Google Photos is a fantastic way to run across your photos and the powerful search makes it easy to find pictures of certain people, places or times. Before one June 2021, Google did offer unlimited costless storage for photos. Now, things have changed.

You only get 15GB of Google storage in total, which counts files on your Google Bulldoze and Gmail, as well as Google Photos. Therefore, if y'all want to upload more photos and videos that will accept your limit past 15GB, you'll need to purchase more storage with Google One.

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

  • 15 GB - Gratuitous
  • 100 GB - £1.59 per month/£15.99 per year
  • 200 GB - £two.49 per month/£24.99 per year
  • 2 TB - £7.99 per month/£79.99 per yr

Sadly, no unlimited storage pick is currently available. Y'all'll take to expect at other Deject storage options if you want that. Y'all can also make more room for photos and video past clearing out large files on your Google Drive.

There'southward no need to worry nigh existing files from before 1 June, as these photos will remain on Google'due south servers and won't be deleted or blocked if yous don't pay - that's a common misconception.

If, like me, you have a photo library total of pictures you lot took prior to owning a smartphone, chances are they're sat on a hard drive somewhere. Google hasn't fabricated it like shooting fish in a barrel to upload them, just here's are ii ways to upload every unmarried photo, i of which is automated.

Upload to Google Photos via a spider web browser

Earlier I get to the best way, here's the obvious manner: head to photos.google.com and click on Upload.

How to upload to Google Photos from Windows

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

Most people keep their photos in multiple folders so they take 'albums' for dissimilar occasions. Unless you lot're willing to go through dozens or even hundreds of folders and re-create – or move – those photos into a unmarried folder, you won't exist able to employ this option.

Y'all could laboriously use the Upload button for each binder yous have just, again, that'due south impractical if you have a hundred or more than.

TIP: Earlier you upload all your photos, upload one or ii and cheque that Google Photos tin can correctly identify when they were taken. Otherwise, y'all'll take a tough time finding them again.

Once uploaded, you should be able to enter the date information technology was taken, such as '22 May 2000' and all photos from that date should be shown. If not, search for the exact filename of the photograph y'all merely uploaded, and Google Photos should evidence information technology. Click the i symbol at the top and you'll run into 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 need to use a tool to edit this metadata.

Once you lot've striking the limit of what you can upload, Google will inform you. If you lot demand more space, yous can get a premium Google One account.

Upload to Google Photos via Backup & Sync

And then we come to the best option for uploading your whole photo library to Google Photos. It involves downloading Google'south Backup & Sync utility, choosing a binder or folders to sync, then leaving information technology to upload the photos, as well every bit whatever videos in those folders.

If those folders happen to be on a NAS bulldoze as mine were, yous may detect you cannot select the root folder in Backup & Sync. The workaround is to create a folder inside that (call it upload or whatever y'all similar), then motion all your folders of photos into that.

Here, step by stride, is how to go about installing Backup & Sync and uploading all those snaps to Google Photos.

Notation: this merely works for Windows computers and you'd need to install the Google Photos app on Android or iPhone if you want to upload the camera roll from your telephone. 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.

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

How to upload to Google Photos

2. When the file is downloaded, click on it in your web browser, or navigate to the binder 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. Y'all'll need to sign into your Google account, the one you employ for Google Photos.

iv. On the 'ready-up' screen, cull Back up photos and videos.

How to upload to Google Photos

5. Next, you need to tell Fill-in & Sync which folders your photos are in. This could be as elementary as clicking the box side by side to Pictures, but if your photos are stored elsewhere, such as another folder on your hard drive, on an external bulldoze or on a NAS drive, click CHOOSE FOLDER and navigate to it.

How to upload to Google Photos

Y'all can sync multiple folders, simply you lot can't select multiple folders at the same time.

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

7. Click START and Backup & Sync volition begin uploading photos and videos in the folder(s) y'all've called to Google Photos.

viii. If y'all want to cheque on progress, click the ^ symbol on the Windows Taskbar and click the piffling white cloud symbol. You'll run across a scrolling list of the files beingness uploaded.

How to upload to Google Photos

How long it volition 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 cyberspace connection, which is typically a lot slower than the download speed.

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

Again, the amount you'll exist able to upload will depend on the amount of storage y'all have in your Google Ane account.

Related manufactures for farther reading

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