Google Photos offers a seamless way to back up your precious memories, ensuring they’re safe and accessible across your devices. But how exactly does it work? This guide provides a comprehensive overview of backing up your photos and videos with Google Photos.
Understanding Google Photos Backup
Google Photos provides two storage options for backing up your photos and videos:
- High Quality: This option compresses your photos and videos to save storage space. Photos are capped at 16MP resolution, and videos are compressed to 1080p. While slightly compressed, the quality remains excellent for most users, and this option allows for unlimited free storage. This was the default setting for backups before June 1, 2021, and photos and videos backed up in High Quality before this date don’t count against your Google Account storage.
- Original Quality: This option preserves the original resolution and quality of your photos and videos. This option consumes storage space within your Google Account’s 15GB free limit shared across Gmail and Google Drive. Once exceeded, you’ll need a Google One subscription to increase your storage capacity.
Setting Up Google Photos Backup
Backing up your photos and videos is typically automatic once you’ve installed the Google Photos app and signed in to your Google account. However, you can customize your backup settings:
- Open the Google Photos app.
- Tap your profile picture in the top right corner.
- Select “Photos settings.”
- Choose “Back up & sync.”
- Toggle “Back up & sync” on or off.
- Select “Upload size” to choose between “High quality” or “Original quality.”
You can also manage which folders on your device are backed up, cellular data usage for backup, and other backup preferences within these settings.
Managing Your Backed-up Photos
Once your photos and videos are backed up, you can:
- Free up space on your device: Google Photos allows you to safely remove photos and videos from your device’s storage after they’ve been backed up, freeing up valuable space.
- Access your photos from anywhere: Your backed-up photos and videos are accessible from any device signed in to your Google account via the Google Photos app or website.
- Search your photos: Google Photos uses advanced AI to allow you to search for photos based on people, places, things, and even text within the images.
Google One: Expanding Your Storage
If you choose to back up in Original Quality and exceed your 15GB free storage limit, you can subscribe to Google One for additional storage. Google One subscriptions offer various storage plans, starting at 100GB, and are shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos.
Conclusion
Backing up your photos and videos with Google Photos is a simple yet crucial step in preserving your memories. By understanding the different backup options and managing your settings effectively, you can ensure your photos are safe, secure, and accessible for years to come. Choose the backup quality that best suits your needs and storage capacity, and enjoy peace of mind knowing your precious memories are protected.
