The fastest way to transfer photos is through Google Takeout, which downloads your entire photo library as files you can then upload to your new account
Google Takeout is a tool Google provides to download your data from any Google service. When you use it for photos, it creates a compressed file containing every photo and video in your Google Photos library, organized by date. You then download that file to your computer and upload it to your new Google account. This method works whether you're switching accounts entirely or consolidating photos into a single account you plan to keep using.
The process takes time — downloading and re-uploading large libraries can take hours or even days depending on your internet speed and how many photos you have. But it's reliable and gives you a copy of everything, which means you don't lose photos if something goes wrong during the transfer.
Key Takeaways
- Google Takeout downloads your entire photo library as files to your computer, which you can then upload to your new account.
- The transfer preserves your original photo quality and keeps the date information attached to each file.
- Large libraries take several hours to download and upload, so plan for the transfer to happen overnight or over a full day.
- You need access to both Google accounts and enough storage space on your computer to hold the downloaded files temporarily.
How to download your photos using Google Takeout
Start by signing into the Google account that contains the photos you want to transfer. Go to takeout.google.com in your browser. Google will show you a list of all the services connected to that account — Gmail, Drive, Photos, Calendar, and others.
Scroll down to find Google Photos and click the toggle next to it to select only that service. By default, Google selects everything, so you need to uncheck the services you don't want. Click Next Step at the bottom of the page. Google will ask you to choose a file format and delivery method. Leave the format as ZIP (the default) and choose how you want to receive the file — email, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box. Email is simplest if your library is under 2 GB; larger libraries should go to Google Drive or another cloud storage service so you don't hit email size limits.
Click Create Export. Google will begin preparing your file. Depending on how many photos you have, this can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. Google will send you an email or notification when the file is ready, and you'll have seven days to download it before it expires.
Downloading the file to your computer
Once Google notifies you the export is ready, download the ZIP file to your computer. If you sent it to email, click the download link in the email. If you sent it to Google Drive, open Drive, find the file, right-click it, and select Download. The file will be named something like takeout-[date].zip.
Extract (unzip) the file on your computer. On Windows, right-click the ZIP file and select Extract All. On Mac, double-click it and it will extract automatically. Inside you'll find a folder called Takeout, and inside that, a folder called Google Photos. That folder contains all your photos and videos, organized into subfolders by the date they were taken.
Check that your computer has enough free space for both the ZIP file and the extracted folder. If your library is large, you may need 50 GB or more of temporary storage. If you don't have that much space, you can delete the ZIP file once you've extracted it.
Uploading photos to your new Google account
Sign into your new Google account and go to photos.google.com. Click the Upload button (usually a camera icon or up arrow near the top of the page). Select Select from your computer and navigate to the extracted Google Photos folder on your computer.
You can select all the photos at once or upload them in batches. If you select all at once and your library is very large, the upload may stall or fail partway through. If that happens, try uploading smaller batches — select 500 to 1,000 photos at a time. Google Photos will begin uploading and will show you a progress bar. Depending on your internet speed and the number of photos, this can take several hours.
Keep your computer and browser window open during the upload. If you close the browser or lose internet connection, the upload will stop, though Google usually saves progress and you can resume. Once the upload finishes, your photos will appear in your new account's library, organized by the date they were taken.
What happens to photo quality and metadata during transfer
Google Takeout preserves your original photo quality. If you uploaded high-resolution photos to your old account, they'll download and re-upload at the same resolution. The date information attached to each photo — when it was taken — is preserved in the file itself, so your new library will be organized by the correct dates.
However, some information doesn't transfer. Albums you created, shared libraries, and any comments or captions you added to photos in Google Photos won't come with the files. If you have albums you want to keep, you'll need to recreate them manually in your new account or take screenshots of the album names before you start the transfer. Shared albums are tied to the original account, so you'll need to create new shared albums in your new account if you want to share photos with family or friends.
Transferring photos without downloading to your computer
If you don't want to download files to your computer, you can share your Google Photos library directly with your new account. Sign into your old account, go to photos.google.com, and click the Share button. Enter the email address of your new Google account and give it view or edit access. Your new account can then see all the photos in the shared library.
This method doesn't actually transfer ownership of the photos — they remain in your old account, and your new account just has permission to view them. If you want the photos to truly belong to your new account, you still need to download and re-upload them using Takeout. Sharing is useful as a temporary step if you want to make sure all your photos are accessible from your new account while you're still using the old one.
Dealing with storage limits during transfer
Google Photos offers free storage up to 15 GB across all Google services (Photos, Drive, Gmail). If your library is larger than that, your new account will hit the storage limit partway through the upload. When that happens, the upload stops and you'll see a message asking you to buy more storage or delete files.
You have two options. You can purchase additional storage through Google One — plans start at 100 GB per month — or you can upload your photos in smaller batches and delete them from your new account after confirming they're there, then upload the next batch. The second option is slower but costs nothing. Alternatively, if you're only keeping one account long-term, you can delete photos from your old account as you upload them to your new one, which frees up space as you go.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I transfer photos while keeping my old account active?
Yes. Takeout downloads a copy of your photos, so your old account keeps everything. You can use both accounts at the same time, and the photos will exist in both places until you delete them from the old account. This is useful if you're switching to a new account but want to keep the old one for email or other services.
What if the download or upload fails partway through?
If the Takeout download fails, you can request a new export from takeout.google.com and Google will prepare the file again. If the upload to your new account fails, refresh the page and try uploading again — Google usually saves progress. For very large libraries, uploading in smaller batches (500 to 1,000 photos at a time) reduces the chance of failure.
Will my photo dates stay the same after transfer?
Yes. The date information is stored in the photo file itself, not just in Google's database. When you download and re-upload, that date information comes with the file, so your new library will be organized by the original date the photo was taken.
Do I need to delete my old account after transferring photos?
No. You can keep your old account active indefinitely, or delete it whenever you're ready. If you delete the account, Google keeps your data for a short period before permanently removing it, so make sure your transfer is complete and verified before you delete anything.
Can I transfer photos from a Google account I no longer have access to?
No. You need to sign into the account to use Takeout. If you've lost access to the account, you'll need to recover it through Google's account recovery process first, which requires verifying your identity through a phone number or recovery email.