Google Photos is a fantastic mode to run across your photos and the powerful search makes information technology like shooting fish in a barrel to find pictures of certain people, places or times. Before 1 June 2021, Google did offer unlimited free storage for photos. Now, things have changed.

Yous only become 15GB of Google storage in total, which counts files on your Google Bulldoze and Gmail, as well as Google Photos. Therefore, if yous want to upload more photos and videos that will take your limit by 15GB, yous'll need to purchase more storage with Google 1.

At that place's iv tiers of storage currently on Google I. These are:

  • 15 GB - Gratuitous
  • 100 GB - £i.59 per month/£15.99 per twelvemonth
  • 200 GB - £2.49 per month/£24.99 per year
  • 2 TB - £seven.99 per month/£79.99 per year

Sadly, no unlimited storage choice is currently available. You'll have to await at other Cloud storage options if you want that. You can too make more room for photos and video by clearing out large files on your Google Drive.

There'southward no demand to worry about existing files from before 1 June, equally these photos volition remain on Google'south servers and won't be deleted or blocked if you don't pay - that'south a common misconception.

If, like me, you accept a photograph library full of pictures you took prior to owning a smartphone, chances are they're saturday on a difficult drive somewhere. Google hasn't made information technology like shooting fish in a barrel to upload them, but here'due south are two ways to upload every unmarried photo, 1 of which is automated.

Upload to Google Photos via a web browser

Before I get to the best style, here'due south the obvious mode: head to photos.google.com and click on Upload.

How to upload to Google Photos from Windows

Unfortunately, the easy style won't work for virtually people considering the Upload pick in Google Photos will merely upload the contents of a single folder.

Most people continue their photos in multiple folders so they accept 'albums' for different occasions. Unless yous're willing to go through dozens or even hundreds of folders and copy – or move – those photos into a single folder, you lot won't exist able to employ this option.

You could laboriously use the Upload push button for each folder y'all accept just, again, that's impractical if you have a hundred or more.

TIP: Before you upload all your photos, upload one or two and check that Google Photos tin can correctly place when they were taken. Otherwise, y'all'll accept a tough fourth dimension finding them once again.

Once uploaded, you should be able to enter the engagement 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 photo you just uploaded, and Google Photos should evidence it. Click the i symbol at the top and you'll see the info for that photo.

How to upload to Google Photos

If at that place is a trouble and the 'date taken' isn't identified correctly, yous'll need to utilize a tool to edit this metadata.

One time you've hit the limit of what you can upload, Google will inform you. If you need more space, you can go a premium Google One account.

Upload to Google Photos via Fill-in & Sync

And and so we come to the all-time option for uploading your whole photo library to Google Photos. Information technology involves downloading Google's Backup & Sync utility, choosing a folder or folders to sync, then leaving it to upload the photos, as well as any videos in those folders.

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

Here, stride past step, is how to become nearly installing Backup & Sync and uploading all those snaps to Google Photos.

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

i. Start, 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 spider web browser, or navigate to the binder where downloaded files are stored – usually Downloads. Double-click on the file (chosen installbackupandsync.exe) and click the GET STARTED push 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.

iv. On the 'set-up' screen, choose Support photos and videos.

How to upload to Google Photos

5. Next, you lot need to tell Backup & Sync which folders your photos are in. This could be as simple every bit clicking the box side by side to Pictures, but if your photos are stored elsewhere, such equally some other folder on your hard bulldoze, on an external bulldoze or on a NAS drive, click Choose Folder and navigate to it.

How to upload to Google Photos

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

6. 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, merely will take up more storage in your quota.

7. Click START and Fill-in & Sync will begin uploading photos and videos in the folder(s) you've called to Google Photos.

8. If you want to check on progress, click the ^ symbol on the Windows Taskbar and click the little white cloud symbol. Yous'll come across a scrolling list of the files being uploaded.

How to upload to Google Photos

How long it will take to upload all your photos and videos volition depend on the total amount of information to exist uploaded and the upload speed of your cyberspace connection, which is typically a lot slower than the download speed.

Leave your laptop or figurer on while it'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.

Once more, the amount you'll be able to upload will depend on the amount of storage you accept in your Google I business relationship.

Related articles for further reading

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