How to back up your Google Photos library now that Google Drive auto-sync has shut down

Ever since Google Photos and its limitless high-quality cloud storage arrived, Google has included a useful backup methodology with your Google Drive. As lengthy as you had the Google Drive toggle flipped within the Google Photos settings (and sufficient area in your Drive), all the things added to Google Photos synced back to Google Drive, so you might create a private library of pictures of their authentic high quality.

As of July 10, that’s altering. Google says that Drive sync was inflicting confusion with customers, so Photos will now not embody an choice to sync with Google Drive. You’ll nonetheless give you the chance to back up your pictures in authentic high quality in case you select, however you may now not see new pictures seem on your Drive. Similarly, something you add to the Photos folders in Google Drive will now not routinely seem in Google Photos.

So preserving a rolling backup of your pictures goes to take some work. Here’s what’s altering and what your choices are for making a backup:

Google Drive

Storage

Like earlier than, Google will retailer high-quality pictures and movies in Photos totally free, so they will not have an effect on the area in your Google Drive. If you go for Original Quality, nevertheless, Google Photos will use a number of the area in your Google Drive to retailer your library, though you will not give you the chance to see or entry the pictures. Any photograph or video that resides in each locations will take up twice the area.

IDG

Photos folder

If you beforehand opted to use Google Drive to back up your Google Photos, you will not give you the chance to do that anymore. Any pictures that had been synced till the minute Google turned off the performance will stay in your folder. You can do no matter you want with them, however pictures deleted from Google Drive will now not be faraway from Photos.

Upload from Drive

Google has added a brand new characteristic to Google Photos referred to as Upload from Drive. Similar to the “Upload” button and the drag-and-drop methodology, it’s going to let you choose pictures and movies instantly from your Google Drive and import them into Photos. Once one thing is uploaded to Google Photos, it’s going to stay in two locations and take up twice the storage. And in case you delete a photograph from one place, the opposite will stay.

Backup and Sync

For years, Google has provided a Backup and Sync app for Macs and PCs that enables you to simply sync pictures and movies from your desktop to your Google Drive or Google Photos. It’s not a two-way road like the present Google Photos-Google Drive integration—which means you may want to add pictures and movies to each locations—however you possibly can decide particular person folders to routinely sync as quickly as you hearth up your PC. Any new pictures and movies on your PC can be obtainable by way of Google Drive.

Download a photograph archive

If you need to be sure you have a backup of your pictures as well as to the one on Google Photos, you possibly can nonetheless obtain a whole copy of your Google Photos archive. It’s not fairly as fast or…