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. At present, things have changed.

You only get 15GB of Google storage in full, which counts files on your Google Drive and Gmail, likewise as Google Photos. Therefore, if you 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 4 tiers of storage currently on Google One. These are:

  • 15 GB - Free
  • 100 GB - £1.59 per month/£15.99 per yr
  • 200 GB - £2.49 per month/£24.99 per twelvemonth
  • ii 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 yous desire that. Y'all can likewise make more room for photos and video by immigration out large files on your Google Drive.

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

If, like me, you accept a photo 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 easy to upload them, but here'southward are two ways to upload every single photograph, one of which is automatic.

Upload to Google Photos via a spider web browser

Before I get to the best way, 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 way won't work for most people because the Upload pick in Google Photos will just upload the contents of a single folder.

Most people keep their photos in multiple folders then they have 'albums' for different occasions. Unless you're willing to go through dozens or even hundreds of folders and re-create – or move – those photos into a unmarried folder, you lot won't be able to utilize this pick.

You could laboriously use the Upload button for each folder y'all have but, again, that's impractical if you have a hundred or more.

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

Once uploaded, you should exist able to enter the date it was taken, such as '22 May 2000' and all photos from that engagement should exist shown. If not, search for the exact filename of the photo you simply uploaded, and Google Photos should show it. Click the i symbol at the superlative and you'll encounter 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 demand to utilize a tool to edit this metadata.

Once you've hit the limit of what you tin upload, Google volition inform you. If you need more than space, you lot can get a premium Google Ane account.

Upload to Google Photos via Backup & Sync

And so nosotros come to the best option for uploading your whole photo library to Google Photos. Information technology involves downloading Google's Backup & Sync utility, choosing a binder or folders to sync, then leaving information technology to upload the photos, every bit well every bit 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 binder inside that (call information technology upload or any y'all like), then move all your folders of photos into that.

Hither, footstep past step, is how to go about installing Fill-in & Sync and uploading all those snaps to Google Photos.

Note: this just works for Windows computers and you lot'd need to install the Google Photos app on Android or iPhone if you lot desire to upload the photographic camera roll from your telephone. This guide is primarily aimed at those who've already washed that and at present 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.

How to upload to Google Photos

two. When the file is downloaded, click on it in your web browser, or navigate to the binder 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. Yous'll need to sign into your Google account, the one you use for Google Photos.

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

How to upload to Google Photos

5. Side by side, you demand to tell Backup & Sync which folders your photos are in. This could be as simple 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 Binder and navigate to it.

How to upload to Google Photos

You tin can sync multiple folders, simply you tin can't select multiple folders at the aforementioned time.

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

vii. Click Commencement and Backup & Sync will brainstorm uploading photos and videos in the folder(s) you've called to Google Photos.

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

How to upload to Google Photos

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

Leave your laptop or estimator on while it'southward 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.

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

Related articles for further reading

  • Best alternatives to Google Photos
  • What to practise when Google Photos gratis storage ends
  • How to download all your photos from Google Photos in one become