How to Backup Photos on Google Photos: Access, Find, Download, and Delete Your Pictures

Having launched back in 2015, Google Photos is a versatile tool for storing, organizing, and sharing photos and videos. As a cloud-based service, it offers a robust backup system, freeing up space on your phone and ensuring your memories are safely stored. It works seamlessly across Android and iOS devices as well as desktop computers.

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How Does Google Photos Work?

Google Photos allows users to upload photos and videos, view and edit them, create animations, collages, and photo books, and back up their media to a computer or external drive. The platform ensures privacy, with uploaded photos visible only to the user unless they are shared with others.

Uploading and Editing

Once you upload your photos to Google Photos, you can perform a variety of tasks:

View: Browse your photos in an organized gallery.
Edit: Enhance images with basic editing tools.
Create: Generate new videos, animations, and collages.
Organize: Sort photos into albums and photo books.
Backup: Download your entire collection to a computer or external hard drive for an additional layer of security.

Accessing Google Photos on iPhone and Android

Accessing Google Photos on any device is straightforward. Here’s how you can do it:

Download the App: Get Google Photos from the Google Play Store or iOS App Store.
Log In: Open the app and log in with your Google account.
Grant Permissions: Allow the app to access your files and media.

Once set up, you can access all your stored photos by opening the app and tapping the photos icon in the lower-left corner of your screen.

Downloading All Your Photos from Google Photos

Downloading all your photos from Google Photos is a simple process, though it requires using Google Takeout. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Go to Google Takeout: Visit the Google Takeout website.
Deselect All: Click “Deselect all” to avoid downloading data from your entire Google account.
Select Google Photos: Check the box next to Google Photos and click “All photo albums included” if you want to select specific albums.
Export: Click “Next step” to proceed with the export.
Download Options: Choose how often you want to download your photos and confirm the file type and size.
Create Export: Click “Create export” to finalize the process.

Troubleshooting: Why Can’t I See All My Google Photos?

If you’re unable to see all your photos, it’s possible that the backup settings are not enabled. To fix this:

Open Google Photos: Tap on your profile picture in the top right corner.
Settings: Select Google Photo settings, then choose Backup.
Toggle Backup On: Ensure the Backup button is turned on.

Is Google Photos Still Free?

While Google Photos no longer offers unlimited free storage, every Google account comes with 15GB of free cloud storage shared across Google Drive, Google Photos, and Gmail. For more storage, you can upgrade to a Google One subscription, starting at $1.99 per month for 100GB.

Storage Management Tips

Clear Storage: If your device is low on storage, Google Photos might not display all your photos. Ensure you have enough space for all your images.
Upgrade Plans: Consider Google One for additional storage.

Exploring Google Photos’ AI-Powered Features

Google Photos utilizes AI tools to enhance user experience. In May 2024, Google introduced the Gemini AI model, which makes searching through galleries easier. The “Ask Photos” feature allows users to make broad queries like “Show me the best photo from every city I’ve visited,” instantly pulling relevant images.

AI Editing Tools

Magic Eraser: Removes unwanted objects from photos.
PhotoUnblur: Enhances the clarity of blurry images.
Portrait Light: Adjusts lighting in portrait photos.

These tools, previously exclusive to Android users, are now available to all Google Photos users without a subscription.

Photo Book Collections and Animations

Photo Books: Create photo books based on date, people, and places, with an option to print and ship them.
GIFs and Motion Photos: Google Photos can create animations from rapid succession shots and save individual photos as motion photos.

Utilizing Google Photos’ Smart Features

Google Photos offers a robust search option, similar to Google Images. You can search for generic subjects like “dogs” or “beach,” which is useful if your photos aren’t organized into albums.

Identifying and Sorting People

Manual Identification: Name faces in your photos to sort them automatically.
Live Albums: Automatically populate albums with photos of specific people.

Scanning Physical Photos and Documents

For physical photo prints, you can quickly scan them by taking a picture with your phone. For documents, Google Photos allows you to highlight sections of text and crop out backgrounds, making it easier to upload receipts and other important papers.

How to Delete All Photos from Google Photos

If you need to delete photos from Google Photos to free up space or for any other reason, follow these steps:

Removing Google Photos’ Access to Your Device

Before deleting photos, ensure Google Photos no longer has access to your device:

iPhone Settings: Go to Settings, scroll down to Google Photos.
Access Permissions: Under “ALLOW GOOGLE PHOTOS TO ACCESS,” tap Photos, then select None.
Turn Off Backup: Open Google Photos, go to settings, and toggle Backup off.

Deleting Photos from Google Photos

Google Photos doesn’t have a “select all” option for deleting photos, but you can use a workaround:

Select Photos: In your Google Photos gallery, click the grey checkmark at the top left of the most recent batch of photos to select all photos from that date.
Select All: Scroll down to the bottom of the gallery, hold down the Shift key, and click the first photo to select all.
Delete: Click the trash can icon and confirm by clicking Move to trash.

You may need to repeat this process for smaller batches if you have a large number of photos.

Conclusion

Google Photos is a powerful and user-friendly tool for backing up, organizing, and sharing your photos and videos. By following the steps outlined above, you can make the most of its features, ensuring your memories are safely stored and easily accessible. Whether you’re using its AI-powered tools, creating photo books, or managing your storage, Google Photos provides a comprehensive solution for your media needs.