If you’re anything like us, you’re taking more photos than ever but there’s an important next step which is often overlooked — organizing and archiving. Show
Google Photos is our favorite solution for storing, organizing, and sharing photos and videos. It’s easy to use and it’s free, yet many people still don’t know about this useful service. We’re here to help! This complete guide explains how Google Photos works, how to get started, and lots of tips and tricks for getting the most out of it. Contents of this PostGoogle Photos boasts many excellent features. Use the menu below to navigate our guide and learn all about Google Photos. What Is Google Photos? Getting Started with Google Photos Google Photos Search Google Photos Memories Create Movies, Animations, and Collages Google Photos Albums Google Lens Storage and Space Digitize Old Photos Add a Partner Account Safety and 2 Step Verification Embedding Tips for Bloggers Don’t have time to read the guide? Here is a two page cheat sheet you’re welcome to download and share. 📌 Download the PDF summary. The Basics – What Is Google Photos?Google Photos is a photo sharing and storage service developed by Google. It was released in 2015 and is now hugely popular worldwide. Google Photos stores your photos and videos in “the cloud” — this is just tech-talk for online storage. In the past, you might have plugged your phone or camera into your computer and laboriously transferred all your photos and videos. From there, you might have backed up your computer on an external hard drive. While extra backups can still be a good idea, especially for important files, storing your photos and videos in the cloud does have many advantages, such as:
There are a number of services available where you can store your photos in the cloud but Google Photos is particularly popular. Let’s take a look at why. The Benefits of Google PhotosThese are the main reasons why we consider Google Photos the best cloud storage service going around:
Here’s a summary of why we recommend Google Photos. Feel free to share this summary graphic with others! How to get Started with Google PhotosGetting started with Google Photos is simple:
👉 There’s also a web version of Google Photos for uploading pictures and videos that are stored on your computer. You can view and share images and videos via the web version but the app is better for exploring memories or creating movies. How to View Your Photos and VideosTo view your uploaded photos and videos, you simply open the app or visit the Google Photos website from any device. Go to https://photos.google.com on the web, or tap on the Photos tab in your app to view all your photos sorted in order of date uploaded. The great thing about Google Photos is it doesn’t matter if you use multiple devices; as long as you’re signed in to your Google account you’ll be able to access your photos and videos. Navigating the Google Photos AppThe Google Photos app has three main tabs at the bottom: Photos, Search, and Library. You’ll notice the app looks ever so slightly different depending on whether you’re using an iPhone/iPad or Android device. Let’s take a closer look. The first tab is Photos. This is where you see your past Memories and most recent photos. The next tab is Search. This is where you can look for your photos by person, category, map, or things. You can also view your creations: animations, collages, and movies. The third tab is Library. Here you’ll find your Albums, Favorites, Archives, and Trash. You can also make animations, collages, and movies through the Utilities option. You view an individual photo by tapping on it. This is also how you access the options for editing and sharing a photo. The image below explains what all the icons on a photo mean. This is what the icons surrounding an individual photo mean:
Backup And Sync in the Google Photos AppIf you take photos on your phone, the easiest way to get them to your Google Photos account is via backup and sync. My phone is set to automatically upload my photos to Google Photos when I’m connected to wifi. It’s a good idea to make sure this setting is turned on if you have a limited data plan on your phone (so you don’t waste all your mobile data). To turn on the wifi backup setting:
Google Photos SearchGoogle Photos SearchGoogle Photos uses complex techniques to analyze and group photos which make its search very accurate and powerful! You can search for people, pets, places, things, text, and more. You can type in search terms like “tennis”, “Sydney”, “Mike birthday”, “carrot cake recipe”, “Charlotte wedding” or anything else that springs to mind. You can have multiple search terms too like “2016 summer Steven picnic”. What makes all these search options great is you don’t need to remember the specific date or even any specific details of the photo you’re looking for. To find a specific image in Google Photos: 1. Click or tap on the Search tab at the bottom of the Google Photos app (or use the search bar on the web). 2. When you start typing in your search, suggestions will pop up like recent searches, people you’ve named, location and so on. 3. When you enter your search term you’ll see all the options which you can then scroll through and select. All my kangaroo photosNaming People and PetsIf you use Google Photos a lot, it can be very helpful to name your friends and family. You can also give pets a name! When you click on a photo of a person or pet at the top of the Search tab, it pulls up any photo you’ve uploaded to Google Photos with them in. 👉 Want pets included? Go to Photo settings > Group similar faces in your app and turn on Show pets with people. You can name the faces of people for easy future searching too. This is how you do it: 1. In the Search tab of your app, you’ll see faces of people (or pets) who show up in a lot of your photos. 2. Tap on the photo of the person or pet you want to name. 3. Tap on Add a Name. 4. Type their name and tap Done if it’s a new name. Or select from an existing list of names if it matches an existing name you’ve already created. Then tap Yes for merge. Google Photos MemoriesMemories is a feature that was added to Google Photos in 2019 and due to its popularity, it became a main feature of the app in mid-2020. Memories are collections of some of your best photos and videos from the past. Memories are available on Android devices, iPhones, and iPad (not on the web version). Only you can see your Memories unless you choose to share them. To access your Memories, simply go to your Photos tab in your app. Memories are displayed in a carousel above the grid of your most recent photos. How do I see all photos on Google Photos?On your Android phone or tablet, open Google Photos . At the bottom, tap Library Find the folder under Photos on device. If available, open your device folders to find your missing item. If you want your device folder items to appear in your Photos tab, you can back them up automatically.
Why can't I see all my photos in Google Photos?Clear the Cache and Data in your Google Photos App. The first thing we recommend you should do to fix Google Photos not showing all photos on Android is to erase the app cache and data. Sometimes, the accumulated cache and data may corrupt, which causes the Photos app to misbehave.
How do I view all photos on Google Drive?Scroll down the Start menu and click on File Explorer. Within File Explorer click on This PC in the left pane. Now, type kind:=picture into the Search box in the top-right of the window. Windows will automatically search all partitions on your hard drive.
How do I view all photos on Android?Find photos of a person or thing. On your Android phone, open Gallery .. Tap Photos .. At the top, tap one of the groups.. Find the photo or video you are looking for.. |