Google Photos is a fantastic way to encounter your photos and the powerful search makes information technology like shooting fish in a barrel to discover 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 get 15GB of Google storage in total, which counts files on your Google Drive and Gmail, equally well as Google Photos. Therefore, if you want to upload more photos and videos that will take your limit past 15GB, you'll demand to purchase more than storage with Google One.

There's four tiers of storage currently on Google 1. These are:

  • 15 GB - Costless
  • 100 GB - £1.59 per calendar month/£fifteen.99 per yr
  • 200 GB - £two.49 per month/£24.99 per year
  • 2 TB - £7.99 per calendar month/£79.99 per year

Sadly, no unlimited storage selection is currently available. Y'all'll have to wait 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 Bulldoze.

In that location'due south no need to worry about existing files from before ane June, as these photos volition remain on Google's servers and won't exist deleted or blocked if you lot don't pay - that's a mutual misconception.

If, similar me, you take a photograph library total of pictures you took prior to owning a smartphone, chances are they're sat on a hard bulldoze somewhere. Google hasn't fabricated it easy to upload them, but here's are two means to upload every single photo, i of which is automated.

Upload to Google Photos via a web browser

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

How to upload to Google Photos from Windows

Unfortunately, the easy way won't work for nigh people because the Upload choice in Google Photos will only upload the contents of a single folder.

Near people keep 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 copy – or move – those photos into a single folder, you lot won't be able to use this pick.

You could laboriously use the Upload button for each folder yous have simply, again, that'south impractical if you have a hundred or more.

TIP: Before yous upload all your photos, upload 1 or two and cheque that Google Photos can correctly place when they were taken. Otherwise, yous'll accept a tough fourth dimension finding them once again.

Once uploaded, you lot should exist able to enter the date it 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 yous but 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 in that location is a problem and the 'engagement taken' isn't identified correctly, you lot'll need to employ a tool to edit this metadata.

In one case you've hit the limit of what you can upload, Google will inform you. If you demand more than space, you can get a premium Google One business relationship.

Upload to Google Photos via Fill-in & Sync

And so nosotros come to the best selection for uploading your whole photo library to Google Photos. It involves downloading Google'south Backup & Sync utility, choosing a binder or folders to sync, then leaving it to upload the photos, besides as any videos in those folders.

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

Hither, pace by stride, is how to become almost installing Backup & Sync and uploading all those snaps to Google Photos.

Note: this simply works for Windows computers and you lot'd need to install the Google Photos app on Android or iPhone if you 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 button.

How to upload to Google Photos

two. When the file is downloaded, click on it in your web browser, or navigate to the folder where downloaded files are stored – normally Downloads. Double-click on the file (called installbackupandsync.exe) and click the GET STARTED button.

How to upload to Google Photos

3. You'll demand to sign into your Google business relationship, the i you use for Google Photos.

four. On the 'set up-upwardly' screen, cull Back up photos and videos.

How to upload to Google Photos

5. Next, you demand to tell Backup & Sync which folders your photos are in. This could be as uncomplicated as clicking the box next 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 CHOOSE Folder and navigate to it.

How to upload to Google Photos

You tin can sync multiple folders, simply 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 non compress the files, but will have up more storage in your quota.

7. Click START and Backup & Sync will begin uploading photos and videos in the binder(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. You'll see a scrolling listing of the files being uploaded.

How to upload to Google Photos

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

Exit your laptop or computer on while it's uploading the files. In my instance, with a 16Mbps upload speed, it took effectually 24 hours to upload thirty,000 photos and videos from hundreds of folders on a NAS drive.

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

Related articles for further reading

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