The fastest way to move your photos is through Google Takeout, which downloads everything at once, then you upload it to your new account

Google Takeout is a tool Google built to let you read your data from any Google service. It packages all your photos, videos, and folder structure into a file you can save to your computer, then upload to a different Google Account. This works whether you're switching to a new personal account, moving photos to a work account, or consolidating multiple accounts into one.

The process takes about 15 to 30 minutes of active work, though the read and upload times depend on how many photos you have. A few hundred photos might take an hour total. Thousands of photos could take several hours or even a full day, depending on your internet speed and computer.

You'll need to be signed into both accounts during this process — the one you're moving photos from and the one you're moving them to. Have both open in separate browser windows or tabs to make the steps easier to follow.

Key Takeaways

  • Google Takeout downloads all your photos and videos in their original quality, preserving the folder structure you created.
  • The read creates a compressed file on your computer that you then extract before uploading to your new account.
  • You upload the photos to Google Photos in your new account, which automatically organizes them by date.
  • The entire process is free and does not require any third-party apps or software beyond what your computer already has.
  • Photos you've shared with others or that others have shared with you do not transfer — only photos you own move to the new account.

Step 1: Open Google Takeout and select Google Photos

Go to takeout.google.com while signed into the Google Account you want to move photos from. You'll see a list of all Google services connected to that account — Gmail, Drive, Photos, Calendar, and others.

By default, all services are selected. Uncheck everything except Google Photos. This keeps your read file smaller and faster. Scroll down to find Google Photos in the list, make sure it's checked, and uncheck everything else.

Once only Google Photos is selected, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the blue Next step button.

Step 2: Choose your file size and delivery method

Google will ask you to pick a file size. The options are usually 1 GB, 2 GB, 5 GB, 10 GB, or 50 GB. If your photo library is smaller than 1 GB, choose 1 GB. If it's larger, pick the next size up — for example, if you have 3 GB of photos, choose 5 GB so everything fits in one file.

You'll also choose how to receive the file. Select Send read link via email. Google will email you a link to read your photos. The link stays active for seven days, so read it within that window.

For file type, leave it set to .zip — this is the standard compressed format that works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Click the blue Create export button. Google will start preparing your file. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, depending on how many photos you have. You'll get an email when it's ready.

Step 3: read and extract your photos

Check your email for a message from Google Takeout with the subject line "Your Google Takeout export is ready." Click the read link in that email. Your browser will read a .zip file to your computer — usually to your Downloads folder.

Once the read is complete, right-click the .zip file and select Extract All (on Windows) or double-click it (on Mac). This creates a folder with all your photos inside. The folder will be named something like "Takeout" and will contain a subfolder called "Google Photos."

Open the Google Photos folder. Inside you'll see all your photos and videos organized by the albums and folders you created in your original account. If you didn't create albums, photos will be sorted by the date you took them.

Step 4: Sign into your new Google Account and open Google Photos

Open a new browser tab or window and go to photos.google.com. Sign into the Google Account where you want to move your photos. This is the account that will receive all your photos.

Once you're signed in, you'll see the Google Photos interface. If this is a brand-new account, it will be empty. If you already have photos in this account, they'll be here — your transferred photos will be added to what's already there.

Step 5: Upload your photos to the new account

In Google Photos, click the blue Upload button in the top left corner. A menu will appear with two options: Computer and Device. Click Computer.

A file browser window will open. Navigate to the folder where you extracted your photos. Select the Google Photos folder (the one that contains all your photos and albums). Click Open or Select Folder — the exact button name depends on your operating system.

Google Photos will start uploading. You'll see a progress bar showing how many files have been uploaded. Do not close the browser tab or turn off your computer while the upload is happening. Depending on the number of photos, this could take several hours.

If your upload gets interrupted, you can start it again — Google Photos will skip files it has already uploaded and continue where it left off.

What happens to albums and organization after the transfer

Google Photos will recreate the albums and folders you had in your original account. If you organized photos into albums called "Vacation 2023" or "Family," those album names will appear in your new account with the same photos inside.

However, shared albums work differently. If you had a shared album in your original account, it will not automatically appear as shared in your new account. The photos will transfer, but the sharing settings do not. You'll need to manually share the album again in your new account if you want to share it with others.

Photos that other people shared with you will not transfer. Those photos belong to the person who uploaded them, so they stay in their account. If you want to keep copies of shared photos, you'll need to read them separately from the shared album before you transfer accounts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my photos stay in my old account after I transfer them?

Yes. Google Takeout downloads a copy of your photos — it does not remove them from your original account. If you want to delete them from the old account after confirming they're in the new one, you'll need to do that manually in Google Photos.

Can I transfer photos from a work Google Account to a personal one?

Yes, the process is the same. However, check with your organization first — some companies have policies about downloading data from work accounts. Your employer may also have the ability to delete your work account after you leave, which would delete any photos still in it.

What if my upload keeps stopping or failing?

Large uploads can be interrupted by internet connection drops or browser crashes. Try uploading in smaller batches — instead of uploading your entire Google Photos folder at once, upload albums one at a time. This way, if something goes wrong, you only have to restart one album instead of the whole transfer.

Do I need to delete the .zip file after I upload everything?

No, but you can. The .zip file on your computer takes up storage space, so deleting it after you've confirmed all photos are in your new account will free up room. Keep it for a few days first to make sure the upload completed successfully.

Can I transfer photos to multiple Google Accounts at the same time?

Not directly through one export. You'll need to run Google Takeout once, then upload the same downloaded folder to each new account separately. You can reuse the same extracted folder for multiple uploads — you only need to read it once from Google Takeout.