Are you trying to learn how to download all Google Photos on PC or Mac? you are not alone. Many of us have hundreds (if not thousands) of photos and videos stored in the cloud, and while you’d think it would be easy to download them all to a hard drive, it actually takes a bit of work.
Fortunately, it’s possible – and we’re here to help you through the process whether you have one of the best laptops, the best PCs, or are a die-hard fan of the best MacBooks and Macs.
Briefly
• Head to takeout.google.com
• Check the box next to “Google Photos”
• Choose download location, frequency, file type and size
• Click on “Create Export”
Before we dive in, let’s briefly explore the function of cloud storage in Google Photos and why you’d want to download your snaps and videos from there to a hard drive. After all, Google Photos is a great way to securely store your photos and videos, plus it’s easy to use and has great cross-platform support.
However, even though Google Photos is one of the best cloud storage options for photos available in 2022, backing up your library isn’t a bad idea. Whether you’ve been locked out of your Google account or you’re traveling with limited internet, having offline copies of your precious photos can let you view them anytime, anywhere.
Below, we’ll talk you through the different ways you can download all your Google Photos on your PC or Mac. And if you’d rather explore your options first, check out our guide to the best Google Photos alternatives.
How to Download All Google Photos on PC or Mac
How to download all google photos at once
If you want to download all Google Photos to your PC or Mac in one go, you won’t find the option in Google Photos. Instead, to get the fastest route to a full backup, you need to use Google Takeout (Opens in a new tab). This is the same tool that can be used to export all kinds of user data, as well as Keep notes, mail messages, and Chrome history.
1. head to takeout.google.com (Opens in a new tab).
2. sign in With your Google account, if you haven’t already.
3. Select the content you want to download from your Google account. In this case, we’ll assume you only want to download Google Photos photos and videos — so Click “Deselect All” under the “Select data to include” tab.
4. Scroll down the list of products to do so Search for Google images and check it out. This will include the entire photo library in the download. If this is what you want to do, skip to step #8. If not, read on.
5. If you are Click on the button labeled “All photo albums included” A popup will let you select or deselect specific albums in your library — as well as entire years. Fortunately, Takeout will preserve the album structure in the resulting download folder.
However, keep in mind that you won’t be able to preview the contents of any albums through Takeout – so you might want to go back to the contents of each folder with Google Photos in another tab.
6. After, after Choose your albumsAnd hit “ok”.
7. Scroll down and Click “Next Step”.
8. After that, you will see a group of Export options. The Delivery Method drop-down menu allows you to choose to receive a download link via email once the export is ready.
It also gives you the option to transfer your captures directly to another cloud provider, including Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box. If you intend to re-upload your library to one of these platforms, the direct transfer will save significant time and bandwidth.
9. You can too Choose between a one-time export or periodic exportsAnd Select the file type you want. Most users will find .zip to be the best option.
In addition, you can Set the maximum size of download files. Select 1GB, for example, and exports over that limit will be broken down into 1GB for a more intuitive download.
10. Once you have your settings sorted, Click “Create Export”. You will see a message that says “Google is creating a copy of the files from Google Photos”. Depending on the size of your photo library, this could take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.
11. You will receive an email when your download is ready. If you are saving snapshots to your device, tap Download your files for a rolling process. Downloads remain available for a week after creation.
How to download Google Photos individually
Of course you may not want to download all the photos from Google Photos at once, in which case you may find doing it one by one is the best way.
1. Head to Google Images.
2. Open the image you want to save.
3. tap on Three points in the upper right corner.
4. Choose ‘Download’.
How to download multiple images at once
Unless you only have a few shots stored in the cloud, downloading them individually would be a tedious way to save all your photos.
An alternative is to select groups of snapshots to save at one time.
1. Open Google Images on the web
2. Hover over the thumbnail of a particular photo and Click the check mark in the upper left.
3. You can then Click on other photos to add to your selection. shift contract On tap, it will also allow you to highlight groups of shots between the first and last shots you select.
4. Once you are happy with your choice, Click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner.
5. Click Download. Google will compress your selected snapshots into a single zip archive ready to be saved.
While this method isn’t as simple as downloading all your Google Photos in one go, it does allow you to save data by selecting only the shots you really want to keep. Google also offers a free storage management tool to help you find and delete underexposed or blurred shots, making it easy to select photos to find your favorites.
If you plan to sort the footage on your hard drive, it’s also a good opportunity to download collections that match your sorting criteria. Use the search bar to filter your photos – for example by location or date – and choose from the results. This makes it easier to save similar images, such as those in the same place.
How to download albums from Google Photos
If you’ve already sorted your shots into Google Photo albums—or saved some of Google’s suggested “Smart Albums”—you can easily download their pre-sorted contents.
1. On the Albums tab, select View all albums to see your full collection.
2. Click on an individual album.
3. Once loaded, Hit those three dots at the top right And Select “Download All”. This will compress all the photos and videos in the album into a single zip file for you to download.
The benefit of this approach is that you can download your snapshots selectively with just a few clicks, and keep them organized on your hard drive.
What’s the downside? You cannot download multiple albums at once. Instead, each one has to be opened and saved separately, which can be tedious if you have a large number.
And there you have it: four ways to download Google Photos to your PC or Mac. You may also want to check out our guides on how to edit photos in Google Photos, how to backup to Google Photos and how to save Google Photos to iPhone or iCloud.