The fastest way to move your photos is to share your library with the new account, then read and re-upload

Google Photos does not have a built-in "transfer account" button. Instead, you move photos by downloading them from your current account and uploading them to the new one. The process takes longer than a single click, but it is straightforward: you export your photos to your computer, sign into the new account, and upload them there. Most people finish this in an afternoon, though the time depends on how many photos you have and your internet speed.

Before you start, make sure you have enough storage space on your computer to hold all your photos temporarily. If you have thousands of photos, this could be several gigabytes. You will also need to know the password for both accounts — the one you are leaving and the one you are moving to.

Key Takeaways

  • Google Photos does not move photos between accounts automatically; you must read them from the old account and upload them to the new one.
  • You can read all your photos at once using Google Takeout, which packages them into a file you save to your computer.
  • Shared albums and collaborative features do not transfer; you will need to recreate those in the new account if they matter to you.
  • The entire process — read, upload, and verification — usually takes a few hours to a full day depending on your photo count and internet connection.

read your photos using Google Takeout

Google Takeout is Google's tool for downloading your data from any Google service. It packages all your Google Photos into a single file (or multiple files if the total is very large) that you can save to your computer. To start, sign into the account you want to leave and go to takeout.google.com.

On the Takeout page, you will see a list of Google services. Uncheck everything except "Google Photos" — you do not need to read your Gmail, Drive, or other services unless you want to. Click "Next step" at the bottom. On the next screen, choose your file format (ZIP is standard), the size of each file chunk (if your library is huge, Takeout will split it into smaller pieces), and where to send the read. Select "Send read link via email" so Google emails you when the file is ready. Click "Create export" and wait.

Google will prepare your read in the background. Depending on your library size, this can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. You will receive an email with a link to read your photos. The link stays active for seven days, so read the file within that window. Save it to a folder on your computer where you can find it later.

Upload your photos to the new account

Sign into the Google Account you want to move your photos to. Go to photos.google.com and click the upload button (it looks like an arrow pointing up, usually in the top right). You can upload photos one at a time, or select multiple files at once. If you downloaded a ZIP file from Takeout, you may need to unzip it first — right-click the file and select "Extract All" on Windows, or double-click it on Mac.

Select all the photo files from your extracted folder and drag them into the upload window, or click "Select from your computer" and browse to the folder. Google Photos will begin uploading. This can take a long time if you have thousands of photos. Keep your browser tab open and your computer connected to the internet. Do not close the tab or put your computer to sleep, or the upload may pause or fail.

Once the upload finishes, Google Photos will organize your photos by the date they were taken. Check that all your photos appear in the new account. Scroll through a few folders to make sure nothing was skipped. If the upload was interrupted, you can upload the remaining photos by repeating the process with the files that did not transfer.

What does not transfer between accounts

Some Google Photos features are tied to your account and will not move to the new one. Shared albums — albums you created and shared with other people — exist only in your original account. The people you shared them with will lose access once you stop using that account. If those albums matter, you will need to recreate them in the new account and re-share them with the same people.

Collaborative features like comments and suggestions on photos also stay in the old account. If you and someone else were working together on an album, that history does not transfer. Starred photos (photos you marked as favorites) will not be marked as favorites in the new account — you can re-star them manually, but there is no automatic way to do this. Face grouping and custom labels you created will also not transfer; Google Photos will re-scan your photos in the new account and create its own face groups from scratch.

Deleting photos from your old account

Once you have confirmed that all your photos are in the new account, you can delete them from the old one. Sign back into your original Google Photos account. Select all your photos (click the checkbox at the top, then "Select all") and delete them. They will go to the Trash folder first. Google Photos keeps deleted photos in Trash for 60 days before permanently removing them, so if you realize you missed something, you have two months to recover them.

After you delete your photos, you can also delete your Google Takeout export file from your computer to free up storage space. You no longer need it once the upload is complete.

Transferring photos from a shared family library

If you were part of a Google One family plan and shared a family library with other household members, the process is more complicated. Family libraries are managed by the family organizer, and individual members cannot read the entire shared library. You can only read photos you personally uploaded to the family library. To do this, filter your photos by date or by the camera you used, read those specific photos, and upload them to your new account.

If you want to preserve the entire family library, the family organizer will need to handle the read and transfer. Talk to them before you leave the family plan, because once you are removed, you will lose access to the shared library entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I transfer my photos without downloading them to my computer?

Not directly. Google Photos does not allow you to move photos between accounts without downloading them first. However, if you have a Google Drive account, you can read your photos to Drive instead of your computer, then access them from your new account's Drive. This works the same way but keeps the files in the cloud.

Will my photo edits and filters transfer to the new account?

No. Google Photos stores edits in your account, not in the photo file itself. When you read your photos, they save in their original, unedited state. You will need to re-explore any filters or edits in the new account. If you want to keep your edits, you can read the edited versions instead of the originals — Google Takeout gives you this option.

How long does the whole transfer take?

It depends on how many photos you have and your internet speed. Downloading from Google Takeout usually takes 30 minutes to a few hours. Uploading to the new account can take several hours or longer if you have tens of thousands of photos. Plan for a full day if your library is large, and do the transfer when you do not need your computer for other things.

What if the upload fails halfway through?

Google Photos will pause the upload, and you can resume it later by uploading the same folder again. Google Photos is smart enough to skip photos that already uploaded, so you will not create duplicates. Just make sure your computer stays connected to the internet and the browser tab stays open.

Do I have to delete my old account after transferring my photos?

No. You can keep your old account active if you want, or delete it later. If you delete the account, Google will give you 30 days to change your mind before permanently removing it. After 30 days, your old photos and all other account data are gone for good.