If you’re switching from Google Photos to Amazon Photos, perhaps to use the photo storage included with Amazon Prime, there’s no single “transfer” button between the two services. The reliable method, and the one Amazon itself recommends, is to export your library from Google with Google Takeout, then upload it with the Amazon Photos desktop app. It takes some time for large libraries, but it’s straightforward.
Before You Start
- Check your Amazon storage. Amazon Photos storage depends on your plan; Prime members typically get generous photo storage with more limited video storage. Check your current plan details in Amazon Photos before uploading a large library.
- Use a computer. Downloading and uploading large archives is much easier on a Windows PC or Mac than on a phone.
- Free up disk space. You’ll need room to download and unzip your Google Photos export, which may be many gigabytes.
- Use a stable connection. Large uploads can take hours or days on slower internet.
Step 1: Export Your Photos with Google Takeout
- Go to takeout.google.com and sign in.
- Click Deselect all, then scroll down and check Google Photos.
- Optionally, click All photo albums included to choose specific albums.
- Click Next step.
- Choose Send download link via email, set the file type (.zip) and file size. Larger sizes, like 10 GB or 50 GB, mean fewer files to download.
- Click Create export.
Google emails you when the export is ready, which can take hours or even days for large libraries.
Step 2: Download and Unzip the Export
Open the email from Google and download each archive file. Then unzip them into a single folder on your computer. You’ll see folders for albums and years, along with .json files that contain metadata like dates and descriptions. Amazon Photos uploads the image and video files; the .json files don’t need to be uploaded.
Step 3: Install Amazon Photos for Desktop
Download the Amazon Photos desktop app for Windows or macOS from Amazon’s website, install it, and sign in with your Amazon account.
Step 4: Upload the Folder
According to Amazon’s help page:
- Open the Backup tab in the Amazon Photos desktop app.
- Select Add backup folder.
- Choose the folder containing your unzipped Google Photos export.
- Confirm to start the upload.
Keep the app running until the upload finishes. You can check progress in the app.
Step 5: Check Your Library
Open Amazon Photos on the web or in the mobile app and browse your photos. Spot-check a few older photos to make sure dates look right and that videos uploaded. If some dates are wrong, it’s usually because the original file lacked date information and Google stored it separately in the .json file.
Alternative: Upload from Your Phone
If most of your photos are also stored on your phone, you can install the Amazon Photos app on Android or iPhone and turn on Auto-Save to upload photos from your device. This won’t include photos that exist only in Google Photos’ cloud, so Takeout is still the most complete option.
Should You Delete Your Google Photos Afterward?
Only after you’ve confirmed everything transferred. Keep the Takeout archive on an external drive as a backup. If you want to free your Google storage, you can then delete photos in Google Photos. Remember that deleting there also removes them from any device synced with Google Photos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my albums transfer?
Takeout organizes photos into folders that match your albums, and those folders upload to Amazon Photos. Amazon may not recreate them as albums automatically, so you might need to organize albums again in Amazon Photos.
How long does the transfer take?
It depends on your library size and internet speed. A few thousand photos may take an hour or two, while very large libraries can take days to export and upload.
Can I transfer directly from cloud to cloud?
Google and Amazon don’t offer a direct transfer between the two services. Some third-party cloud transfer services claim to do this, but they require access to both accounts, so review their privacy terms carefully before using them.
Do Live Photos and motion photos transfer?
The still image and video parts are usually exported as separate files, so they may appear as separate items after uploading.
Summary
To transfer Google Photos to Amazon Photos, export your library at takeout.google.com, download and unzip the archive, install the Amazon Photos desktop app, and add the unzipped folder as a backup folder to upload everything. Verify your library before deleting anything from Google.
Related: how to download shared Google Photos and how to recover permanently deleted photos from Google Photos.
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.