Learn how to download all your photos and videos from Google Photos using Google Takeout, Google free data export tool. The guide covers selecting Google Photos in Takeout, choosing the ZIP format and size, downloading the archive files before they expire and keeping your photo metadata. Duration: 6 min.
Video Transcript
In this tutorial we show you step by step how to download all of your photos and videos from Google Photos using Google Takeout. Google Takeout is Google free data export tool that lets you download a copy of your data from Google services including Google Photos.
To get started, open your browser and go to takeout.google.com and sign in with the Google account that holds your photos.
By default Takeout selects every Google service, so first click Deselect all so you only export what you need. Scroll down the list to Google Photos and tick its checkbox.
By clicking All photo albums included you can optionally limit the export to specific albums or years, otherwise leave it to export everything. Scroll to the bottom and click Next step.
Choose how you want to receive the export. Leave the delivery method as Send download link via email, export type as Export once, file type as zip, and file size at the default of 2 GB, which splits large libraries into multiple ZIP files. Click Create export.
Google now prepares your archive, which can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours or even days depending on how large your library is. When it is ready Google emails you a link.
Open the email and click Download your files, then sign in again if prompted. Download every ZIP archive. If your export was split into several ZIP files, download all of them, because the photos are spread across the set. Remember the download links expire after about 7 days and each archive can be downloaded a limited number of times, so do not wait too long.
Finally extract the ZIP files on your computer. Inside you will find your photos and videos organised in folders by year and by album, alongside JSON sidecar files that hold metadata such as dates, descriptions and location. Keep the JSON files if you plan to migrate or restore your library later.
That is how you download your entire Google Photos library to your computer.
Watch the full video above to see exactly where to click, then follow the written 10 steps underneath.
What you'll see in this video
- Opening takeout.google.com and signing in
- Deselecting everything and choosing only Google Photos
- Picking file type, archive size and delivery method
- Receiving the download link by email
- Extracting the ZIP archive on your computer
What is Google Takeout?
Google Takeout is Google free data export service at takeout.google.com. It lets you download a copy of your data from Google services including Google Photos, Drive, Gmail, Maps and Chrome. For Google Photos, Takeout packages your entire library into one or more ZIP files that you can download to your computer, complete with the original photos, videos, album folders and the JSON metadata files that store details like the date taken, description and location. It is the official and best-supported way to get a full local copy of everything in your Google Photos account.
10 Steps to Download All Your Photos from Google Photos
Follow along with the video above as you work through these steps. As shown in the clip, watch how Google Takeout first deselects everything before you pick only Google Photos, this is the safest way to export.
- Open your browser and go to takeout.google.com. Sign in with the Google account that holds the photos you want to download.
- Google Takeout selects every Google service by default. Click Deselect all at the top so you do not export unrelated account data. Watch in the video above how Deselect all is clicked first, then only Google Photos is ticked.
- Scroll down the list of services and tick the checkbox next to Google Photos. By default this includes all your photo albums.
- Click All photo albums included if you want to limit the export to specific albums or years. Otherwise leave it to export your entire library.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Next step to move to the delivery and format options.
- Leave the delivery method as Send download link via email so Google emails you a link when the export is ready. You can also choose Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or Box.
- Choose Export once for frequency, .zip for file type, and leave the file size at the default 2 GB. Large libraries are split across multiple ZIP files. As shown in the video, you wait for the email and then download the ZIP archive from the link it provides.
- Click Create export. Google begins preparing your archive. This can take from a few minutes to several hours or days depending on your library size.
- When the export is ready, open the email from Google and click Download your files. Sign in again if prompted, then download every ZIP archive. Links expire after about 7 days.
- Extract the ZIP files on your computer using the built-in extractor or 7-Zip. Keep the JSON sidecar files alongside the photos, as they hold dates, descriptions and location metadata.
Things to Keep in Mind
- Download links expire after about 7 days, and each archive can be downloaded only a limited number of times before you must request a fresh export. Download all your files promptly once the email arrives.
- If your export is split into several ZIP files, you must download every one of them. Your photos are spread across the whole set, so a single ZIP is only part of your library.
- Keep the computer awake and connected until every archive finishes downloading. Do not start extracting until all ZIP files are downloaded, then count them against the number Google listed on the export page.
- Keep the JSON sidecar files. Google stores photo metadata (date taken, description, location) separately from the image files. Deleting the JSON files reduces what a future restore or migration to another service can recover.
- For very large libraries you can raise the ZIP split size up to 50 GB to get fewer, larger files, but smaller 2 GB files are easier to download reliably on an unstable connection.
Tips for a Smooth Download
- Check your library size first. Open Google Photos settings to see how much storage your photos use, so you know roughly how large the export will be and whether your computer has enough free disk space.
- Use a wired or stable Wi-Fi connection for large exports. A dropped connection partway through a multi-gigabyte ZIP download means starting that file again.
- If you only need recent photos, use the All photo albums included option to limit the export by year or album. This produces a much smaller, faster download.
- After extracting, the photos appear in folders named by year and by album. The same photo can appear in more than one album folder, so deduplicate if you plan to import into another library.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Google Takeout?
Google Takeout is Google free data export service at takeout.google.com. It lets you download a copy of your data from Google services including Google Photos, Drive, Gmail, Maps and Chrome. For Google Photos it packages your entire library into one or more ZIP files that you can download to your computer, along with JSON metadata files.
How long does the Google Photos export take?
It depends on the size of your library. A small library of a few hundred photos can be ready in minutes, while a large library of tens or hundreds of gigabytes can take several hours or even a few days. Google emails you a download link as soon as the export is ready, so you do not need to keep the page open.
Why is my download split into multiple ZIP files?
Google Takeout splits large exports into multiple ZIP archives based on the file size you choose (2 GB by default). If your export is split into several files, you must download every one of them, because your photos are spread across the whole set. You can raise the split size up to 50 GB if you prefer fewer, larger files.
How long do I have to download the files?
Google Takeout download links expire after about 7 days, and each archive can be downloaded only a limited number of times before you need to request a fresh export. Download all your ZIP files promptly and keep the computer awake until every archive finishes downloading.
What are the JSON files in my Google Photos download?
The JSON sidecar files contain metadata for each photo and video, such as the date taken, description, and location. Google stores this separately from the image files. Keep the JSON files if you plan to migrate your library to another service or restore the metadata later, because deleting them reduces what a future import can recover.