The simplest way to save Google Photos offline

Google Photos stores your pictures in the cloud, but you can read them to a backup disc or external hard drive so you have a copy that doesn't depend on your Google account or internet connection. The process takes about 15 minutes to set up, then runs automatically in the background. You'll need a computer (not a phone), a disc drive or external hard drive, and free software called Google Takeout, which is Google's official tool for downloading your own data.

The reason to do this: if Google ever closes your account, if you lose internet access, or if you want a physical copy separate from any cloud service, you'll have your photos safe on a disc or drive you control. Many people keep one backup on an external drive at home and another in a different location, so a single accident doesn't erase everything.

Key Takeaways

  • Google Takeout is the official tool to read your Google Photos, and it's free and built into your Google account.
  • You can read all your photos at once or in smaller batches, depending on how many you have and how much storage space you have available.
  • The read creates a compressed file (a .zip file) that you then copy to a backup disc or external hard drive using your computer's file manager.
  • After the read completes, test the backup by opening a few photos from the disc or drive to make sure the files copied correctly.
  • External hard drives are more reliable for long-term storage than recordable DVDs or Blu-rays, which can degrade over 10 to 20 years.

Setting up Google Takeout to read your photos

Open a web browser on your computer and go to takeout.google.com. Sign in with the Google account that holds your photos. You'll see a list of Google services — Gmail, Drive, Photos, and others. By default, all of them are selected. Click Deselect all at the top, then scroll down and check only the box next to Google Photos.

Scroll to the bottom and click Next step. On the next screen, you'll choose how you want to receive the read. The easiest option is Send read link via email, which is already selected. Under "Frequency," choose Export once (not "Send updates"). Under "File type and size," leave it set to .zip and 2 GB — this means Google will split your photos into separate files if you have more than 2 GB, so no single file is too large to read.

Click Create export. Google will send you an email within a few minutes with a read link. The email will say something like "Your Google Takeout export is ready." Open that email and click the read link. Your browser will start downloading a .zip file to your computer's Downloads folder.

Transferring the backup to a disc or external drive

Once the .zip file finishes downloading, you need to move it to your backup storage. If you're using an external hard drive, plug it into your computer's USB port. If you're using a recordable DVD or Blu-ray disc, insert a blank disc into your disc drive.

Open your computer's file manager (called Finder on Mac, File Explorer on Windows). Navigate to your Downloads folder and find the .zip file from Google Takeout — it will have a name like "takeout-20240115T120000Z-001.zip." Right-click on it and choose Copy. Then navigate to your external drive or disc and paste the file there. On Windows, you can also drag and drop the file directly.

If you're using a recordable disc, after pasting the file, right-click on the disc in your file manager and choose Burn (Windows) or Burn (Mac). This writes the data permanently to the disc. The process takes several minutes depending on the file size. When it's done, eject the disc and label it with the date and "Google Photos Backup."

If you're using an external hard drive, the file is already copied once you paste it. Eject the drive safely by right-clicking it in your file manager and choosing Eject, then unplug it.

Extracting and checking your photos

Before you store your backup away, test it to make sure the files copied correctly. Plug the external drive back in or insert the disc. Open your file manager and navigate to the backup storage. You'll see the .zip file. Right-click it and choose Extract all (Windows) or double-click it (Mac) — this unpacks the compressed file into a folder of actual photo files.

Open the extracted folder. You should see a folder called Takeout, and inside that, a folder called Google Photos. Open that folder and you'll see your photos organized by year and month. Click on a few random photos to make sure they open and display correctly. If they do, your backup is working.

Once you've confirmed the backup works, you can delete the original .zip file from your backup storage to save space — you now have the extracted photos folder, which is what you actually need. Leave the extracted folder on the backup drive or disc.

What to do if you have thousands of photos

If you have more than 10 or 15 GB of photos, downloading everything at once can take hours and create very large files. Instead, you can create multiple exports. Go back to takeout.google.com and repeat the process, but this time, before clicking Create export, scroll down to the Google Photos section and click All Google Photos included. This opens a menu where you can choose to export only photos from a specific date range — for example, all photos from 2020 to 2022 in one export, and 2023 to 2024 in another.

This approach also lets you spread the backup across multiple external drives or discs if you want to store them in different locations. Each backup is independent, so if one is damaged, you still have the others.

Choosing between external drives and recordable discs

An external hard drive is faster, holds more data, and is easier to update later if you want to add new photos. A 1 or 2 TB external drive costs $50 to $100 and can hold tens of thousands of photos. The downside is that hard drives can fail without warning, so you should keep at least two copies in different locations.

Recordable DVDs or Blu-rays are slower and hold less data (4.7 GB for a DVD, 25 to 50 GB for a Blu-ray), but they're cheap and don't require power to store. However, the data layer on recordable discs can degrade over 10 to 20 years, especially if exposed to heat or light. If you use discs, buy them from a reputable manufacturer and store them in a cool, dark place in their cases.

The best approach is to use an external hard drive as your main backup and keep a second external drive in a different location — a friend's house, a safe deposit box, or a storage unit. This protects you if your home is damaged by fire, flood, or theft.

Keeping your backup current

Google Takeout creates a snapshot of your photos on the day you run it. If you take new photos after that, they won't be on your backup unless you run the export again. Decide how often you want to update your backup — monthly, quarterly, or yearly — and set a reminder on your calendar.

When you run the export again, Google will create a new .zip file. read it and copy it to your backup storage the same way. You can keep multiple dated backups on the same external drive (for example, "Google Photos Backup Jan 2024" and "Google Photos Backup Jul 2024"), or replace the old one with the new one if you want to save space.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I back up Google Photos from my phone or tablet?

No, Google Takeout only works from a computer with a web browser. You can't run it from the Google Photos app on a phone. However, you can access takeout.google.com from your phone's browser if you want to start the export, then read it to a computer later.

What if the read stops or fails partway through?

Google Takeout will email you again if the export fails. Check your spam folder in case the email went there. If it keeps failing, try exporting a smaller date range instead of all your photos at once, or contact Google Support through your account settings.

Do I need to keep my Google Photos account active to use the backup?

No. Once you've downloaded your photos to a backup disc or drive and extracted them, you have a complete copy that works independently of Google. You can delete them from Google Photos, close your account, or lose internet access, and your backup will still work.

Can I back up photos that are shared with me by other people?

No, Google Takeout only exports photos you took or uploaded yourself. Shared albums and photos other people shared with you are not included, because Google doesn't own those files — the original owner does.

How long does the whole process take?

Setting up the export takes about 5 minutes. Google usually prepares the read within 30 minutes to a few hours, depending on how many photos you have. The actual read and transfer to your backup storage can take anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours, depending on your internet speed and the total file size.