How to back up your Google Docs files

Google Docs may be reliable from now until the end of time (or the end of the Internet), but that doesn't mean you should shirk backup chores. A local archive of all your Google files could be a salvation if / when the Docs Overlords have an off day.

Here's how to back up all of your Google Docs in one fell swoop:

1. Log in to your Google Docs account. Click All items.

2. Click the checkbox next to a single file and go to the More actions menu (the actions tools only activate if a file is checked).

3. Select Export.

3. The Convert and Download menu appears. Select the All items tab. From this screen you can choose to convert your files to different formats (e.g. Google Docs can export as Microsoft Word files, Google Spreadsheets can turn into Excel files, etc.) Make your selections. Click Download to start the export.

4. The Zipping Files menu pops up. You can wait for the zipping/exporting process to complete or, if you want to get back to work, click the Email when ready button and Google Docs will close the menu and send a download link when the process is finished.

5. Download the zip file and save it in a safe place. Repeat regularly and you'll be good to go.

The caveats:

-- This is a blunt export. Fine tuning requires a compare/merge utility or a third-party Google Docs solution.

-- You can only export up to 2GB of content at a time. However, you can zero in on backups -- and manage the size threshold -- by organizing material into folders and then exporting those one by one.

Related:

• How to move lots of files between Google Docs accounts (a batch solution)
• Mobile, desktop or cloud: Where does the future of open source lie?

Learn more about this topic from Google Apps: The Missing Manual. 

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