The Tool Desk
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Before you start, prepare items that Google excludes, check the destination’s storage and sharing rules, and keep your Google Photos library intact until you have verified the copy.
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Choose the right way to move your library
There are two practical cloud-hopping routes in 2026. The first is a cloud-to-cloud transfer from Google Takeout’s Photos view. It is the least hands-on option: you select albums, authorize both services and wait for the destination to report completion. The second is a Takeout archive. Google creates ZIP or TGZ files, sends them to you or to another storage provider, and you upload the extracted folders to the final service.
| Route | Best for | What you handle | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Google Photos transfer | A supported destination that appears in the Google Takeout transfer picker | Album selection, two sign-ins and authorization; then verification | Some account types and Google Photos content are excluded |
| Takeout archive | Destinations not offered in the picker, a local backup, or a staged upload | Archive settings, downloading or cloud delivery, extracting folders and uploading | Large exports can be split into multiple files and need more storage and time |
Google describes the direct feature as transferring “a copy of the photos, videos, albums and descriptions saved in your Google Account to a different service.” Photos and videos are not deleted from the Google Account after that copy is made.
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Prepare Google Photos before exporting
Preparation determines whether a transfer is complete. Google’s direct transfer omits several categories unless you change them first.
Save or move excluded content
- Locked Folder: Move items out of Locked Folder if they must be included.
- Memories and creations: Save unsaved Memories, collages, animations and other creations to your library before exporting.
- Motion Photos and Live Photos: Save the moving portion as a separate video. Otherwise the direct transfer can carry only the still image, not the video portion.
- Trash: Restore anything in Trash that you want to migrate.
- Broken or unsupported files: Repair or convert files that Google cannot read, and keep originals separately if conversion changes quality.
- Comments: Manually added comments are not transferred by the direct workflow. Preserve them outside Google Photos if they are important.
Google supports common image formats including JPG, PNG, GIF, WEBP and AVIF, most RAW formats, and common video formats. Unsupported file types cannot be transferred through the Photos transfer service.
Check the destination first
- Confirm that the destination has enough capacity for the selected library and any temporary archive files.
- Review whether it accepts a folder upload, an external drive, or only individual files.
- Decide who should see the imported items. Destination sharing permissions, not Google Photos settings, control visibility after migration.
- If you are moving a school or work library, confirm that the administrator allows the applicable Takeout feature.
Direct transfer from Google Photos with Takeout
Use this path when the destination is available in Google’s transfer interface. Start at Google Takeout and use the Photos transfer view rather than creating a download archive.
- Open the Photos transfer view. Go to Google Takeout and select the option to transfer Google Photos to another service.
- Choose the library. Select Google Photos, then choose all albums or deselect albums you do not want to copy. Review the selection carefully; omitted albums will not appear at the destination.
- Continue and sign in. Google may ask you to sign in again and authorize Takeout to access your Photos library.
- Select the destination. Choose a listed service, sign in to that service and authorize Google Takeout when prompted.
- Accept the transfer. Select “Agree and continue” after reviewing the permissions and destination account.
- Wait for the completion message. Google sends an email when the destination has received the copy. Processing may be quick for a small selection and much longer for a large library.
- Locate the imported items. Services may place transferred photos in a new folder, an import area or albums with a generated name. Do not assume that the destination’s root photo timeline is the only location.
The direct operation is a copy, not a move. Your Google Photos originals remain available, so do not delete them until the destination passes the checks in the verification section.
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Build a Takeout archive when direct transfer is unavailable
An archive is the dependable fallback for destinations that do not appear in the direct picker, and it is also the best route when you want a separate local copy. In Google Takeout, select Google Photos and configure the export instead of choosing direct transfer.
- Select Google Photos only if possible. Selecting only Photos makes the export easier to inventory. If you select other Google products, the archive also contains their data.
- Choose delivery. Google can email a download link or deliver the archive to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or Box.
- Choose frequency. Select a one-time archive for a migration. When Google Photos is the only selected product, scheduled exports can run every two months for one year.
- Choose a format. ZIP works with the broadest range of desktop tools. TGZ can be suitable when your extraction tools support it.
