Immich can host your photo library on a mini PC and upload new photos from its phone app, but it is not a guaranteed instant replacement for Google Photos or Google One. The official setup supports importing an existing Google Photos archive through Google Takeout and immich-go; ongoing uploads depend on app activity, background behavior, network settings, and your phone’s power management. You also take responsibility for keeping both the media files and Immich’s database backed up.
What switching to Immich does—and does not—replace
Immich is self-hosted photo and video library software. You run the server on hardware you control, then use its mobile app for access and phone backups. That can replace the role of an online photo library for someone willing to maintain a server, but it does not make Google One and Google Photos the same service: Google One is a subscription, while Google Photos is a photo service. The available documentation does not establish your Google One plan, its current storage allowance, or whether canceling it fits your needs.
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The practical distinction is responsibility. With Immich, your mini PC, storage, network, updates, and backups determine whether your library is available and recoverable. Self-hosting gives you control over where the server and media reside, but it also makes you responsible for operating them.
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Immich’s current requirements documentation lists 6 GB of RAM and 2 CPU cores as minimums, with 8 GB of RAM and 4 CPU cores recommended. It recommends a 64-bit Linux or Unix-like operating system. These are project-published requirements, not a guarantee of a particular mini PC’s speed or of instant uploads.
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Check the complete setup rather than choosing a machine by size alone:
- Memory and processor: Compare the mini PC’s usable RAM and CPU cores with Immich’s published minimum and recommended figures.
- Operating system and containers: Confirm that you can run a supported 64-bit operating system and Docker, as used by Immich’s installation approach.
- Database storage: Immich recommends a local SSD for PostgreSQL rather than a network share. Its documentation says the database is typically 1–3 GB, though actual size depends on the library and use.
- Media capacity: Plan for your originals plus additional space. Immich estimates that thumbnails and transcoded video add 10–20% to storage on average.
- Backups: Make sure you can back up both the media and database, not just the mini PC’s internal drive.
Those storage estimates are published guidance, not a promise that every library will grow by the same amount. Allow extra room for future photos, videos, and backup copies.
How to move an existing Google Photos library
Immich’s Quick Start points to Google Takeout and immich-go for importing an existing Google Photos archive. That establishes a documented route, but not a guarantee that every archive imports perfectly or that every metadata detail is handled the same way. The cited guidance does not provide a speed benchmark; Immich notes that large uploads can take a while.
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- Export your library with Google Takeout. Keep the downloaded archive intact until you have verified the import and your backups.
- Prepare Immich on the mini PC. Install the server using the project’s current instructions and ensure the media storage has enough capacity.
- Use immich-go to import the Takeout archive. Follow the current tool instructions for the archive and import method you are using.
- Check the resulting library. Browse representative dates, albums, photos, and videos in Immich before treating the migration as complete.
- Retain a separate copy. Do not delete the Takeout archive or other source copy just because files appear in the Immich interface.
Why phone backup may not feel instant
Immich’s mobile backup documentation describes uploads from selected albums when the app opens or resumes, as well as periodic background uploads. The default is Wi-Fi-only. That is not a guarantee that an upload begins immediately whenever a photo is taken.
In practice, “instant” depends on when the app next runs, whether the selected album includes the photo, whether the phone has a usable connection, and whether its operating system allows background work. On Android, battery optimization may interfere with background uploads. If a new photo has not appeared on the server, open or resume the app and check its backup settings, selected albums, Wi-Fi requirement, and phone battery restrictions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Back up both the library and its database
Immich recommends a 3-2-1 backup strategy: keep multiple copies of important data, on different media, with one copy off-site. Its Backup and Restore documentation makes an important distinction: the database stores paths and metadata, but it does not scan the media folder. A database backup alone cannot restore missing photos and videos; a media copy alone may not preserve the library’s database information.
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- Back up the uploaded media files.
- Back up the Immich database as well.
- Keep copies on different storage, with one copy off-site, in line with the 3-2-1 recommendation.
- Use the project’s restore guidance to understand how to recover both parts.
Immich’s Quick Start also says that manual media backups are needed in addition to automatic database backups. Treat the server’s working storage as the primary copy—not as a backup—and make sure your backup routine covers newly added media as well as the database.
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Immich on a mini PC is a reasonable fit if you want to operate your own photo server, can meet the published hardware and storage requirements, and will maintain independent backups. It is a poor fit if you expect a managed service’s hands-off availability and recovery without taking on server upkeep. The key trade-off is not simply subscription versus free software: it is managed infrastructure versus responsibility for your own library.
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