Matthew Choo

Honest reviews and real opinions — no sponsored fluff. I test gadgets, smart home tech, and apps so you know exactly what you’re buying. 20 years in market research means I read the data, not the marketing copy.

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Google Photos is a great cloud storage service, but having a local backup of your photos and videos is always a good idea. Whether you’re…

How to Download All Google Photos to Your Local Computer

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Google Photos is a great cloud storage service, but having a local backup of your photos and videos is always a good idea. Whether you’re moving to another service or just want an offline copy, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to download all your Google Photos to your local computer.

Method 1: Using Google Takeout

Google Takeout is the official tool for exporting all your Google Photos.

Step 1: Access Google Takeout

  1. Go to Google Takeout.
  2. Sign in with your Google account if you haven’t already.

    Step 2: Select Google Photos

  3. Click “Deselect all” to avoid downloading unnecessary data.
  4. Scroll down and check Google Photos.
  5. Click “All photo albums included” to choose specific albums or leave it selected to download everything.

    Step 3: Choose File Format and Delivery Method

  6. Select .zip or .tgz as the file format.
  7. Choose the archive size (e.g., 2GB, 10GB, 50GB). If your photos exceed this limit, multiple files will be created.
  8. Choose a delivery method:
  • Email with a download link
  • Add to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box

    Step 4: Request the Download

  1. Click “Create Export”.
  2. Google will process your request (this may take minutes to days depending on the size of your library).
  3. Once ready, you’ll receive an email with a link to download your files.

    Step 5: Download and Extract Files

  4. Open the email from Google and click “Download your files”.
  5. Extract the .zip or .tgz files to access your photos and videos.

Method 2: Downloading Manually from Google Photos

If you only need to download specific photos or albums, you can do it manually.

Step 1: Open Google Photos

  1. Go to Google Photos.
  2. Sign in to your Google account.

    Step 2: Select and Download Photos

  3. Click on individual photos or use Shift + Click to select multiple images.
  4. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner.
  5. Select “Download” — This will download the photos as a .zip file.

    Step 3: Download Entire Albums

  6. Open an album.
  7. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) and select “Download all”.
  8. The album will be compressed into a .zip file for download.

Method 3: Using Google Takeout with a Direct Sync

If you frequently back up your photos, you can use Google Takeout with a cloud service:

  1. Follow Steps 1–3 in Method 1.
  2. Select “Add to Google Drive” (or another cloud service).
  3. Set up a local sync using Google Drive for Desktop.
  4. Your photos will automatically sync to a folder on your computer.

Final Tips

  • Downloaded image retained Photo Taken info: You can use any photo to manage and view it on the same date or in the same order.
  • Use an external drive: If your collection is large, store backups on an external hard drive.
  • Verify downloaded files: Open some images to ensure they downloaded correctly.

By following these steps, you can successfully download and safeguard your Google Photos on your local computer. Happy backing up!

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