Google Photos is a fantastic mode to see your photos and the powerful search makes information technology like shooting fish in a barrel to find pictures of sure people, places or times. Before i June 2021, Google did offer unlimited free storage for photos. Now, things take inverse.

You only get 15GB of Google storage in total, which counts files on your Google Drive and Gmail, likewise as Google Photos. Therefore, if y'all want to upload more photos and videos that volition take your limit past 15GB, you'll need to purchase more storage with Google Ane.

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

  • 15 GB - Complimentary
  • 100 GB - £1.59 per month/£xv.99 per yr
  • 200 GB - £2.49 per month/£24.99 per year
  • 2 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 want that. You can also make more room for photos and video by immigration out large files on your Google Drive.

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

If, similar me, you accept a photo library full of pictures you took prior to owning a smartphone, chances are they're sat on a hard bulldoze somewhere. Google hasn't fabricated it like shooting fish in a barrel to upload them, merely hither'south are two ways to upload every unmarried photograph, one of which is automatic.

Upload to Google Photos via a web browser

Earlier I get to the best mode, here's the obvious way: head to photos.google.com and click on Upload.

How to upload to Google Photos from Windows

Unfortunately, the easy fashion won't work for most people because the Upload selection in Google Photos volition only upload the contents of a single binder.

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

You lot could laboriously use the Upload push button for each folder yous have just, once again, that's impractical if you take a hundred or more.

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

In one case uploaded, you should be able to enter the date it was taken, such equally '22 May 2000' and all photos from that date should be 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 you lot'll see the info for that photo.

How to upload to Google Photos

If there is a problem and the 'date taken' isn't identified correctly, you'll need to apply a tool to edit this metadata.

In one case you've striking the limit of what you lot tin upload, Google will inform you. If yous demand more space, you can get a premium Google Ane account.

Upload to Google Photos via Backup & Sync

And so we come to the best option for uploading your whole photograph library to Google Photos. It involves downloading Google'southward 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 cannot select the root folder in Backup & Sync. The workaround is to create a binder within that (call it upload or whatever you like), and then motility all your folders of photos into that.

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

Annotation: this only works for Windows computers and you lot'd demand to install the Google Photos app on Android or iPhone if you want 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.

1. First, 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 it in your web browser, or navigate to the binder where downloaded files are stored – ordinarily Downloads. Double-click on the file (called installbackupandsync.exe) and click the GET STARTED button.

How to upload to Google Photos

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

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

How to upload to Google Photos

5. Side by side, you need to tell Fill-in & Sync which folders your photos are in. This could exist as unproblematic as clicking the box next to Pictures, merely if your photos are stored elsewhere, such every bit another folder on your hard drive, on an external drive or on a NAS bulldoze, click Cull Binder and navigate to it.

How to upload to Google Photos

You can sync multiple folders, but you can't select multiple folders at the same fourth dimension.

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

7. Click START and Backup & Sync will begin uploading photos and videos in the binder(s) you've chosen to Google Photos.

8. If you lot want to check on progress, click the ^ symbol on the Windows Taskbar and click the petty white cloud symbol. You'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 will depend on the total amount of data to be uploaded and the upload speed of your internet connection, which is typically a lot slower than the download speed.

Get out your laptop or figurer on while information technology'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.

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

Related articles for further reading

  • All-time alternatives to Google Photos
  • What to do when Google Photos free storage ends
  • How to download all your photos from Google Photos in i become