Google Photos is a fantastic mode to see your photos and the powerful search makes it easy 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.

You only get 15GB of Google storage in total, 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, you'll demand to purchase more storage with Google 1.

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

  • xv GB - Free
  • 100 GB - £1.59 per calendar month/£15.99 per year
  • 200 GB - £2.49 per calendar month/£24.99 per year
  • 2 TB - £7.99 per month/£79.99 per year

Sadly, no unlimited storage option is currently available. You lot'll have to wait at other Cloud storage options if you want that. You can also make more room for photos and video past immigration out large files on your Google Drive.

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

If, like me, y'all have a photo library full of pictures you 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'due south are ii ways to upload every single photo, ane of which is automatic.

Upload to Google Photos via a web browser

Before I become to the best mode, here'southward the obvious way: head to photos.google.com and click on Upload.

How to upload to Google Photos from Windows

Unfortunately, the piece of cake way won't work for almost people considering the Upload option in Google Photos will only upload the contents of a single binder.

Nearly people proceed their photos in multiple folders so they have 'albums' for different occasions. Unless you're willing to go through dozens or even hundreds of folders and re-create – or movement – those photos into a single folder, you won't be able to use this choice.

You could laboriously use the Upload button for each folder y'all take just, once more, that'southward impractical if y'all have a hundred or more.

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

Once uploaded, you should be able to enter the date it was taken, such as '22 May 2000' and all photos from that date should exist shown. If not, search for the exact filename of the photo you but uploaded, and Google Photos should show it. Click the i symbol at the top and y'all'll see the info for that photograph.

How to upload to Google Photos

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

One time y'all've hit the limit of what you can upload, Google volition inform you. If you need more than space, you can become a premium Google One account.

Upload to Google Photos via Backup & Sync

And then nosotros come to the best pick for uploading your whole photograph library to Google Photos. It 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 find you lot cannot select the root folder in Backup & Sync. The workaround is to create a folder within that (phone call it upload or whatever you like), and then move all your folders of photos into that.

Here, pace by pace, is how to go nearly installing Fill-in & Sync and uploading all those snaps to Google Photos.

Annotation: this but works for Windows computers and you'd need to install the Google Photos app on Android or iPhone if you lot desire to upload the photographic camera roll from your phone. This guide is primarily aimed at those who've already washed that and now want to upload photos stored on their Windows laptop or PC.

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

How to upload to Google Photos

ii. 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 (chosen installbackupandsync.exe) and click the GET STARTED push.

How to upload to Google Photos

3. You lot'll need to sign into your Google account, the one yous use for Google Photos.

four. On the 'set up-upwards' screen, cull Support photos and videos.

How to upload to Google Photos

5. Next, y'all need to tell Fill-in & Sync which folders your photos are in. This could exist as simple as clicking the box adjacent to Pictures, but if your photos are stored elsewhere, such as another folder on your hard drive, on an external drive or on a NAS drive, click Cull Folder and navigate to it.

How to upload to Google Photos

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

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

vii. Click START and Backup & Sync volition begin uploading photos and videos in the folder(s) you've chosen to Google Photos.

8. If you want to check on progress, click the ^ symbol on the Windows Taskbar and click the lilliputian white cloud symbol. You'll see a scrolling listing of the files being uploaded.

How to upload to Google Photos

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

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

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

Related articles for further reading

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