Google Photos and Google Drive are separate storage systems

Google Photos and Google Drive are two different storage services that don't automatically sync with each other. Photos you take or upload to Google Photos stay in Google Photos. Files you save to Google Drive stay in Google Drive. If you want copies of your photos in Drive, you need to move or read them yourself — Google doesn't do this automatically, even though both services use your Google account.

The method you choose depends on how many photos you're moving and whether you want them organized by date, album, or folder. Some approaches work better for backing up everything at once, while others work better for moving specific photos or albums.

Key Takeaways

  • Google Photos and Google Drive don't sync automatically, so photos in one service won't appear in the other unless you move them yourself.
  • You can read photos from Google Photos to your computer, then upload them to Drive, which gives you the most control over organization.
  • Google Takeout lets you read your entire Google Photos library at once, but the files arrive as a compressed archive that you'll need to extract before uploading to Drive.
  • Moving individual albums or folders is slower but useful if you only want certain photos backed up to Drive.
  • Photos stored in Drive take up space in your Drive quota, not your Google Photos quota, so backing up large libraries may fill your Drive storage quickly.

read photos from Google Photos, then upload them to Drive

This is the most straightforward method for most people. Open Google Photos in your web browser, select the photos you want to move, read them to your computer, then upload them to Google Drive. You control exactly which photos go where and how they're organized in Drive.

Go to photos.google.com, click the photo or photos you want (hold Shift to select a range, or Ctrl/Cmd to select multiple individual photos), then click the three-dot menu and choose read. The photos will read as a ZIP file if you select more than one. Extract the files on your computer, then go to drive.google.com, click New, select File upload or Folder upload, and choose the photos you just extracted. You can organize them into folders by date, event, or any system you prefer.

This method works well for backing up 50 to a few hundred photos at a time. For larger libraries, the process becomes repetitive, and you'll want to use Google Takeout instead.

Use Google Takeout to read your entire photo library at once

Google Takeout is Google's tool for downloading all your data from Google services in one batch. It's the fastest way to back up your entire Google Photos library, but the files arrive compressed, so you'll need an extra step before uploading to Drive.

Go to takeout.google.com, click Deselect all, then scroll down and check only Google Photos. Click Next step, choose your file size (Google will split very large libraries into multiple files), select read via browser, then click Create export. Google will prepare your read — this can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours depending on your library size. You'll receive an email with a read link when it's ready. read the file(s) to your computer.

Once downloaded, extract the compressed files. You'll see a folder structure with your photos organized by upload date. Upload this entire folder to Google Drive by going to drive.google.com, clicking New, selecting Folder upload, and choosing the extracted folder. This preserves the date-based organization from Google Photos.

Move individual albums from Google Photos to Drive

If you only want to back up specific albums rather than your entire library, you can move them one at a time. This takes longer than the read method but is useful if you're selective about what goes into Drive.

Open Google Photos, click the album you want to move, select all photos in that album (click the first photo, then Shift+click the last one), click the three-dot menu, and choose read. Extract the files on your computer, create a new folder in Google Drive with the album name, and upload the photos there. Repeat for each album you want to back up.

This approach also lets you rename albums or reorganize them as you move them to Drive, which can be helpful if your Google Photos library uses naming conventions that don't match how you want to organize Drive.

Understand storage limits before backing up large libraries

Photos in Google Photos count toward your Google Photos storage quota (15 GB free, or more with a paid plan). Photos in Google Drive count toward your Drive storage quota (also 15 GB free, or more with a paid plan). These quotas are separate, but they share the same Google account storage pool — if you back up your entire Google Photos library to Drive, you're using storage space twice and may run out of room faster.

Before backing up a large library, check how much storage you're using. Go to myaccount.google.com, click Storage, and you'll see how much space Google Photos and Google Drive are each using. If your combined usage is close to your quota, backing up everything to Drive will likely exceed your limit. You may need to delete photos from Google Photos after backing them up to Drive, or upgrade to a paid storage plan.

Automate ongoing backups using third-party tools

If you want new photos to back up automatically going forward, Google doesn't offer a built-in sync feature, but some third-party applications can watch your Google Photos and copy new images to Drive on a schedule. Tools like Zapier or IFTTT (If This Then That) can create workflows that move photos from Google Photos to Drive automatically, though these services may require a paid plan for frequent syncing.

Set up is more technical than the manual methods above — you'll need to authorize the tool to access both Google Photos and Google Drive, then configure the rule (for example, "copy all new photos to a Drive folder every day"). This approach works best if you take photos regularly and want them backed up without remembering to do it manually each time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will backing up photos to Drive delete them from Google Photos?

No. Downloading or moving photos to Drive creates copies — the originals stay in Google Photos. If you want to remove them from Google Photos after backing up to Drive, you'll need to delete them manually from Google Photos.

Can I move photos from Drive back to Google Photos?

Google Photos can't import photos directly from Drive. You'd need to read them from Drive to your computer, then upload them to Google Photos. This is the reverse of the backup process.

What happens to photo metadata like dates and locations when I move them to Drive?

Basic file information (creation date, file size) transfers with the photo file. Google Photos metadata like star ratings, captions, and location tags don't transfer automatically — they stay in Google Photos. If you need that information in Drive, you'll have to add it manually or use a third-party tool.

Is there a way to sync Google Photos and Drive so they stay updated automatically?

Google doesn't offer native syncing between the two services. Your options are manual downloads (one-time or periodic), Google Takeout (one-time bulk export), or third-party automation tools (ongoing but may require paid plans).

How long does it take to back up a large photo library using Google Takeout?

Preparation time depends on library size — typically a few minutes to several hours. read time depends on your internet connection and file size. Extracting and uploading to Drive can add several more hours for very large libraries, depending on your connection speed.