- Set the archive size. Google documents a maximum option of 50 GB. A larger setting reduces, but does not guarantee, the number of parts. Google can still split a large export into multiple files.
- Create the export. Google says preparation can take from a few minutes to a few days, depending on the amount of information in the account.
- Download promptly. Archive links expire in about seven days, and each archive can be downloaded up to five times before you must request a new one.
- Extract on a desktop computer. Keep every part of a split archive in one location, extract it with a current archive utility, and inspect the resulting folders before uploading.
- Upload to the destination. Select the extracted photo folders in the destination’s uploader or desktop application. Preserve the extracted folder until verification is complete.
The archive normally contains the original media plus secondary JSON files for Google Photos information that is not embedded in the original file. Treat those JSON files as part of the export, not as disposable clutter.
Move Google Photos to Amazon Photos
Amazon Photos documents an archive-based workflow rather than promising a universal one-click Google Photos import. It works on Windows and macOS and can use a local folder or a folder on an external drive.
- Request a Google Photos export at Google Takeout.
- Download all archive parts to your computer.
- Unzip the archive. If Google produced multiple parts, keep them together and confirm that extraction completed without errors.
- Install the Amazon Photos desktop app for Windows or macOS and sign in.
- Open the app’s Backup tab and choose Add backup folder.
- Select the unzipped Google Photos folder and confirm the upload.
You can select a folder on an external drive instead of copying the entire export to the computer’s internal disk. Amazon Photos uploads in the background and can resume after pauses, subject to Amazon’s file requirements. Leave the source folder available until the app reports that the upload is complete and you have checked representative files.
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What survives the transfer—and what does not
| Item or attribute | Direct transfer behavior | Archive considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Photos and videos in supported formats | Copied when selected and supported | Included in the exported folders, subject to format support at the destination |
| Albums | Selected albums can be copied | Album structure may depend on how the destination interprets the exported folders and metadata |
| Descriptions | Google says descriptions are included with the transfer | Check whether the destination reads the corresponding metadata or JSON sidecars |
| Original dates | Dates associated with the media can be retained where the destination supports them | Embedded file metadata remains; the downloaded file’s operating-system timestamp may be newly assigned |
| Manually added comments | Excluded from the direct transfer | May appear in secondary JSON, but a destination must support that data to display it |
| Motion Photos and Live Photos video | Video portion is excluded unless saved as video first | Export the saved video separately before creating the archive |
| Locked Folder, unsaved creations, Trash | Excluded unless moved, saved or restored first | Prepare these items in Google Photos before requesting the archive |
| Unsupported or failed files | Not transferred | Repair, convert or retain them in a separate backup before migration |
Understand the date difference
After downloading an archive, your operating system may show a new filesystem creation or modification timestamp. That does not necessarily mean the photograph’s capture date was lost: the original timestamp remains in embedded file metadata when it was present in the source. A destination that ignores embedded metadata may still display an incorrect timeline, so verify dates in the destination rather than relying on the download folder’s timestamps.
Direct-transfer and archive options compared
| Destination | Documented route in this guide | Folder or external-drive upload | Resume behavior | Storage price or quota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Photos | Google Takeout archive, then Amazon Photos desktop app | Yes; Amazon documents a local or external-drive folder | Uploads run in the background and resume after pauses, subject to Amazon file requirements | Not stated in the available official material |
| Dropbox | Takeout can deliver an archive to Dropbox; extract and upload onward if needed | Destination-specific; not stated for this workflow | Not stated for the Google export workflow | Not stated in the available official material |
| OneDrive | Takeout can deliver an archive to OneDrive; extract and upload onward if needed | Destination-specific; not stated for this workflow | Not stated for the Google export workflow | Not stated in the available official material |
| Box | Takeout can deliver an archive to Box; extract and upload onward if needed | Destination-specific; not stated for this workflow | Not stated for the Google export workflow | Not stated in the available official material |
| Any other service | Use direct transfer only if it appears in Google’s picker; otherwise use a Takeout archive | Depends on the service | Depends on the service | Check the service’s current plan and quota |
Google’s archive delivery options and a destination’s ability to receive a file are not the same as a native photo-library import. A Dropbox, OneDrive or Box archive may simply be a storage container that you still need to download, extract and organize.
