Hello, has someone created a macro or could someone put me on the right track to create a macro which would allow me to regularly backup my Google calendars.
Thanks very much for your time and help
I'm jumping to step #4 from Google - Export your calendar. Try pasting this into your browser:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/exporticalzip
According to that Google help page:
A ZIP file will be downloaded to your computer. If you open the .ZIP file, you'll see individual ICS files for each of your calendars.
To import the files back into Google Calendar, take the individual ICS files out of the ZIP file and import them one by one. Learn more about importing files.
Will periodically downloading that file do what you want to do?
If so, you can use something like this to grab it automatically (There is probably a better way to do what you're asking, but here's what I've got):
[GCal] Download Backup.kmmacros (19.2 KB)
[GCal]~Delay SUB.kmmacros (8.3 KB)
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thank you so much for a fantastic reply !! You are truly extraordinary and brilliant !!
I have to dissect the macro and work on it.
How could I:
- add a date stamp at the end of the file name (before the .zip extension)
- either define the download directory (which is normally download for chrome), or move the file from the download directory to by GCal backup directory.
By the way, I tested putting https://calendar.google.com/calendar/exporticalzip as the URL address and it worked perfectly.
Is there an equivalent URL address to generate a gmail backup ? a contacts backup?
thanks again so much !
You’re welcome. Yes to most of these, maybe all, I’ll look into them when I get home (or someone will beat me to it 
)
Also I see an issue I need to fix so I’ll be back to this regardless.
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I've updated the macro in post #2 with a new version that renames the .zip to "160923gCalBackup.zip" (for today) and moves it to another location. You need to make two minor changes in the bottom of the macro to write in your own email address and your own backup destination.
I'm looking at contacts now but need to step out for a while.
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I can't find an equivalent URL for contacts or gmail. You can export contacts as explained on this page: Merge, restore, or back up contacts
If you want to back up your Google Contacts or import them into another email account, you can export your contacts as a CSV or vCard file.
Go to the old version of Google Contacts.
Click More and then Export.
Check the contacts you want to export.
Select which format you want your contacts in. To back up your contacts, select Google CSV.
To save your file, click Export.
I can automate this, but only by manipulating the mouse and that's clunky and unattractive. Maybe @JMichaelTX et. al. can advise on how to do this without "click at found image" etc.
For gmail archives, see here: Download your data
You can export and download your data from the Google products you use, like your email, calendar, and photos. In a few easy steps, create an archive to keep for your records or use the data in another service....
This is about the limit of my current skill level. There are cleaner ways to do what I've shown, they're just beyond me at the moment. This should get you going in the right direction though. Good luck 
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thank you. I will study it
thank you very much.
to backup GMail, the only option is basically download your data.
The problem with download your data is that the file is huge, which is normal, and there is no option to ‘update’ backup, only redownload the complete backup.
best regards
Thank you
Link does not work and virus search of URL is equivocal
Hey @ronald,
Spammers don't always do their jobs very well. That was a botched link to Windows software.
As far as I can see you can backup Gmail fully with Apple Mail by synchronizing and then copying Gmail to On My Mac folders.
But there may be pitfalls I'm unaware of.
CloudPull ($24.95 U.S.) looks promising for Gmail, Google Calendar, and more.
“CloudPull seamlessly backs up your Google account to your Mac. It supports Gmail, Google Contacts, Google Calendar, and Google Drive (formerly Docs). By default, the app backs up your accounts every hour and maintains old point-in-time snapshots of your accounts for 90 days.”
-Chris
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For backing up Gmail I use the open-source solution Gmvault.
http://gmvault.org/
I then have a KM Macro running everyday to run the script
I am not at my computer now, but will try to remember to post my macro when I am in front of it again.
2 Likes
Here is the macro I use for backing up.
You should use the terminal to do a full backup first with this command.
gmvault sync email@gmail.com -d "/path/to/backup-folder"
Keyboard Maestro 8.2 “Gmail backup” Macro
Gmail backup.kmmacros (2.8 KB)
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thanks very much Jim and CC for your suggestions.
Since my initial post, I have been using CloudPull for on the fly backups. I just hope that I am not providing them with my login password info in the process because it is not an app store product.
As an additional precaution, I have a reminder in my calendar to use Google Takeout which is extremely simple and fast. Note that Google Takeout seems to have been renamed Download your Data on some web pages.
It provides the user with a comprehensive list of all possible Google Products one may want to backup.
https://takeout.google.com/settings/takeout?pli=1
The problem with downloading google data is that it takes up a massive amount of disk space in the long run, if backups are allowed to accumulate (which happens because I am lazy)
Hey @ronald,
“If you use Google Docs heavily, or don’t currently have a good IMAP-based backup of your Gmail account, I encourage you to buy a copy right away.”
–Adam Engst, TidBITS
If Adam recommends them you can be pretty darn certain they're reputable. He himself uses Gmail as his primary email carrier/client, and I'll bet a beer (or two) that he uses CloudPull himself.
-Chris
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Thank you very much CC.
I did not know TidBITS, visited their site and subscribed to their newsletter.
Do you recommend membership ?
Hey @ronald,
The TidBITS folks work hard to put out relevant Mac-related content, so I personally am a paying member at the $20.00 per year level.
Read their content for a month or two and decide if it's worth your money.
-Chris
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Oh, yeah.
They just rebuilt their website and switched over to the Discourse forum software we use for the Keyboard Maestro forum, so they’re going through some teething pains. 
-ccs
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I subscribed, based on your recommendation. thank you
I was always curious as to why the KBM forum format is the best that I have seen, and why huge forum based web sites like Reddit (As of February 2018, Reddit had 542 million monthly visitors) use such bad (horrible) forum software? You can’t even direct answers to multiple specific users !
