Google Photos has become an essential tool for managing our ever-growing collections of photos and videos. Praised by publications like The Verge as “The best photo product on Earth” and Wired as “your new essential picture app,” it offers a seamless way to store, organize, and share your visual memories. One of its most crucial features is backup, ensuring your precious moments are safe even if your devices are lost or damaged. This guide will walk you through How To Google Photos Backup works and how to set it up to protect your photos and videos.
Understanding Google Photos Backup and its Benefits
Google Photos backup automatically saves your photos and videos to your Google Account, giving you peace of mind and convenient access from any device. Every Google Account starts with 15 GB of free cloud storage, shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. You have the option to back up in two qualities:
- Original Quality: Photos and videos are stored exactly as you captured them, counting towards your 15GB storage limit.
- Storage Saver (formerly High Quality): Photos and videos are slightly compressed, but still visually high quality. Backing up in Storage Saver does not count towards your Google Account storage for photos backed up after June 1, 2021. However, photos backed up in High quality before June 1, 2021, do not count towards your storage.
Choosing the right option depends on your storage needs and desire for pristine image quality. Regardless of your choice, Google Photos backup offers significant advantages:
- Safeguard your memories: Protect your photos and videos from device loss, theft, or damage.
- Free up device space: Once backed up, you can remove photos and videos from your phone or tablet to reclaim valuable storage.
- Accessibility: Access your entire photo and video library from any device with an internet connection and the Google Photos app or website.
- Organization and Search: Google Photos’ powerful search capabilities allow you to find photos by people, places, and things, without manual tagging.
Setting Up Google Photos Backup: A Step-by-Step Guide
The process to enable Google Photos backup is straightforward on both mobile and desktop platforms.
On Your Mobile Device (Android and iOS)
- Download and Install the Google Photos App: If you don’t already have it, download the Google Photos app from the Google Play Store (Android) or the App Store (iOS).
- Open the Google Photos App and Sign In: Launch the app and sign in with your Google Account.
- Access Backup Settings: Tap your profile picture or initial in the top right corner, then select “Photos settings.”
- Turn on Backup & Sync: Tap “Backup & sync” and toggle the switch to the “On” position.
- Choose Upload Quality: Select either “Original quality” or “Storage saver” based on your preference and storage needs.
- Select Folders to Back Up (Optional): Under “Backup device folders,” you can choose specific folders on your device to back up, such as WhatsApp images or screenshots, in addition to your camera roll.
- Roaming Data Control (Optional): You can customize when backup occurs over mobile data under “Cellular data usage” to manage data consumption.
On Your Desktop Computer
While there isn’t a dedicated Google Photos desktop app for backup, you can use the Backup and Sync from Google feature (now transitioning to Google Drive for desktop) or manually upload through the Google Photos website.
Using Google Drive for desktop (Recommended):
- Download and Install Google Drive for desktop: Download the Google Drive for desktop application from the Google Drive website and install it on your computer.
- Sign In and Configure: Sign in with your Google Account and during setup, choose to sync folders from your computer to Google Drive and also select “Google Photos” to sync photos and videos.
- Choose Folders for Google Photos Backup: Specify which folders on your computer containing photos and videos you want to continuously back up to Google Photos.
- Select Upload Quality: Within Google Drive for desktop settings, configure the upload quality for Google Photos backup, choosing between Original and Storage Saver.
Manual Upload via Google Photos Website:
- Go to the Google Photos Website: Open your web browser and navigate to photos.google.com.
- Sign In: Sign in to your Google Account.
- Upload Photos and Videos: Click the “Upload” button in the top right corner and select “Computer.”
- Choose Files or Folders: Select the photos and videos you want to upload from your computer. These will be added to your Google Photos library. Note that manual upload isn’t automatic and needs to be repeated for new photos.
Managing and Utilizing Your Google Photos Backups
Once backup is enabled, Google Photos works in the background to keep your photos and videos safe. Here’s how to manage and make the most of your backed-up library:
- Free Up Space: In the Google Photos app, navigate to “Photos settings” and then “Free up space.” This feature identifies photos and videos that are safely backed up and allows you to remove them from your device’s local storage with a single tap, freeing up valuable space.
- Access and View: View your backed-up photos and videos on any device by signing into the Google Photos app or website. They are organized chronologically and searchable using Google Photos’ intelligent search features.
- Sharing and Editing: Google Photos offers powerful sharing and editing tools. Easily share albums or individual photos with friends and family. Enhance your photos with advanced editing features, including filters, adjustments, and more.
Conclusion: Start Backing Up Your Memories Today
Google Photos backup is an invaluable feature, providing a secure, accessible, and feature-rich solution for managing your photos and videos. By understanding how to Google Photos backup works and setting it up correctly, you can protect your precious memories and enjoy the many benefits Google Photos offers. Don’t wait until it’s too late – start backing up your photos and videos with Google Photos today and experience the peace of mind that comes with knowing your visual story is safe and sound in the cloud.