Account restrictions, including school accounts in 2026
The current direct Photos transfer service does not support child accounts, work or school accounts, or accounts with Advanced Protection enabled. If the transfer picker rejects your account, use an administrator-approved route or a Takeout archive where your account policy permits it.
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Google Workspace Updates announced on May 1, 2026, that Google Takeout Transfer is expanding to include Google Photos for eligible school and university accounts. This path lets a user migrate memories from a school account to a personal Google account, including photos, videos and albums.
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- The school administrator must enable the feature; it is off by default.
- The personal Google account must have enough available storage.
- School policies can still restrict Takeout, retention or the account’s ability to sign in.
- If the feature is unavailable, ask the administrator whether it is enabled before attempting repeated exports.
This education-specific capability does not mean that every work or school account is supported by the general direct-transfer service. Treat the administrator-enabled 2026 education workflow as a separate policy-controlled option.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Verify the destination before deleting anything
A successful email or an upload progress bar is not proof that every item arrived correctly. Use a representative, repeatable check.
- Compare counts. Compare the destination’s item count with the albums and selections you made in Google Photos, or with the file inventory from the Takeout archive. Account for intentional exclusions.
- Open original-quality files. Test several high-resolution photos, RAW files and long videos. Confirm that files open fully and that the destination has not created only thumbnails.
- Test Motion or Live Photo conversions. Open both the still image and the saved video version if you prepared one.
- Inspect albums and descriptions. Check several albums, captions or descriptions, capture dates and any JSON sidecars that the destination claims to support.
- Search for prepared edge cases. Confirm that restored Trash items, previously Locked Folder items, saved creations and converted unsupported files are present.
- Test sharing privately. Use a second account or a private browser window to verify that an item is visible only to the people you intend. Destination sharing permissions determine access after migration.
- Keep the source. Do not delete Google Photos or the extracted archive until the destination passes these checks. Google warns that starting a second transfer can create duplicates.
Fix common migration problems
Some photos are missing
First compare the missing items with Google’s exclusions: Locked Folder, Trash, unsaved creations, unsupported or failed files, manually added comments and unsaved Motion or Live Photo video. Prepare the item in Google Photos, then export again only after deciding how you will identify the new copy. A second transfer may create duplicates, so do not blindly repeat the entire library.
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The timeline shows the wrong dates
Check the embedded metadata in the original file and compare it with the destination’s import rules. A new filesystem timestamp assigned during download is expected. If the destination ignores embedded capture dates, use its supported date-editing tool on a verified subset rather than changing every file before you know the scope.
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The archive is split or extraction fails
Download every archive part before extracting. Keep the parts in one folder, confirm that each download completed, and use a current archive utility. Requesting a smaller archive size can make individual files easier to handle, while the documented 50 GB option can reduce the number of parts when your connection and storage allow it.
The download link expired
Google archive links last about seven days and each archive can be downloaded five times. If the link is expired or the download allowance is exhausted, create a new export rather than relying on an incomplete local copy.
An upload pauses or never finishes
Keep the computer awake, verify that the destination still has free space, and check the service’s file-size and format requirements. Amazon Photos’ desktop uploader can resume after pauses; other destinations may require their own retry or desktop-sync process. Preserve the extracted folder so you can retry without requesting another Google archive.
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Duplicates commonly result from repeating a transfer or uploading the same extracted folder more than once. Stop additional imports, identify which copy contains the correct metadata and sharing settings, and use the destination’s duplicate-management tools only after you have a verified backup.
Quick Recap
A practical decision checklist
- Use direct transfer when your destination appears in Google’s picker, your account type is eligible and you want the least manual handling.
- Use an archive when the destination is absent from the picker, you need a local backup, or you want to stage files on an external drive.
- Choose Amazon Photos’ desktop route when you want a documented folder-based import with background uploads that can resume after pauses.
- Choose ZIP when compatibility matters; choose TGZ only when your extraction tools support it.
- Use the 50 GB archive setting when you have enough local and destination storage and want fewer archive parts, while still planning for possible splitting.
- Delay deletion until counts, originals, albums, metadata, exclusions and sharing have all been checked.
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