Google Photos is a fantastic service for backing up and organizing your precious photos and videos. Praised by The Verge as “The best photo product on Earth” and Wired as “Google Photos is your new essential picture app,” it’s clear why so many rely on it. But what if you want to download all of your memories? Whether you’re switching services, want an offline backup, or simply want to have your photos readily accessible on your computer, downloading everything from Google Photos is a straightforward process.
Google Photos provides a generous 15 GB of free cloud storage with every Google Account, offering automatic backups in high quality or original quality. This ensures your photos are safe, secure, and private. And while accessing them in the cloud is convenient, there are times when downloading all your Google Photos becomes necessary.
Why Download All Your Google Photos?
There are several compelling reasons to download all your photos from Google Photos:
- Backup Security: While Google Photos is reliable, having a local backup ensures your memories are safe even if something happens to your online account.
- Offline Access: Downloading photos allows you to access and enjoy your memories anytime, anywhere, without needing an internet connection.
- Switching Services: If you decide to move to a different photo storage service, downloading your Google Photos is the first step in migrating your data.
- Peace of Mind: Simply knowing you have a complete copy of your photo library stored safely offline can provide significant peace of mind.
Methods to Download All Your Google Photos
Google provides two primary methods for downloading all your photos: using Google Takeout and using the Google Photos app itself. Let’s explore both.
Method 1: Using Google Takeout (Recommended for Bulk Download)
Google Takeout is a service designed to export your data from various Google services, including Google Photos. This is the most efficient way to download all your photos and videos, especially if you have a large library.
Here’s how to use Google Takeout to download all your Google Photos:
- Go to Google Takeout: Open your web browser and navigate to Google Takeout.
- Select Google Photos: You’ll see a list of Google services. Click “Deselect all” at the top, then scroll down and check the box next to “Google Photos.”
- Choose Albums (Optional): By default, Takeout will select all photo albums. If you only want to download specific albums, click “All photo albums included” and choose the albums you want to download.
- Customize Export Settings: Click “Multiple formats” to choose your preferred download formats for photos and videos. The defaults are usually fine for most users.
- Choose Delivery Method: Scroll down and click “Next step.” You’ll be presented with delivery options. “Send download link via email” is the most common choice.
- Choose Export Type, Frequency & File Size: Select your desired export type (one-time archive or scheduled exports), frequency (if you chose scheduled exports), and archive file type (.zip or .tgz). For large libraries, consider increasing the archive size to 50 GB to minimize the number of files.
- Create Export: Click “Create export.” Google will now start preparing your download. This process can take hours or even days, depending on the size of your photo library.
- Download Your Archive: Once the export is complete, you will receive an email with download links. Click the links to download your photo archives to your computer. You may have multiple
.zipor.tgzfiles depending on the size of your export. - Extract the Archive: After downloading, extract the
.zipor.tgzfiles to access your photos and videos.
Method 2: Downloading via Google Photos App (Suitable for Smaller Sets)
While less efficient for downloading everything, the Google Photos app (on both mobile and desktop via browser) allows you to download photos and albums directly. This method is more suitable for downloading smaller selections of photos or specific albums.
Using the Google Photos Website (Browser):
- Open Google Photos: Go to photos.google.com and sign in to your Google account.
- Select Photos or Albums: Select individual photos by hovering over them and clicking the checkmark, or open an album.
- Download:
- Individual Photos: After selecting photos, click the three-dot menu in the top right corner and choose “Download.”
- Albums: Open the album, click the three-dot menu, and choose “Download all.”
- Check Downloads: Your downloaded photos or albums will be saved to your computer’s default download location.
Using the Google Photos Mobile App (Android/iOS):
- Open Google Photos App: Launch the Google Photos app on your phone or tablet.
- Select Photos or Albums: Select photos or navigate to albums as you would on the website.
- Download:
- Individual Photos: Tap on photos, then tap the three-dot menu and select “Download.”
- Albums: Open the album, tap the three-dot menu, and select “Download all.”
- Find Downloads: Downloaded photos will typically be saved to your device’s “Downloads” folder or the “Pictures/Photos” folder, depending on your device settings.
Tips for Efficient Downloading
- Stable Internet Connection: Ensure you have a stable and fast internet connection, especially when using Google Takeout, as large downloads can be interrupted by unstable connections.
- Sufficient Storage Space: Make sure you have enough free storage space on your computer or external drive to accommodate the downloaded photos and videos.
- Google Takeout for Large Libraries: For downloading your entire Google Photos library, Google Takeout is the most efficient and recommended method.
- App for Selective Downloads: Use the Google Photos app for downloading specific albums or a smaller selection of photos quickly.
Conclusion
Downloading all your Google Photos is a simple yet important process for backup, offline access, or switching services. Whether you choose the robust Google Takeout for bulk download or the Google Photos app for smaller selections, you now have the knowledge to securely download your cherished memories. Regularly backing up your Google Photos ensures your photos are always safe and accessible, giving you full control over your valuable visual history.
