Data guides
Google Chat: see how much data you have, then export it.
Pick a system to see two things: how to check how much data is in it, and how to export a copy. No form, no sign-in.
Google Chat
Email & communication
How to see how much data is in Google Chat
- Sign in to the Google Admin console with Reports administrator rights
- Go to Reporting → Apps Reports → Google Chat
- Set the date range
- Note the Messages sent figure (and Created spaces)
Chat messages and attachments don't count toward Google storage, so there is no size figure; record message volume instead, and use User reports → Apps usage for per-person counts.
Google Chat’s official instructions
How to get a copy of your Google Chat data
- Sign in to vault.google.com
- Open or create a matter
- Select Chat as the service and choose accounts, an OU or spaces
- Click Search, then Export
- Choose PST or mbox and download the files within 15 days
Users with Google Vault privileges (Manage Matters, Searches and Exports) can sign in to vault.google.com, open a matter, search the Chat service and click Export. Messages come out as PST or mbox files.
Messages sent with history off and files shared as Drive links are not exported, and each Vault export expires 15 days after it is created.
These instructions are written by DataFrenzy from each vendor’s public help pages. Menu names can vary by plan and change over time; the official link on each guide is the final word. Screenshots come from each vendor’s own help pages and videos or, where noted, from third-party tutorials credited under the image; dashed outlines are illustrations, not screenshots. Looking up a size or preparing an export never sends anything to DataFrenzy.