With no fanfare or as much as an official announcement, Google has taken an important step in making users’ Google Docs more open and portable.
As of today, severalbloggers have reported seeing this new feature, which allows users to grab all their Google Docs and batch export them as a zip file. Files can be exported in a number of formats, including Microsoft Office and Open Office formats. Users can also choose to export only certain types of docs, e.g., spreadsheets and slide decks only.
The process is simple: Users select the documents they wish to export, click “More actions,” then “Export.”
If a user is particularly pressed for time or has a larger chunk of data to export, he can also choose to navigate away and receive an email when the export is finished.
Unfortunately, any folders a user may have created or data related to authorship or shared documents do not seem to be included once documents are exported.