Google Photos makes it easy to download one photo, but downloading your whole library, or even a few hundred pictures, takes a different approach. The tool built for this is Google Takeout, which packages every photo and video into zip files you can download. For smaller batches, you can select photos or albums on photos.google.com and download them as a zip. This guide covers both, plus tips for large libraries.
Quick answer
To download everything, go to takeout.google.com, click Deselect all, tick Google Photos, click Next step, choose Export once and a file size, and click Create export. Google emails you download links when the export is ready.
Method 1: Download your entire library with Google Takeout
- On a computer, go to takeout.google.com and sign in to the Google Account that holds your photos.
- Click Deselect all so you only export photos.
- Scroll to Google Photos and tick it.
- Optionally click All photo albums included to choose specific albums or years. Photos not in an album are grouped into folders by year, such as “Photos from 2024”.
- Click Next step at the bottom.
- Under Destination, choose Send download link via email, or send the export to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or Box.
- Under Frequency, choose Export once.
- Choose .zip as the file type and a file size. 2 GB files are easier to download; 50 GB means fewer files.
- Click Create export.
Small libraries may be ready in minutes; large ones can take hours or days. When the email arrives, click Download your files and download each part. Links usually expire after about a week.
Method 2: Download selected photos from the website
- Go to photos.google.com.
- Hover over the first photo and click the checkmark in its corner.
- Hold Shift and click another photo further down to select everything in between. You can also click the checkmark next to a date to select a whole day.
- Press Shift + D, or click the three dots at the top right and choose Download.
Google downloads a single zip file containing the selected items. This works well for a few hundred photos; for thousands, Takeout is more reliable.
Method 3: Download a whole album
- On photos.google.com, open Albums (or Collections) and open the album.
- Click the three dots at the top right.
- Choose Download all.
Shared albums can be downloaded the same way, as long as the owner has not turned off downloads. See how to download shared Google Photos.
What about the phone app?
The Google Photos app on Android and iPhone can save individual photos to your device, but it has no “download all” option. Use Takeout on a computer for full-library downloads.
Tips for large libraries
- Check your free space. The download can be as large as your Google Photos storage. Look at your storage use in Google One or Photos settings before starting.
- Use a wired connection or a reliable Wi-Fi network for big downloads.
- Keep the zip parts together and extract them into the same folder.
- Metadata files: Takeout includes a .json file for many photos with details like dates and descriptions. Your photos open normally without them.
- Save to an external drive for a lasting backup. See how to move Google Photos to a flash drive.
Downloading is not deleting
Downloading copies your photos; they stay in Google Photos. If you want to free up space afterwards, delete them from Google Photos separately and remember that deleted items go to Trash for up to 60 days. For a full backup plan, see how to back up Google Photos.
Frequently asked questions
Are downloaded photos full quality?
You get the photos at the quality they were stored in Google Photos. Photos backed up in Original quality download at full resolution; those backed up in Storage saver download in their compressed form.
Why are my photo dates wrong after downloading?
Some apps read the file’s download date rather than the date the photo was taken. The original date is usually stored inside the photo (in its EXIF data) or in the matching .json file from Takeout, and photo apps such as Windows Photos or Apple Photos generally sort by it.
Can I download from someone else’s account?
Only photos they have shared with you, such as shared albums. Takeout only exports the account you are signed in to.
Summary
- Use Google Takeout to download your whole library as zip files.
- Select photos on photos.google.com and press Shift + D for smaller batches.
- Use Download all for an album.
- Check free space and keep the downloaded files somewhere safe.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.