Google Photos is a fantastic fashion to see your photos and the powerful search makes it easy to find pictures of certain people, places or times. Earlier 1 June 2021, Google did offer unlimited gratuitous storage for photos. Now, things have changed.

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

In that location's four tiers of storage currently on Google One. These are:

  • fifteen GB - Costless
  • 100 GB - £1.59 per month/£15.99 per year
  • 200 GB - £2.49 per month/£24.99 per twelvemonth
  • ii TB - £vii.99 per calendar month/£79.99 per year

Sadly, no unlimited storage option is currently available. You lot'll have to look at other Cloud storage options if y'all want that. Y'all tin likewise brand more room for photos and video by clearing out large files on your Google Drive.

In that location's no need to worry nearly existing files from before ane 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, like me, you lot have a photo library full of pictures you took prior to owning a smartphone, chances are they're sat on a hard drive somewhere. Google hasn't made it easy to upload them, merely here's are ii ways to upload every single photograph, 1 of which is automatic.

Upload to Google Photos via a web browser

Earlier I become to the all-time way, here's the obvious mode: head to photos.google.com and click on Upload.

How to upload to Google Photos from Windows

Unfortunately, the like shooting fish in a barrel way won't piece of work for nearly people because the Upload option in Google Photos volition but upload the contents of a single binder.

Most people continue their photos in multiple folders so they have 'albums' for unlike occasions. Unless yous're willing to go through dozens or even hundreds of folders and re-create – or move – those photos into a single folder, you lot won't be able to employ this option.

Yous could laboriously utilise the Upload button for each folder y'all take but, once more, 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 place when they were taken. Otherwise, you'll have a tough fourth dimension finding them once more.

Once uploaded, yous should be able to enter the date information technology was taken, such as '22 May 2000' and all photos from that date should be shown. If non, search for the exact filename of the photograph y'all just uploaded, and Google Photos should testify it. Click the i symbol at the top and you'll see the info for that photograph.

How to upload to Google Photos

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

In one case y'all've hit the limit of what y'all tin upload, Google will inform you. If you need more infinite, y'all can get a premium Google One business relationship.

Upload to Google Photos via Fill-in & Sync

And so we come to the all-time choice for uploading your whole photo library to Google Photos. Information technology involves downloading Google'southward Fill-in & Sync utility, choosing a folder or folders to sync, and so leaving it to upload the photos, as well equally any videos in those folders.

If those folders happen to exist on a NAS drive equally mine were, you lot may notice you cannot select the root folder in Backup & Sync. The workaround is to create a folder inside that (call information technology upload or whatever you like), then movement all your folders of photos into that.

Here, step by pace, is how to go near installing Backup & Sync and uploading all those snaps to Google Photos.

Notation: this only works for Windows computers and you'd need to install the Google Photos app on Android or iPhone if you lot want to upload the camera gyre from your phone. This guide is primarily aimed at those who've already done that and now want to upload photos stored on their Windows laptop or PC.

1. Beginning, head to the Google Photos website https://photos.google.com/apps and click the Download push.

How to upload to Google Photos

2. When the file is downloaded, click on information technology in your web browser, or navigate to the folder where downloaded files are stored – usually Downloads. Double-click on the file (called installbackupandsync.exe) and click the GET STARTED push button.

How to upload to Google Photos

iii. You'll need to sign into your Google account, the one y'all apply for Google Photos.

4. On the 'gear up-up' screen, choose Back up photos and videos.

How to upload to Google Photos

5. Adjacent, y'all demand to tell Backup & Sync which folders your photos are in. This could be as simple equally clicking the box next to Pictures, simply if your photos are stored elsewhere, such every bit another binder on your difficult drive, on an external drive or on a NAS drive, click CHOOSE FOLDER and navigate to it.

How to upload to Google Photos

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

half-dozen. Select the quality you lot want for your photo/video - Storage Saver takes upward less room, simply compresses the file. Meanwhile Original Quality will 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 folder(south) you've chosen to Google Photos.

eight. If you want to check 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 beingness 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 internet connection, which is typically a lot slower than the download speed.

Leave your laptop or estimator on while it'south uploading the files. In my instance, 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 corporeality you'll exist able to upload will depend on the amount of storage yous have in your Google 1 account.

Related articles for further reading

  • Best alternatives to Google Photos
  • What to exercise when Google Photos gratuitous storage ends
  • How to download all your photos from Google Photos in one go