Convert Google Vault Exports With Labels Intact
Native zipped-MBOX processing for Investigator and Enterprise
Aid4Mail reads the MBOX files inside Google Vault’s nested zips directly—no manual unzip, no passwords. Gmail labels and status are preserved, and linked Drive files are collected in the same workflow.
What Aid4Mail Handles
Nested Zips, Read Natively
MBOX inside Google Vault’s zip layers—no manual unzip, no passwords
Gmail Labels & Status
Preserved through conversion, including multi-label filing
Linked Drive Files
Collect Drive-hosted attachments alongside the mail
Per-Account Output
One PST per account, or convert to EML, MBOX, PDF, MSG
Google Vault Exports Aren’t Ready to Use
A Vault export is zips inside zips, wrapped around per-account MBOX files, with separate metadata companions. Open it by hand and you risk missed files, lost labels, and hours of unzipping.
Manual or Generic Tools
- ⯈ Unzip nested archives by hand
- ⯈ Gmail labels and status lost
- ⯈ Multi-label messages filed only once
- ⯈ Linked Drive files left behind
- ⯈ Companion metadata ignored
With Aid4Mail
- ⯈ Reads MBOX inside the zips natively
- ⯈ Preserves Gmail labels and status
- ⯈ Files multi-label messages into each label
- ⯈ Collects linked Drive files in the same run
- ⯈ Reads both pre-2023 and 2023+ layouts
read natively from Google Vault’s nested archives—no manual unzip
preserved through conversion, with multi-label filing
native support in Investigator and Enterprise
Core Conversion Capabilities
Process Google Vault zipped-MBOX exports with Gmail fidelity and linked-file collection—available in the Aid4Mail Investigator and Enterprise editions.
Native Nested-Zip Reading
Aid4Mail reads the MBOX files inside Google Vault’s zipped layers directly—no manual unzip, and no passwords, because Vault zips aren’t password-protected.
No manual unzip
Gmail Label & Status Fidelity
Preserves each account’s folder structure, Gmail labels, and message status. A message carrying multiple labels is filed into each matching folder.
Multi-label filing
Companion-File Support
Reads the required metadata and result-count companion files in both the pre-2023 (metadata.xml) and 2023+ (CSV) Google Vault export layouts.
Both export layouts
Linked Drive-File Collection
Collect the Drive files hyperlinked from Vault emails—locally from the export when included, or live from Google Drive, OneDrive, and SharePoint over OAuth 2.1.
Local-first
Per-Account PST Output
Select accounts from the folder tree and duplicate the session to produce one PST per account—or a single PST that holds every account’s folders.
One PST per account
Investigator or Enterprise
Native Google Vault processing and cloud-attachment collection are available in both the Aid4Mail Investigator and Enterprise editions.
Two editions
How Google Vault Conversion Works
A four-step workflow: point Aid4Mail at the export, select the accounts, collect linked Drive files, then convert and run.
Point Aid4Mail at the Export
Set the Source format to “Google Vault (zipped mbox files)” and select the folder holding the export zips—with the metadata and result-count companion files alongside them.
No unzip: Reads the MBOX inside the nested zips, in both pre-2023 and 2023+ layouts
Select the Accounts
Use Filter → “Select in folder tree” to choose which accounts to convert; each account appears as a folder with its message count.
Scoped: Convert one account, several, or all within a single project
Collect Linked Drive Files
Process the Drive files included in the export locally, or enable “Collect cloud attachments and their metadata” to retrieve them live over OAuth 2.1.
Local-first: Reading bundled Drive files locally avoids Google’s bandwidth throttling
Convert and Run
Target PST (one per account via Duplicate), or EML, MBOX, PDF, or MSG—then Run all to process up to 16 sessions concurrently, unattended.
Fidelity kept: Folder structure “Same as source” mirrors the account’s label tree into the target
Keep Gmail Context and Linked Files Together
Google Vault exports carry Gmail’s label structure and often reference Drive-hosted files. Aid4Mail preserves both in a single conversion.
Gmail context, preserved
- ✓ Each account’s folder structure is mirrored into the target
- ✓ Gmail labels and message status (replied, sent) are retained
- ✓ A message with multiple labels is filed into each label folder
- ✓ Recommended target: Folder structure = Same as source folder structure
Linked Drive files
- ✓ Include linked Drive files in the Vault export to process them locally
- ✓ Or collect live from Google Drive, OneDrive, and SharePoint over OAuth 2.1
- ✓ Every file is logged in FileMetadata.csv (17 fields), linked to its parent email by EDRM MIH+
- ✓ Locally-processed Vault files log Source = Google Vault with a per-file status
Filter, Search, and Scale in a Single Pass
Google Vault conversion isn’t only a format swap. In the Investigator and Enterprise editions, you can search and filter the mail as it converts, and run per-account conversions in parallel.
