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

Yous only get 15GB of Google storage in full, which counts files on your Google Drive and Gmail, as well as Google Photos. Therefore, if you desire to upload more photos and videos that volition accept your limit past 15GB, yous'll need to purchase more than storage with Google Ane.

In that location'south 4 tiers of storage currently on Google One. These are:

  • 15 GB - Gratuitous
  • 100 GB - £one.59 per month/£15.99 per yr
  • 200 GB - £2.49 per month/£24.99 per year
  • ii TB - £7.99 per calendar month/£79.99 per year

Sadly, no unlimited storage choice is currently bachelor. Yous'll take to wait at other Cloud storage options if you want that. You can also make more than room for photos and video by immigration out big files on your Google Drive.

In that location's no demand to worry about existing files from before i June, as these photos volition remain on Google's servers and won't be deleted or blocked if you lot don't pay - that's a common misconception.

If, like me, you have a photo library full of pictures yous took prior to owning a smartphone, chances are they're sat on a hard drive somewhere. Google hasn't made it easy to upload them, but here's are two ways to upload every unmarried photograph, one of which is automatic.

Upload to Google Photos via a spider web browser

Before I go to the best way, here's the obvious style: head to photos.google.com and click on Upload.

How to upload to Google Photos from Windows

Unfortunately, the like shooting fish in a barrel mode won't piece of work for nearly people because the Upload option in Google Photos will only upload the contents of a single folder.

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

Yous could laboriously use the Upload button for each binder you have but, again, that's impractical if you have a hundred or more.

TIP: Before you upload all your photos, upload 1 or two and check that Google Photos tin 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 date it was taken, such every bit '22 May 2000' and all photos from that engagement should exist shown. If not, search for the exact filename of the photo you just uploaded, and Google Photos should prove it. Click the i symbol at the top and you'll see the info for that photo.

How to upload to Google Photos

If there is a trouble and the 'appointment taken' isn't identified correctly, you'll need to use a tool to edit this metadata.

Once you've hit the limit of what you tin can upload, Google will inform you. If you demand more infinite, you can get a premium Google 1 business relationship.

Upload to Google Photos via Fill-in & Sync

And and so nosotros come to the all-time option for uploading your whole photo library to Google Photos. It involves downloading Google'due south Backup & Sync utility, choosing a folder or folders to sync, and so leaving it to upload the photos, also every bit whatsoever videos in those folders.

If those folders happen to be on a NAS drive equally mine were, you may find you cannot select the root binder in Backup & Sync. The workaround is to create a folder within that (call it upload or whatever you like), and so movement all your folders of photos into that.

Hither, step by step, is how to become almost installing Fill-in & Sync and uploading all those snaps to Google Photos.

Notation: this only works for Windows computers and you'd need to install the Google Photos app on Android or iPhone if y'all 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 push.

How to upload to Google Photos

2. 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

three. You'll need to sign into your Google account, the one y'all apply for Google Photos.

four. On the 'set-upwards' screen, choose Back up photos and videos.

How to upload to Google Photos

5. Next, you lot demand to tell Fill-in & Sync which folders your photos are in. This could be as simple equally clicking the box next to Pictures, but if your photos are stored elsewhere, such as another folder on your hard bulldoze, on an external bulldoze or on a NAS drive, click Cull FOLDER and navigate to information technology.

How to upload to Google Photos

You can sync multiple folders, but you can't select multiple folders at the same time.

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

7. Click Beginning and Backup & Sync volition begin uploading photos and videos in the folder(southward) you've chosen to Google Photos.

8. If you want to cheque on progress, click the ^ symbol on the Windows Taskbar and click the little white deject symbol. You'll see a scrolling list of the files being uploaded.

How to upload to Google Photos

How long information technology will take to upload all your photos and videos will depend on the full corporeality of information to be uploaded and the upload speed of your internet connection, which is typically a lot slower than the download speed.

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

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

Related articles for further reading

  • Best alternatives to Google Photos
  • What to do when Google Photos costless storage ends
  • How to download all your photos from Google Photos in 1 go