source) |
| SimpleClosure (AssetHub) | Wind-down platform; said on September 3, 2026 it also takes operating companies | Email and Google Drive (source) |
| Telegraph Lab (affiliated with this site) | Licenses directly | Gmail, Google Drive (source) |
| Troveo | Licensing agent | Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Chat, Google Drive (source) |
Others ask for email without naming a system: License My Data lists “Email, calendar” among workplace records, and Scrimdata licenses “inboxes”. Appen and micro1 describe record types such as decision records and procedures and name no email system (Appen, micro1). The buyers directory sets each one’s payment model and terms beside the others’.
What file does the sample tool need from Google?
The .mbox file. Takeout and the Data Export tool both wrap it in a .zip, so unzip the download and add the .mbox itself, not the .zip. From Vault, export as mbox. Individual messages saved as .eml files work too.
Data Licensing Report’s free sample tool reads the mailbox in your browser and counts threads and people, and messages by month, which shows at a glance whether the history is continuous or has a gap. It replaces names and email addresses with consistent labels and removes phone numbers and street addresses, then picks a small set of threads across the years for you to review. Nothing is uploaded unless you choose to. The result is the inventory and redacted sample a buyer asks for first. Drive folders can be added as a documents folder, which the tool counts by type, size and date without opening any file. If your team also chats in Slack, the Slack page covers that export, and the guide puts every step in order.
Which industries run on Google Workspace (Gmail, Drive, Chat, Meet, Calendar)?
- Can a construction company sell its data to AI companies?
- Can a dental practice sell its data to AI companies?
- Can a law firm sell its data to AI companies?
- Can a manufacturer sell its data to AI companies?
- Can a marketing agency sell its data to AI companies?
- Can a property management company sell its data to AI companies?
- Can a roofing company sell its data to AI companies?
- Can a staffing agency sell its data to AI companies?
- Can a trucking company sell its data to AI companies?
- Can a wholesale distributor sell its data to AI companies?
- Can an accounting firm sell client data to AI companies?
- Can an e-commerce store sell its data to AI companies?
- Can an HVAC company sell its data to AI companies?
- Can an insurance agency sell its data to AI companies?
Providers named on this page
Sources
- How retention works - Google Vault Help, Google. Accessed .
- Restore a user's permanently deleted email, Google. Published . Accessed .
- Manage email storage with auto-delete settings, Google. Accessed .
- Automatically delete Chat messages for your organization, Google. Accessed .
- Turn Chat history on or off for an organization, Google. Accessed .
- Vault - Google Vault Help (editions that include Vault), Google. Accessed .
- Recover deleted files and folders for Drive users, Google. Accessed .
- Export all your organization's data (Data Export tool), Google. Accessed .
- Export data from Vault, Google. Accessed .
- Allow or block Google Takeout, Google. Accessed .
- Choose the Workspace data you want to export, Google. Accessed .
- Vault export contents, Google. Accessed .
- Google Workspace pricing, Google. Accessed .
- Record a video meeting - Google Meet Help, Google. Accessed .
- Archive former employee accounts, Google. Accessed .
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