Search and filter as you convert
- ✓ Search email with familiar operators modeled on Gmail, Google Vault, and Microsoft syntax—plus Boolean, proximity, and wildcards
- ✓ Match patterns with regular expressions (PCRE2)—phone numbers, account numbers, or project codes
- ✓ Search inside attachment contents, including files nested within attachments—a Word document inside a ZIP
- ✓ Convert only the messages that match—filtering runs in the same workflow, with no separate tool or second pass
Run conversions in parallel
- ✓ Split output into one PST per account, then process those sessions concurrently instead of one after another
- ✓ Configure up to 16 concurrent sessions, launched together with a single Run all
- ✓ Expect a substantial speedup on capable hardware—a fast multi-core CPU, ample memory, and an SSD
- ✓ Queue more sessions than run at once; the batch advances unattended as each slot frees
Search, filtering, and concurrent processing are available in the Aid4Mail Investigator and Enterprise editions. Attachment-text search covers extractable content (no OCR; encrypted or password-protected files aren’t extracted). Conversion speed depends on your hardware, the source data, and how much the filter removes.
Business Impact & ROI
Convert Vault exports into review-ready mail without losing labels or the files that links leave behind.
Convert Without Losing Gmail Context
Get usable mailboxes with labels and status intact
- MBOX read natively from the nested Vault zips
- Gmail labels and message status preserved
- Multi-label messages filed into each label folder
- One PST per account, or a single combined PST
Recover the Files Links Leave Behind
Collect Drive-hosted attachments alongside the mail
- Process linked Drive files locally from the export
- Or collect live from Drive, OneDrive, and SharePoint
- Per-file metadata and status logged to CSV
- Each file linked to its parent email by EDRM MIH+
Preserve Gmail Fidelity
Keep labels, status, and folder structure through conversion for review-ready output
Close Collection Gaps
Collect Drive-hosted files that link-only Vault exports leave behind
Scale Per-Account Output
Produce one PST per custodian and run sessions concurrently and unattended
Support Compliance
Scope with folder-tree selection, size limits, and metadata-only mode for data minimization (GDPR, CCPA, PIPA)
Real-World Applications
See how investigators, legal teams, and IT use Google Vault conversion across matters.
Google Workspace Offboarding
- Convert departed-employee Vault exports into usable PSTs
- Preserve Gmail labels and status for each account
- Keep linked Drive files together with the mail
- Migrate into live Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace
eDiscovery & Legal Review
- Produce per-account PSTs with Gmail labels intact
- Collect linked Drive files with per-file status logging
- Link each file to its parent email by EDRM MIH+
- Scope collections with folder-tree selection and filters
Forensic Investigations
- Recover Drive-hosted files that link-only exports omit
- Record collaborators and viewers on linked files
- Preserve message status and label context
- Maintain an auditable per-file status record
Regulatory Compliance
- Include linked files in data subject access responses
- Apply size limits and metadata-only mode for minimization
- Keep an auditable status record for every file
- Convert to the format your review platform needs
Technical Specifications
Built for professional conversion workflows—available in the Aid4Mail Investigator and Enterprise editions.
Supported Source
- ✓ Google Vault (zipped MBOX)
- ✓ Pre-2023 and 2023+ export layouts
- ✓ Nested and split part-zips
- ✓ Metadata + result-count companions
Editions & Access
- ✓ Aid4Mail Investigator
- ✓ Aid4Mail Enterprise
- ✓ OAuth 2.1 for live Drive collection
- ✓ App-Only Access & Remote Authenticator
Processing
- ✓ Native zipped-MBOX reading (no unzip)
- ✓ Gmail label & status preservation
- ✓ Folder-tree account selection
- ✓ Post-acquisition search & filtering
- ✓ Linked Drive-file collection
- ✓ Incremental processing
- ✓ Concurrent processing (up to 16 sessions)
Output Formats
- ✓ PST (one per account or combined)
- ✓ EML, MBOX, PDF, MSG
- ✓ Direct to live Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace
- ✓ FileMetadata.csv (17 fields)
Native Google Vault processing and cloud-attachment collection are available in the Aid4Mail Investigator and Enterprise editions. Linked Drive files included in the export are processed locally; live collection from Drive, OneDrive, and SharePoint uses OAuth 2.1. Direct migration to live Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace is recommended for small archives; for large archives, convert to PST or EML, verify the results, then migrate from those files.
Native Google Vault Conversion
Zipped MBOX
Read natively, no unzip
Labels + status
Gmail context preserved
17
Metadata fields per linked file
Up to 16
Concurrent sessions
Implementation Best Practices
Recommended Settings
- → Keep the metadata and result-count companion files with the export zips (required)
- → Set Folder structure to “Same as source folder structure” to preserve labels
- → Include linked Drive files in the Vault export to process them locally and avoid throttling
- → Use folder-tree selection and Duplicate to produce one PST per account
- → Raise “Maximum sessions running concurrently” (up to 16) to speed up multi-account batches on capable hardware
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- ✗ Don’t expect Aid4Mail Converter to process Vault—it requires Investigator or Enterprise
- ✗ Don’t omit the companion files—the export won’t process without them
- ✗ Don’t enable Match document revision without considering notification-email volume
- ✗ Don’t under-provision disk space—decompressed output is larger than the export
- ✗ Don’t oversubscribe sessions on light hardware—match the session count to your CPU, memory, and storage
Convert Google Vault Exports With Confidence
Native zipped-MBOX processing with Gmail labels preserved and linked Drive files collected. Start your free trial today.