AndroidAnswers

How do I back up my photos to Google Photos?

By the AndroidAnswers Editorial Team · Updated

About 5 minutes · Storage & cleanup

Steps written for Android 16 and 17, including Samsung One UI 8 and 9, Google Pixel, and Motorola. Menu names can vary a little by model and carrier.

Illustration of a phone showing a cloud with an up arrow, with a framed mountain photo on one side and a check badge on the other

Open the Google Photos app, tap your profile picture at the top right, then Photos settings → Backup, and turn Backup on. Stay on Wi-Fi until the top of the app says Backup complete. After that, your photos are saved to your Google Account and you can see them on any device where you sign in.

Steps to check

Show steps for:

  1. Open Google Photos and sign in

    Open the Google Photos app (the colorful pinwheel icon). If it asks you to sign in, use the Google Account you want your photos saved to. Photos back up to only one Google Account at a time, so pick the one you use every day.

  2. Turn on Backup

    Tap your profile picture or initial at the top right, then tap Photos settings → Backup, and turn Backup on. Your photos and videos start copying to your Google Account. Google notes the first backup can take a while, depending on your internet connection and how many photos you have.

    • Pixel Google Photos is the photo app on Pixel, so these steps are all you need.
    • Motorola Motorola uses Google Photos as its gallery app, so turn on Backup there as described above.
    • Samsung You can use the Google Photos app the same way. On newer Galaxy phones with Android 17, the Samsung Gallery app can also sync to your Google Account: Gallery → Menu → Settings → Sync photos and videos. With that sync, deleting a photo in either app removes it from both and from the cloud.

  3. Choose which folders to include

    Backup always includes your camera photos. To also save pictures from other folders, like Screenshots, Downloads, or WhatsApp images, go to Photos settings → Backup → Back up device folders and turn on the folders you want.

  4. Pick a backup quality

    In Photos settings → Backup, you can choose the quality. Original quality keeps photos exactly as you took them. Storage saver shrinks large photos a little to use less space. Both count toward the free 15 GB that comes with every Google Account, which is shared with Gmail and Google Drive. If you run out, you can clean up space or buy more storage.

  5. Wait for Backup complete

    Keep the phone on Wi-Fi and plugged in if you can. Tap your profile picture at the top right to see progress. When everything is saved, it reads Backup complete. If it says Backup paused, tap the status to see why. Often the phone is waiting for Wi-Fi or is low on battery.

  6. Check it worked

    On a computer or another device, go to photos.google.com and sign in with the same Google Account. If you can see your recent photos there, they are safely backed up. You can also open one photo in the app, tap More, and scroll to Details. Backed-up items say Backed up.

  7. Optional: free up space on the phone

    Once backup is complete, Google Photos can remove the phone's copies of photos that are already saved. Tap your profile picture → Free up space on this device, then follow the prompt. Photos from the last 30 days may stay on the phone. Do not use the regular Trash button to free space: deleting a photo in Google Photos removes it from your account and every device too.

Normal vs. not

Usually normal

The first backup taking hours or overnight, or pausing when you leave Wi-Fi. It picks up again on its own when the phone is back on Wi-Fi.

Worth a closer look

Backup stuck on the same number of items for days, or saying it is out of storage. Check your Google storage, and if backup still stalls, Google suggests turning off battery optimization for the Photos app: touch and hold the Photos icon, tap App info, and under battery usage choose Unrestricted (names can differ by phone).

What people are saying

Common questions

Is Google Photos backup free?
Every Google Account includes 15 GB of free storage, shared with Gmail and Google Drive. Photos you back up count toward it. If you fill it, you can delete things you do not need or buy more storage.
If I delete a photo from my phone, is it gone from Google Photos?
If you delete it inside the Google Photos app, yes, it is removed from your account and other devices too, and it sits in Trash for 30 days. Use Free up space on this device instead, which removes only the phone's copy of backed-up photos.
Can other people see my backed-up photos?
No. Google says backed-up photos are private and only you can see them on your signed-in devices, unless you choose to share them.
I have photos in my Samsung Gallery. Do I need to move them?
No. Google Photos shows the photos stored on your phone and backs up the camera folder automatically. Turn on any extra folders under Back up device folders.

Sources we checked

Menu names can differ by phone brand and Android version. See our editorial policy for how we check steps.