How to Export Your Google+ Data Before it Shuts Down

SEJ STAFF Matt G. Southern Senior News Writer at Search Engine Journal

Google has decided to shut down the consumer version Google+ as a result of a security bug, as well as alarmingly low usage rates.

Although the social network never achieved mainstream adoption similar to that of Facebook and Twitter, it did attract a niche group of users.

Those who engaged with the network over its seven years in operation may be keen to save the date they’ve shared with it.

So here’s a quick walkthrough to help with that. Users have until next August to download their data before it’s gone for good.

Download Google+ Data: A Walkthrough

Users can download any data from their Google account with a service called Google Takeout.

Visit Google Takeout by navigating to takeout.google.com and logging in with your Google account.

Step 1: Visit Google Takeout

Select datasets to export by using the toggle buttons on the right-hand side.

The datasets from Google+ that can be exported include:

Narrow down the datasets even further by using the drop-down menus next to the toggle buttons.

Step 2: Select Data

Once the data sets have been selected, click on the “Next” button at the bottom.

The third and final step involves choosing the file type for the archive and the delivery method.

Data can either be sent via email and downloaded as an attachment or saved to cloud services such as Google Drive or Dropbox.

Step 3: Export Data

Click “Create Archive” and you’re done.

Category News Social Media