The basic steps to save your photos to your computer
You can read individual photos or entire albums from Shutterfly directly to your computer. The process differs slightly depending on whether you are downloading from your own account or from a shared album someone sent you, but both take just a few clicks.
If you are downloading from your own Shutterfly account, sign in, find the album or photo you want, and look for a read button — usually a downward arrow or the word "read" near the top of the page. Click it, choose whether you want the original file or a smaller version, and select where on your computer to save it. Shutterfly will create a folder with your photos inside.
If someone shared a Shutterfly album with you by link, you do not need a Shutterfly account. Open the link, find the photo or album, and look for the same read button. The steps are identical from there.
Key Takeaways
- Photos read as individual files or as a zipped folder, depending on whether you select one photo or multiple at once.
- Shutterfly offers both original-quality and compressed versions; original quality takes longer to read but looks better when printed.
- Shared albums you receive by link can be downloaded without creating a Shutterfly account.
- Downloaded files are yours to keep and use however you want, even if you delete them from Shutterfly later.
Downloading a single photo from your account
Open Shutterfly and sign into your account. Navigate to the album containing the photo you want, or use the search bar at the top to find it by date or keyword.
Click on the photo to open it in full view. In the top right corner, you will see a menu icon (three dots) or a read arrow. Click it. A dropdown menu will appear with options including "read." Select "read" and you will be asked to choose the file size: "Original" (the full-resolution version) or "Web" (a smaller, compressed version suitable for email or social media).
Choose the size you need. Your browser will read the file to your computer's default read folder, usually called "Downloads." If you want to save it somewhere else, your browser may ask you to choose a location before the read starts.
Downloading an entire album at once
Open the album in your Shutterfly account. At the top of the page, you should see a button labeled "read Album" or a read icon. Click it.
Shutterfly will ask you to choose the file size for all photos in the album: "Original" or "Web." Select your preference. The site will then create a single compressed file (called a ZIP file) containing all the photos in that album and read it to your computer.
Once the ZIP file finishes downloading, you will need to extract it — this means unpacking the folder so you can see the individual photos inside. On Windows, right-click the ZIP file and select "Extract All." On a Mac, double-click the ZIP file and it will extract automatically. After extraction, you will have a folder with all your photos inside, ready to view or edit.
Downloading from a shared Shutterfly link
When someone sends you a Shutterfly album link, click the link to open it. You do not need to create an account or sign in — the album will open in your browser.
To read a single photo, click on it to open it fully, then look for the read button (usually a downward arrow or three dots in the corner). Click it and choose your file size. To read the entire album, look for a "read" button near the top of the page, select your file size, and wait for the ZIP file to read.
The person who shared the album with you controls how long the link stays active and whether you can read at all — some shared albums are view-only. If you do not see a read button, the album owner has turned off downloads for that link.
Understanding file sizes and what they mean for you
Original quality files are the full-resolution versions of your photos, exactly as they were uploaded to Shutterfly. These files are larger (often several megabytes each) and take longer to read, but they contain all the detail in your original photo. Choose original quality if you plan to print the photos, edit them in photo software, or keep them as a permanent backup.
Web quality files are compressed, meaning Shutterfly has reduced the file size to make them faster to read and easier to email or upload elsewhere. These files look fine on a screen and are suitable for social media or sharing online, but they contain less detail than the original. If you print a web-quality photo at a large size, it may look blurry or pixelated.
When you read an album, Shutterfly applies the same quality setting to all photos in that album at once. If you need some photos in original quality and others in web quality, read them separately or read the entire album in original quality and then compress individual files yourself using photo software.
What happens to your photos after you read them
Once you read a photo from Shutterfly, it belongs to you completely. You can edit it, print it, share it, or delete it from your computer without affecting your Shutterfly account. If you delete the photo from Shutterfly later, the copy on your computer remains.
Shutterfly stores your photos on their servers as long as your account is active. If you want to keep your photos permanently, downloading them is a smart backup step — it means you have a copy that does not depend on Shutterfly staying in business or your account remaining active.
You own the copyright to photos you took yourself. You can print them, edit them, or share them however you want. If someone else took the photo and shared it with you through Shutterfly, you should check with them before printing or republishing it.
Troubleshooting downloads that do not work
If the read button does not appear, check that you are signed into your account (if downloading from your own photos) or that the shared link is still active. Some older albums or accounts may have different layouts — look for a menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the top of the page and select "read" from there.
If a read starts but does not finish, your internet connection may have dropped. Try again, or try downloading a single photo instead of an entire album — smaller files are less likely to be interrupted. If you are downloading a very large album, it may take several minutes; do not close the browser tab or turn off your computer while the read is in progress.
If you see an error message saying downloads are not allowed, the album owner has disabled downloads for that shared link. You can still view the photos online, but you cannot save them to your computer through Shutterfly. You could ask the album owner to turn on downloads, or ask them to send you the photos directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I read photos from Shutterfly without creating an account?
Yes, if someone shared an album with you by link. You can view and read those photos without signing up. If the photos are your own, you need to create a free Shutterfly account to access them.
What is the difference between downloading and ordering prints?
Downloading saves the photo file to your computer so you can keep it, edit it, or print it yourself at home or at any print shop. Ordering prints through Shutterfly means Shutterfly prints and ships physical copies to you. Both are separate actions — downloading does not order prints, and ordering prints does not read the file to your computer.
Will my downloaded photos still be in my Shutterfly account?
Yes. Downloading creates a copy on your computer. The original stays in your Shutterfly account unless you delete it there. You can delete the Shutterfly copy anytime without affecting the downloaded version on your computer.
Can I read photos that someone else took and shared with me?
You can read them if the album owner allowed downloads on that shared link. The files are yours to keep and view, but you should not print or republish them without asking the photographer first — they own the copyright unless they have given you permission.
What if the read is taking too long?
Large albums or original-quality files can take several minutes to read, depending on your internet speed. Let it finish without closing the browser. If it times out, try downloading a smaller number of photos at once, or switch to web quality instead of original quality.