This tool will help you move all your Google data to another cloud platform, but you can also specify what you want to take with you and what to leave behind. If you need to export absolutely everything out of your Google Photos account, head to the Google Takeout service on the web. When you’ve downloaded what you need, you can move those photos and videos somewhere else. If you’ve chosen multiple files, they will be wrapped up in a ZIP file. How to export Google Photos files to a computerĭownloading one or two photos from Google’s image storage service is easy enough-just select the files from the web interface, click the Menu button (three dots), and choose Download. To move your photos and videos, select Request to transfer a copy of your data, choose Google Photos as the destination for your files on the next page, and hit Continue. For example, if you’re moving content from iCloud, Apple’s platform will show you its “Manage your data” menu, where you’ll have a list of options, not all of them related to what you want to do. What you see on the next page will depend on the service you’re dealing with. Choose the platform you want to source your stuff from and Google will redirect you to that platform’s login page, where you’ll have to type in your credentials. Click Upload and from the emerging menu pick Copy from other services. The app will ask where you want the copies of your pics to live-check the box next to Back up to Google Photos and finish by hitting Done.įinally, if you’re moving images from Facebook, iCloud, Pixieset, or Pic-Time, Google Photos has a built-in feature to make the switch seamless. Click Add folder and choose the location you want synced to the cloud. Just open the app, click the cog icon in the top right and go to Preferences.

It lets you specify certain folders on your computer that will automatically sync with Google Photos, which means that everything you add to those folders will have a copy in the cloud you can access from anywhere. If you’d rather do this another way, click Upload, then Computer at the top of the Google Photos web interface, and upload your files.įor an even easier way to move your photos to the cloud, download the Google Drive desktop app (free for Windows and macOS). First, load up Google Photos in your browser, then simply drag files and folders across from File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (macOS). Google Photos lives on the web, and you’ve got a couple of options for getting pics and vids up into the cloud.

Importing images to Google’s cloud storage

Amazon photos desktop app