How to Download Pics from Google Photos: A Comprehensive Guide

Google Photos is a fantastic service for backing up, managing, and sharing your precious photos and videos. Praised by The Verge as “the best photo product on Earth” and Wired as “your new essential picture app”, it offers a seamless experience for modern photography needs. While Google Photos excels at cloud storage and accessibility, you might sometimes need to download your photos for various reasons – be it for local backups, editing, or sharing them offline. This guide will walk you through the simple steps on How To Download Pics From Google Photos to your devices.

Downloading Individual Photos and Videos

The most basic need is often to download single photos or videos. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Open Google Photos: Access Google Photos either through your web browser by navigating to photos.google.com or by launching the Google Photos app on your Android or iOS device.

2. Select the Photo/Video: Browse through your photo library and click or tap on the specific photo or video you wish to download.

3. Access Download Option:

   • On Web Browser: Once you open the photo, look for the three vertical dots (More options) in the top right corner. Click on it, and you will see a dropdown menu. Select “Download”.

   • On Mobile App: After opening the photo, tap the three vertical dots (More options) usually located at the top right or bottom of the screen. From the menu, select “Download”.

4. Download Confirmation: The photo or video will now be downloaded to your device’s default download location. You’ll typically find photos in your “Downloads” folder on your computer or in your device’s “Photos” or “Downloads” app on mobile.

This method is straightforward and perfect for grabbing a few individual memories.

Downloading Multiple Photos or an Album

What if you need to download a bunch of photos or an entire album? Google Photos makes this equally easy:

1. Open Google Photos: As before, go to photos.google.com or open the Google Photos app.

2. Select Multiple Photos (Web Browser):

   • Go to the main “Photos” view or open an album.
   • Hover over the photos you want to download. A checkmark will appear in the top-left corner of each photo. Click on the checkmark to select each photo.
   • Once you’ve selected all desired photos, click the three vertical dots (More options) at the top right.
   • Choose “Download”.

3. Download Album (Web Browser):

   • Navigate to the “Albums” section.
   • Open the album you want to download.
   • Click the three vertical dots (More options) within the album view (usually near the album title).
   • Select “Download all”.

4. Select Multiple Photos (Mobile App):

   • In the main “Photos” view or an album, long-press on the first photo you want to select. This will activate the selection mode.
   • Tap on other photos you wish to download. Selected photos will have a checkmark.
   • Tap the “Share” icon (it might look like an upward-pointing arrow) or the three vertical dots (More options).
   • Choose “Download”.

5. Download as Zip File: When downloading multiple photos or albums on a web browser, Google Photos will typically compress them into a ZIP file for easier download and management. You’ll need to extract the files after downloading to access your photos.

Downloading Photos from Google Photos to Your Computer

Downloading to a computer provides more flexibility for managing and editing your photos. Both the website method described above work seamlessly for downloading to your computer. Simply use your preferred web browser to access Google Photos and follow the steps for downloading individual or multiple photos/albums.

Important Considerations

• Storage: Remember that while Google Photos provides 15 GB of free storage with every Google Account, downloading photos back to your device will utilize your device’s storage. Google Photos helps you “Free up space” on your phone by removing backed-up photos from your device, but downloading reverses this.
• Original Quality vs. High Quality: If you originally backed up your photos in “Original quality,” downloading them will retain that original quality. If you used “High quality” (now called “Storage Saver”), photos backed up before June 1, 2021, don’t count towards your storage, and downloading will provide you with the “High quality” version.
• No Ads & Privacy: As Google assures, “Google Photos doesn’t sell your photos, videos, or personal information”. Downloading your photos is a private process, and you are in control of your data.

Conclusion

Downloading photos from Google Photos is a straightforward process whether you need a single image or a whole library. By following these simple steps, you can easily access your cherished memories offline, create local backups, or use them for any purpose you desire. Google Photos continues to be a powerful tool for photo management, and knowing how to download your photos is an essential part of leveraging its full potential.