While Google Drive charges for its cloud storage, Google Photos originally offered unlimited free storage. Though it now charges for storage over 15 GB, it's still an ideal platform for storing your photos. Switching your photos from Google Drive to Google Photos is an effective way to free up space on Google Drive.

How to Move Photos from Google Drive to Google Photos

So how to move photos from Google Drive to Google Photos? Follow this guide, and you will get three effective methods to assist you.

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In this article, you'll learn:
  • The benefits of moving photos from Google Drive to Google Photos
  • How to move photos from Google Drive to Google Photos [Top 3 Methods]
  • #1. Upload photos from Google Drive to Google Photos
  • #2. Download photos to Google Photos via Google Backup and Sync
  • #3. Download photos from Google Drive and upload to Google Photos

Benefits of Moving Photos from Google Drive to Google Photos

There are several good reasons to transfer your photos from Google Drive to Google Photos. Here are some benefits you'll gain and the rationale behind moving your photos to Google Photos:

    - Google Photos makes it easier to find, organize, and share your photos. - You can filter photos and images by topic, location, description, and even by the faces of people in them with Google Photos. - You can access and edit your photos from any computer or mobile device with Google Photos. - Google Photos automatically backs up new photos you take on your device right away.

Moving your photos to Google Photos can also free up space in Google Drive for things that matter more.

Moving your photos from Google Drive to Google Photos is a smart way to manage your image collection and your cloud storage space.

How to Move Photos from Google Drive to Google Photos [3 Best Ways]

There are several ways to move your photos from Google Drive to Google Photos. We'll show you three recommended methods you can use:

Please note that each method has its pros and cons. Here's a list of advantages and disadvantages for each approach. Take a look and choose the one that suits you best:

Comparison Factor Upload from Google Drive to Google Photos Use Google Backup and Sync Download photos from Google Drive and upload to Google Photos
Pros
  • Direct solution
  • No need to download photos beforehand
  • Backs up local content to both Google Photos and Google Drive
  • Can be used to back up Google Drive photos to Google Photos
  • Moves all photos from Google Drive to Google Photos in one go
  • Opportunity to change the total size of all photos
Cons
  • Limited photo formats: .jpg, .gif, .webp, .tiff, .raw
  • No support for photos smaller than 256px
  • Only uploads some photos
  • Photos from Google Drive must first be downloaded to the local drive
  • Photos must first be downloaded to the local drive

How to choose? Here are some “tools of the trade.”

    • If you only want to move some photos from Google Drive to Google Photos, try Method 1, since it's the most straightforward.
    • If you want to move all your photos from Google Drive to Google Photos, try Method 2 with Google Backup and Sync, since it's faster than uploading the pictures to Google Drive first.

Now that you know which method works best for you, choose it to move your photos from Google Drive to Google Photos right away.

#1. Upload Photos from Google Drive to Google Photos

Step 1: Go to Google Photos at https://www.google.com/photos/about/ in your web browser, and click on "Go to Google Photos."

Step 2: Sign in with your Google account and click "Upload" then "Google Drive" from the pop-up window.

Open Google Drive in Google Photos

Step 3. Click "My Drive," then use the search function or the "File type" option to select the photos you want to upload from Google Drive to Google Photos.

Select the photos you want to upload to Google Photos from Google Drive Select the photos you want to upload to Google Photos from Google Drive

Step 4: Click “Upload” to start the transfer process.

#2. Upload downloaded photos to Google Photos with Google Backup and Sync

First, download the photo from Google Drive to your local drive.

Step 1: Go to the Google Drive website and log in with your Google account.

Step 2. Choose what you want to download:

In the Filters column, type Type: Image, then click the three dots and select Download.

Download photos from Google Drive Download photos from Google Drive

Second, download and install Google Backup and Sync.

Step 1: Go to https://www.google.com/drive/download/ and click **Download** to install the Google Backup and Sync app on your computer.

Click “Agree and Download,” then wait for the program to install. If prompted, restart your computer so that Google Backup and Sync finishes installing on your system.

Step 2: Open the app, tap “Start using,” then sign in with your Google account and password.

Start Google Backup and Sync

Third, compress the photos you've downloaded and upload them to Google Photos.

A reliable Windows data transfer software - Todo PCTrans tool can create a simple backup image of your data that you can save anywhere. It is a powerful utility that you can use for free. This tool can back up and restore all your programs and data easily and quickly.

Step 1. Connect the USB (flash) drive/external hard drive to the source computer.

Launch Todo PCTrans, and on the main screen, click Backup & Restore > Start.

Transfer files via Backup and Restore – Step 1 Transfer files via Backup and Restore – Step 1

Step 2. Select “Data Backup” and click “Next.” Tap “Confirm” to proceed.

Transferring files through Backup and Restore - Step 2

Step 3: Select the specific data, apps, etc. that you want to back up from the Applications, User Accounts, and Files columns.

Transfer files via Backup and Restore – Step 3 Transfer files via Backup and Restore – Step 3

Then, with Google Backup and Sync, you can choose which photos to upload to Google Photos.

Toggle "Upload photos and videos to Google Photos," then check and select the folders and photos you'd like to upload to Google Photos. Finally, tap "OK" to confirm.

Upload and sync photos to Google Drive

## 3. Download photos from Google Drive and upload to Google Photos

In addition to using Google Backup and Sync to move downloaded photos from Google Drive to Google Photos, you can try manually downloading and uploading your photos.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Go to the Google Drive website and sign in with your Google account.

Step 2: Review all the photos and click “Download” to save all of them to your local computer.

Step 3. Go to the online version of Google Photos and sign in with your Google account.

Step 4: Click “Upload” and then click “Upload photo.”

Upload downloaded photos to Google Photos manually from Google Drive

Step 5: Select the photos you downloaded to your computer's hard drive, and click OK to transfer them to Google Drive.

When the transfer is complete, your photos will move from Google Drive to Google Photos.

Google Drive to Google Photos Transfer Tool - Todo PCTrans Tool

Aside from the three solutions mentioned above, there's another possible way that can help transfer photos and images from Google Drive to Google Photos, and that is by using a reliable cloud drive transfer tool.

In addition to uploading your downloaded photos to Google Photos, the Todo PCTrans tool can also help you transfer images, files, and even apps from your Google Drive backup to Google Photos.

In addition to photo transfer, you can also use this tool for:

    • Share files between computers
    • Migrate PC games from an old computer to a new one
    • Move apps and installed programs to a new drive or SSD
    • Backup crucial content on your computer, including data, settings, and even applications
    • Clean up the system C drive and large files on your computer
    • Retrieve essential Windows components from a corrupted or failed OS disk
    • Find keys for products like Windows, Office, Adobe, and more

Conclusion: Tips for Getting the Most Out of Google Photos

Both Google Drive and Google Photos are powerful cloud storage tools that can help you effectively manage data like photos, documents, and even some videos. They allow you to work seamlessly across platforms.

With 15 GB of free storage, you'll have plenty of room to use it. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Transfer your photos and videos from Google Drive or another cloud storage service to Google Photos. This will free up space in Google Drive for other uses.

2. Compress photos and videos before uploading them to Google Photos if they're too large.

When moving photos from Google Drive to Google Photos, you can compress the image sizes beforehand using tools like Todo PCTrans to save more space. You can always trust this software to transfer files and data from PC to PC, server to server, and even cloud drive to cloud in a simpler way.