Google Photos is a fantastic mode to run into your photos and the powerful search makes information technology like shooting fish in a barrel to discover pictures of sure people, places or times. Earlier ane June 2021, Google did offer unlimited gratuitous storage for photos. Now, things have inverse.

You lot but become 15GB of Google storage in total, which counts files on your Google Drive and Gmail, too as Google Photos. Therefore, if you desire to upload more than photos and videos that will take your limit past 15GB, you'll need to buy more storage with Google One.

There's four tiers of storage currently on Google I. These are:

  • 15 GB - Gratuitous
  • 100 GB - £1.59 per calendar month/£15.99 per year
  • 200 GB - £ii.49 per month/£24.99 per year
  • ii TB - £seven.99 per month/£79.99 per twelvemonth

Sadly, no unlimited storage option is currently available. You'll have to expect at other Deject storage options if yous desire that. You can also make more room for photos and video past immigration out large files on your Google Bulldoze.

There'due south no need to worry nigh existing files from before i June, equally these photos will remain on Google'south servers and won't be deleted or blocked if you don't pay - that'due south a common misconception.

If, like me, you have a photo library full of pictures you took prior to owning a smartphone, chances are they're sat on a hard bulldoze somewhere. Google hasn't fabricated it piece of cake to upload them, but here's are 2 ways to upload every single photo, 1 of which is automatic.

Upload to Google Photos via a spider web browser

Before I get to the best fashion, hither'south the obvious way: head to photos.google.com and click on Upload.

How to upload to Google Photos from Windows

Unfortunately, the easy way won't work for most people because the Upload option in Google Photos will only upload the contents of a unmarried folder.

Nearly people keep their photos in multiple folders and so they have 'albums' for unlike occasions. Unless you're willing to go through dozens or even hundreds of folders and copy – or motion – those photos into a single folder, y'all won't be able to utilize this option.

You could laboriously use the Upload push button for each folder y'all have but, once again, that'south impractical if you lot have a hundred or more than.

TIP: Before you upload all your photos, upload ane or 2 and check that Google Photos can correctly identify when they were taken. Otherwise, you'll have a tough time finding them again.

Once uploaded, you should be able to enter the appointment it was taken, such equally '22 May 2000' and all photos from that date should be shown. If non, search for the verbal filename of the photograph you just uploaded, and Google Photos should bear witness it. Click the i symbol at the summit and yous'll see the info for that photo.

How to upload to Google Photos

If there is a problem and the 'date taken' isn't identified correctly, you'll demand to use a tool to edit this metadata.

Once yous've striking the limit of what you can upload, Google will inform y'all. If y'all need more than space, you tin go a premium Google One account.

Upload to Google Photos via Backup & Sync

And and so we come to the best choice for uploading your whole photo library to Google Photos. It involves downloading Google's Fill-in & Sync utility, choosing a binder or folders to sync, then leaving information technology to upload the photos, too as any videos in those folders.

If those folders happen to exist on a NAS bulldoze as mine were, you may observe you lot cannot select the root folder in Backup & Sync. The workaround is to create a folder inside that (telephone call it upload or whatever you like), then move all your folders of photos into that.

Hither, step by step, is how to get virtually installing Backup & Sync and uploading all those snaps to Google Photos.

Note: this merely works for Windows computers and y'all'd need to install the Google Photos app on Android or iPhone if you want to upload the photographic camera roll from your phone. This guide is primarily aimed at those who've already done that and now want to upload photos stored on their Windows laptop or PC.

1. First, head to the Google Photos website https://photos.google.com/apps and click the Download button.

How to upload to Google Photos

two. When the file is downloaded, click on it in your web browser, or navigate to the folder where downloaded files are stored – usually Downloads. Double-click on the file (called installbackupandsync.exe) and click the GET STARTED button.

How to upload to Google Photos

3. You'll need to sign into your Google account, the one you lot use for Google Photos.

four. On the 'set-upward' screen, choose Dorsum upward photos and videos.

How to upload to Google Photos

5. Adjacent, yous demand to tell Backup & Sync which folders your photos are in. This could be every bit simple as clicking the box next to Pictures, but if your photos are stored elsewhere, such equally another binder on your hard drive, on an external drive or on a NAS drive, click CHOOSE Folder and navigate to it.

How to upload to Google Photos

You tin can sync multiple folders, just you lot tin can't select multiple folders at the same time.

6. Select the quality you want for your photograph/video - Storage Saver takes upwardly less room, but compresses the file. Meanwhile Original Quality volition not shrink the files, but will accept up more storage in your quota.

7. Click Offset and Backup & Sync will brainstorm uploading photos and videos in the folder(south) you've chosen to Google Photos.

8. If you want to check on progress, click the ^ symbol on the Windows Taskbar and click the trivial white deject symbol. Y'all'll see a scrolling list of the files existence uploaded.

How to upload to Google Photos

How long it will take to upload all your photos and videos will depend on the full amount of data to be uploaded and the upload speed of your net connexion, which is typically a lot slower than the download speed.

Get out your laptop or computer on while it's uploading the files. In my case, with a 16Mbps upload speed, it took effectually 24 hours to upload 30,000 photos and videos from hundreds of folders on a NAS drive.

Over again, the amount yous'll be able to upload volition depend on the amount of storage you take in your Google One account.

Related articles for further reading

  • Best alternatives to Google Photos
  • What to do when Google Photos free storage ends
  • How to download all your photos from Google Photos in one go