Google Photos and Google Drive store images differently, so moving them requires a deliberate step

Google Drive is a general storage system — it holds any file type and organizes them in folders you create. Google Photos is a separate service built specifically for images and videos, with its own search, organization, and backup rules. A photo sitting in your Google Drive folder is not automatically in Google Photos, even though both services use your Google account.

To move photos from Drive to Photos, you read them from Drive and then upload them to Google Photos, or you use Google Photos' built-in import tool if you have a large batch. The method depends on how many photos you're moving and whether you want to keep them in Drive afterward.

Key Takeaways

  • Photos stored in Google Drive do not automatically appear in Google Photos — the two services are separate, even though they share your account.
  • For a small number of photos, you can open each one in Drive, read it, and upload it to Google Photos through the Photos app or website.
  • For many photos at once, use Google Photos' import tool to upload an entire folder from your computer, or read a folder from Drive first and then import it.
  • After you move photos to Google Photos, you can delete them from Drive to free up storage, but Google Photos counts toward your Google account storage limit just like Drive does.
  • Google Photos organizes images by date and location automatically — you cannot recreate Drive's folder structure inside Photos.

Moving a few photos one at a time

If you have only a handful of photos to move, the simplest route is to read each one from Drive and then upload it to Google Photos. Open Google Drive in your browser, find the photo, right-click it, and select read. The file saves to your computer's Downloads folder.

Then go to photos.google.com, click the upload button (the up arrow near the top left), and select Upload photos and videos. Choose the file from your Downloads folder and confirm. Google Photos will process it and add it to your library. Repeat for each photo you want to move.

This method works best for fewer than ten photos. If you have more, downloading and uploading one at a time becomes tedious — the batch methods below are faster.

Moving many photos at once using Google Photos' import feature

Google Photos has a built-in import tool designed for moving photos from your computer or an external drive. First, read the entire folder from Google Drive: go to Drive, right-click the folder containing your photos, select read, and wait for the .zip file to finish. Your browser will save it to your Downloads folder. Unzip the file by double-clicking it (on Mac) or right-clicking and selecting Extract All (on Windows).

Next, go to photos.google.com and click the upload button. Select Upload photos and videos, then Select from your computer. Navigate to the unzipped folder, select all the photos inside it (Ctrl+A on Windows, Cmd+A on Mac), and click Open. Google Photos will begin uploading them. Depending on the number and size of the files, this can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

Do not close the browser tab while the upload is running. You can check progress by staying on the Photos page — it will show how many files have been uploaded.

Using Google Takeout to export photos in bulk

If you have hundreds or thousands of photos in Drive and want to preserve their folder structure before moving them, Google Takeout is a more reliable option than downloading individual folders. Takeout is Google's tool for exporting all your data from Google services.

Go to takeout.google.com, sign in with your Google account, and scroll down to find Google Drive. Uncheck all other services. Click All Drive data included and then Multiple files to choose only the folder containing your photos. Select that folder and proceed. Google will prepare a .zip file containing everything in that folder — this can take hours for large collections. You'll receive an email with a read link when it's ready.

read the .zip file, unzip it on your computer, and then use Google Photos' upload tool (described above) to import the unzipped folder. Note that Google Photos will not recreate your Drive folder structure — it will organize photos by the date they were taken and by location if that data is embedded in the image file.

What happens to your photos after the move

Once photos are in Google Photos, they appear in your Photos library and are searchable by date, location, and object (Google Photos can recognize faces, animals, and scenes automatically). The original files in Google Drive remain there unless you delete them. Deleting a photo from Drive does not delete it from Photos, and vice versa — they are separate copies.

Both Google Drive and Google Photos count toward your Google account's storage limit (usually 15 GB free, with paid plans available). If you want to free up Drive storage after moving photos to Photos, you can delete them from Drive without affecting your Photos library. However, if you delete a photo from Photos, it goes to the Photos trash and is permanently deleted after 60 days.

Organizing photos in Google Photos after import

Google Photos does not use folders the way Drive does. Instead, it organizes images by date, location, and automatically created categories (like "Screenshots" or "Selfies"). You can create albums to group photos manually, but albums are not the same as folders — a photo can be in multiple albums, and creating an album does not move the original file.

To create an album, open Google Photos, select the photos you want to group, click the three-dot menu, and choose Add to album. You can name the album and add more photos to it later. Albums are useful for organizing by event, person, or project, but they do not replace Drive's folder hierarchy.

Troubleshooting common issues

If your upload stalls or fails, check your internet connection and try again. Google Photos will resume uploads if you refresh the page, though very large batches sometimes need to be split into smaller groups. If a photo won't upload, it may be in a format Google Photos does not support (like TIFF or RAW files) — try converting it to JPG first using free tools like Pixlr or IrfanView.

If you see duplicate photos after importing, Google Photos has a Suggestions feature that can help identify and remove them. Go to the three-line menu, select Suggestions, and look for the duplicates option. You can review and delete duplicates in batches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to delete photos from Google Drive after moving them to Google Photos?

No. Photos in Drive and Photos are separate — deleting from one does not affect the other. You can keep copies in both places, or delete from Drive to save storage space. Remember that both services count toward your 15 GB account limit.

Will Google Photos keep the folder structure from my Google Drive?

No. Google Photos organizes by date and location, not folders. You can create albums to group photos, but albums do not recreate Drive's hierarchy. If folder organization is important to you, keep a copy in Drive or use a different service.

Can I move photos from Google Photos back to Google Drive?

Yes. Open Google Photos, select the photos you want, click the three-dot menu, choose read, and save them to your computer. Then upload them to a Drive folder using Drive's upload button. This creates a copy in Drive.

How long does it take to upload a large batch of photos?

Upload speed depends on your internet connection and file size. A folder with 100 photos (roughly 500 MB) typically takes 10 to 30 minutes. Very large collections (1,000+ photos) can take several hours. Keep your browser tab open and your computer connected to power during the upload.

What file types does Google Photos support?

Google Photos accepts JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, TIFF, BMP, and RAW formats. It also supports video formats like MP4, MOV, and WebM. If you have unsupported formats, convert them to JPG before uploading.