Google Photos doesn’t have a single “Select all” button for your whole library, but you can select many photos quickly. On a computer, click the checkmark on the first photo, then hold Shift and click the last photo to select everything in between. To select every photo from one day, click the checkmark next to the date. On the Google Photos app, press and hold a photo, then drag your finger across or down to select more.
Below are step-by-step instructions for the web and the app, how to select an entire album, and what to do if your goal is to download or delete everything.
How to select multiple photos on a computer
- Go to photos.google.com and sign in.
- Hover over the first photo you want and click the checkmark in its top-left corner.
- Scroll to the last photo you want, hold Shift, and click it. Every photo in between is selected.
- To select all photos from a day, click the checkmark next to that date.
The number selected appears at the top, with options to share, add to an album, download, or move to trash.
How to select multiple photos in the app
- Open the Google Photos app.
- Press and hold the first photo until a checkmark appears.
- Without lifting your finger, drag across or down to select more photos. The screen scrolls as you reach the edge.
- Tap a date’s checkmark to select that whole day.
How to select all photos in an album
Open the album and select the first photo, then Shift-click the last one on a computer, or long-press and drag in the app. To share or download a whole album without selecting, open the album, click the three-dot menu, and choose Download all (on the web) or Share.
If you want to download everything
Selecting thousands of photos is slow. To download your entire library, use Google Takeout:
- Go to takeout.google.com.
- Click Deselect all, then check Google Photos.
- Click Next step, choose how to receive the files, and click Create export.
If you want to delete everything
There’s no one-click way to delete your entire library. Select photos in batches by date and move them to the trash. Deleted items stay in the trash for 60 days (backed-up items) before they’re permanently deleted. Deleting from Google Photos also removes them from other devices that sync the same account, so download anything you want to keep first.
Related: How to Move Google Photos to a Flash Drive.
Related: How to Merge Albums in Google Photos.
Frequently asked questions
Does Ctrl + A work in Google Photos?
Not for your whole library. Use Shift-click or date checkmarks instead.
Is there a limit to how many photos I can select?
Google doesn’t publish a strict limit, but very large selections can be slow. Work in batches of a few hundred to a few thousand.
How do I unselect photos?
Click a selected photo’s checkmark to remove it, or click the X at the top-left to clear the whole selection.
Kermit Matthews is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with more than a decade of experience writing technology guides. He has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science and has spent much of his professional career in IT management.
He specializes in writing content about iPhones, Android devices, Microsoft Office, and many other popular applications and devices.