Can't download Google Workspace Data Export - You don't have permission to download objects

[TomW4125]

Hello,

I login as super admin to create the Data Export. After couple of days, the data is created the takeout-export, it can't give me the download "code for the resources in the gsutil command-line tool".

It said: You don't have permission to download objects."

But when I went deeper into the folders, it works. 

Help Please.

 

[BGCBloomIT]

I am also having an issue with this. I waited for it to finish but now when I click the checkbox for the object and go to download it says that I do not have permission to do so even though I am super admin.

[AlexTRZ]

Hello,

I had the same issue. As I really wanted to have a cold backup of user data, I downloaded one by one datas.
It will be very useful to be able to download all the datas in one time.

I'm currently checking "Active backup for google workspace" in order to definitly solve this issue.

Regards,

[bobstruck]

Has anyone figured this out?

UPDATE:  I know this will not help very many, but I was able to drill down to the takeout file in each users folder.  I was then able to download the individual file.  This is going to take forever...

[shirginov]

Have this problem too

[IndrekT]

I have same issue starting  from mid August. Google Workspace Support ask me to contact Google Cloud support, but without paid subscription it is not possible.

[GWAdmin33]

Exact same issue here, except if I drill down into the folders I still get a permission error despite being Super Admin. This is frustrating because for a while the Export function produced a generic error(without explanation) and failed to begin the task. Then a few weeks later it worked but generated errors in the archive (also failing to mention WHICH errors)...and now that it works, the archive cannot be downloaded. 

[nubjub]

Same issue here. Is there somewhere to actually change this permission? Two month's of people posting this and nothing from google.

[BGCBloomIT]

I haven't had a resolution yet. Like others said I am having to download individually. 

[mosb · Accepted solution]

Google states in their documentation that you can't download folders using the UI, you have to use the gsutil command line. 

Install the gcloud CLI, (gsutil is included with gcloud) and connect to your account by running:

gcloud init 

(it runs by default when you finish the installation).

The command that Google gives in the above documentation didnt work for me, i think the first backslash in not in place. what worked for me is: 

gsutil -m cp -r "gs://takeout-export-id" C:\path\to\folder\

 

[GWAdmin33]

I would like to add a few comments to the ‘Solved’ answer if I may:

1) I think most admins here were already well aware that you cannot download the full export as a single archive. They probably discovered this the first time they became acquainted with the export feature.

2) At the top-level directory of the export, the ‘DOWNLOAD’ button used to provide a popup window with a helper script using “gsutil cp …” with all the accurate names of the archives. This was a great help because the archive names are dynamic (afaik)…and we could simply paste that helper script into a bash session, run it - and download the full export (albeit in multiple zip files). Instead, by removing this helper script, we have to drill down under each directory and determine the name of each archive and run the gsutil cp command manually. If you have 100’s of subdirectories, this obviously takes tons of time.

3) Lastly, the message ‘You don’t have permission to download objects’ is misleading. As Admins and Super Admins, we obviously DO have permission to do so.

Solution: When you click ‘DOWNLOAD’ at the top-level of the export, please bring that helper script back in a popup window. Removing this helper script in the first place is probably the reason this whole thread was created.

[mosb]

Thank you for your comments. You’re absolutely right that removing the helper script and the confusing permission message complicates the process. However, I wanted to clarify that if you copy the root name of the export, you can actually download the entire export as a single archive.

[GWAdmin33]

That's great, I did not know, ty! I will try that next month 😄

Yeah, the permission message threw me off - at first I thought it was a bug on their end.

[TomW4125]

The permission message is a bug. It should be the same as the subfolders' download message.

The message should be "Download the root object requires the command-line tool" and shows the gsutil command.

[TomW4125]

The copy and paste logo is what exactly I am looking for.