It is not possible for any user to simply start manually uploading thousands of images to a cloud storage platform. Whether it is on your smartphone or your system, the number is huge. In fact, there are times, when the upload can be stuck for days and you have to start all over again. Hence, it is better to keep the process automated and let it sync by itself. This is why we created a guide that will provide you with the steps to automatically backup photos to Google Drive.
The process is super easy and the methods mentioned here can be easily executed. So, without any further ado, let’s get started –
How to Automatically Backup Photos to Google Drive
A picture holds a lot of memories, and something so important should be kept safe. Therefore, you should take every measure to keep your photos safe and secure. One of the easiest ways to ensure that you won’t lose your pictures even in disastrous situations is by backing them up to cloud storage.
While you can get plenty of cloud storage solutions on the internet, the best thing about Google Drive is that it gives access to 15 GB of free cloud storage to everyone who uses Gmail. Plus, it is quite easy to backup all your photos to Google Drive using their backup and sync feature.
For mobile devices, the easiest way to automatically backup photos to Google Drive is by using the Google Photos application. The good thing is that the Google Photos app is available for both Android and iOS smartphones.
Read How to Backup iPhone Photos to Google Drive
How to Automatically Backup Photos to Google Drive on Android
The process to automatically backup photos on an Android smartphone is quite simple and easy. You just have to follow these simple steps –
- Go to Google Play Store and download the Google Photos application.
- Now, open the app and log in using your Gmail account.
- Tap on your Google account avatar.
- You will see the Photos Setting option. Tap on it.
- Here, you will see the Backup and sync option on the top.
- If the Backup and sync toggle is turned off, turn it on.
That’s it. Google Photos will start backing up all your pictures to your Google Drive.
Check, How to Move Photos from Google Photos to Google Drive
How to Automatically Backup Photos to Google Drive on iPhone and iPad
On iOS, the process of backing up using Google Photos is quite similar. However, the one major difference is that you have to permit Google Photos to access your photos and videos.
The process to do that is quite simple and easy. Follow these simple steps to do that –
- Go to the Apple App Store and Download Google Photos.
- Now, go to your iPhone’s Settings and tap on the Privacy option.
- Find the Photos option and tap on it.
- Select Google Photos and set access to All Photos.
- Now, launch Google Photos on your smartphone.
- Log in using your Gmail account.
- Tap on your account gravatar located at the top right corner of your screen.
- Click on the Photos Setting option.
- Here, you will see the Backup & sync options. Enable it.
That’s it. It will initiate the backup process.
Google Photos also gives you plenty of options to control the picture quality, select the upload type, and more.
Read How To Recover Permanently Deleted Photos From Google Drive
How to Backup Photos to Google Drive on Computer (Windows & Mac)
Google Photos isn’t only available for smartphones but also for Windows and Mac computers. The process to enable automatic photos backup is quite similar on computers. All you have to do is follow these simple steps –
- Download and install Google Drive for Desktop on your PC.
- Launch the Google Drive app and log in using your Gmail account.
- The Google Drive app icon will appear on your taskbar. Click on it.
- Click on the gear icon and choose the Preferences option from the drop-down menu.
- It will open a dialogue box named Google Drive Preferences. Here, you have to click on the Add Folder button.
- Select which folder you would like to backup photos from.
- Once you do that, another dialogue box will appear where you will get two options – Sync with Google Drive and Back up to Google Photos. Here you have to select the Back up to Google Photos option.
That’s it. This will initiate the backup process of all the photos and videos available in that folder. The good thing is that even if you delete photos available in that folder, they will still be available in Google Photos.
Read How to Backup Google Drive to an External Hard Drive
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Google Photos automatically backs up photos and videos available on your smartphone. However, you have to make sure that the backup is on. For that, tap on the account gravatar and enable the Backup option.
You have to open the Google Photos app on your smartphone. Now, navigate to the folder containing the pictures you want to upload, select images, and tap on the three-dot icon on the top right corner. From the drop-down menu, select the Backup Now option.
Even though, technically, all the photos that Google Photos backs up use Google Drive storage to store them, you can find your pictures on photos.google.com.
The answer to this question is yes and no. Practically, Google Photos uses cloud storage that allows you to upload your photos to the cloud and then delete them from your smartphone to free up some space. However, technically, Google Photos takes some storage on your device in the form of cached images, settings, and more.
Yes. Each Google account gets 15 GB of cloud storage. This storage gets shared between Google Photos, Google Drive, and Gmail. So yeah, both Google Drive and Google Photos use the same storage.
Both Google Drive and OneDrive are excellent cloud storage services. Google Drive is great in terms of functionality, ease of use, and more, whereas the OneDrive is comparatively cheaper. So if pricing is concerned, OneDrive can be a good choice, but if functionality and ease of use are concerned, go with Google Drive.
In 2019, Google officially announced that Google Drive and Google Photos are uncoupled, meaning both services will no longer automatically sync. This is the reason the photos you’ve uploaded to any of the services will not be visible in another service.
Closing Comments
There you have it – a detailed article containing different methods to backup photos to Google Drive.
Even though Google has uncoupled Google Photos and Google Drive, they both are still being managed by Google, and therefore, the easiest way to backup all of your photos to your Google account is by using the Google Photos app.
Related Google Drive tutorials:
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- How to Find and Remove Duplicate Files on Google Drive
- Google Drive Shared Folder Space
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Hello, my name is Shirley. I’m a Google Drive expert and have been working with the platform since it launched. I’ve written extensively about Google Drive tips and tricks, and have created numerous tutorials on how to get the most out of the platform. I also enjoy creating tutorials to help people learn how to use Drive like pros. Read more