Google Photos is a fantastic way to encounter your photos and the powerful search makes it easy to discover pictures of certain people, places or times. Before 1 June 2021, Google did offer unlimited costless storage for photos. Now, things have inverse.

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

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

  • 15 GB - Free
  • 100 GB - £i.59 per month/£xv.99 per twelvemonth
  • 200 GB - £2.49 per month/£24.99 per year
  • two TB - £7.99 per month/£79.99 per year

Sadly, no unlimited storage option is currently available. You'll have to look at other Cloud storage options if you desire that. Y'all can as well make more room for photos and video by immigration out large files on your Google Drive.

There's no need to worry nearly existing files from before 1 June, as these photos will remain on Google's servers and won't exist deleted or blocked if y'all don't pay - that's a common misconception.

If, like me, yous have a photograph library full of pictures you lot took prior to owning a smartphone, chances are they're sat on a difficult drive somewhere. Google hasn't fabricated it piece of cake to upload them, just here'southward are two ways to upload every single photo, ane of which is automatic.

Upload to Google Photos via a web browser

Earlier I go to the all-time way, here'south the obvious way: 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 manner won't work for about people considering the Upload option in Google Photos will only upload the contents of a single folder.

Near people keep their photos in multiple folders and then they accept 'albums' for dissimilar occasions. Unless you're willing to go through dozens or even hundreds of folders and copy – or move – those photos into a single folder, you won't exist able to apply this option.

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

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

One time uploaded, you lot should exist able to enter the date information technology was taken, such every bit '22 May 2000' and all photos from that appointment should be shown. If not, search for the exact filename of the photo y'all just uploaded, and Google Photos should show it. Click the i symbol at the top and you lot'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 demand to use a tool to edit this metadata.

Once yous've hit the limit of what you tin upload, Google will inform you. If you need more space, you can get a premium Google I account.

Upload to Google Photos via Backup & Sync

And and then we come to the all-time option for uploading your whole photo library to Google Photos. It involves downloading Google'southward Backup & Sync utility, choosing a folder or folders to sync, then leaving information technology to upload the photos, also as whatsoever videos in those folders.

If those folders happen to be on a NAS drive as mine were, you lot may find 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 lot like), and then move all your folders of photos into that.

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

Note: this only works for Windows computers and you'd need to install the Google Photos app on Android or iPhone if yous want to upload the camera gyre 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.

1. Offset, head 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 information technology in your spider 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 Become STARTED button.

How to upload to Google Photos

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

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

How to upload to Google Photos

five. Side by side, you need to tell Backup & Sync which folders your photos are in. This could exist every bit elementary as 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

Y'all can sync multiple folders, but you tin't select multiple folders at the aforementioned time.

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

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

eight. If yous want to bank check on progress, click the ^ symbol on the Windows Taskbar and click the little white deject symbol. Yous'll meet a scrolling list of the files beingness 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 cyberspace connectedness, which is typically a lot slower than the download speed.

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

Once again, the amount you'll be able to upload will depend on the amount of storage you lot have in your Google One account.

Related articles for further reading

  • All-time alternatives to Google Photos
  • What to practice when Google Photos complimentary storage ends
  • How to download all your photos from Google Photos in one become