To move pictures from gallery to Google Photos, you need to back them up to the cloud so you can free up space on your phone while keeping your memories safe. This process uses Google Photos' backup features to transfer your photos from your device's default gallery app to your online library, but you should be aware that storage is limited.
Before you start: understand Google Photos storage
Every Google Account includes 15 GB of free storage, which is shared across Google Photos, Gmail, and Google Drive. Since June 1, 2021, all new photos and videos uploaded to Google Photos, including those in "Storage saver" quality (formerly "High quality"), count towards your 15 GB of free storage. Photos and videos uploaded in "High quality" before June 1, 2021, do not count towards your storage limit. If your Google Account storage becomes full, new photos and videos will not be backed up to Google Photos. Supported photo file types include .jpg, .heic, .png, .webp, .gif, and most RAW files, with a minimum size requirement of 256 pixels.
Set up automatic backup for your gallery
The easiest way to move pictures from gallery to Google Photos is to enable automatic backup, which continuously syncs new photos without manual selection. This ensures every picture you take is safely stored in the cloud as soon as you capture it.
- Open the Google Photos app on your device.
- Tap your profile picture or initial in the top right corner, then tap "Photos settings".
- Select "Backup & sync" and toggle the switch to turn it on.
- To choose which specific device folders (beyond the camera folder) are backed up, go to Google Photos settings > "Backup & sync" > "Back up device folders" and toggle on or off the desired folders.
Once enabled, your gallery photos will automatically upload to Google Photos. You can use the "organize Google photos" feature later to sort them into albums, making it easier to find specific memories later.
Manually select and upload specific photos
If you prefer not to sync everything, you can manually choose which pictures to transfer. This gives you full control over what gets backed up, which is useful if you only want to move a few important shots.
- Open the Google Photos app.
- Tap the "Library" tab at the bottom of the screen.
- Navigate to the folder or album containing the photos you want to upload.
- Tap and hold on a photo to enter selection mode, then tap additional photos to select them.
- Tap the "Upload" button (the cloud icon with an upward arrow) at the top of the screen.
- Choose whether to add them to your main library, a new album, or an existing album.
Your selected photos will begin uploading. After they finish, you can use the "delete photos from phone but not Google photos" method to remove the local copies from your device while keeping the cloud versions intact.
Verify your photos are safely backed up
Before deleting any local copies, confirm that your uploads completed successfully. This prevents accidental data loss if a photo failed to upload.
- Open the Google Photos app.
- Tap the "Library" tab and check the main library or the specific album where you uploaded photos.
- Scroll through to visually confirm all intended photos are present.
- If you uploaded to an album, open that album and verify the photos are there.
If any photos are missing, repeat the manual upload process for those specific images before proceeding.
Free up space on your device safely
Once your photos are confirmed backed up, you can safely remove them from your device to reclaim storage. Google Photos includes a built-in tool that only deletes photos already stored in the cloud.
- Open the Google Photos app.
- Tap your profile picture or initial in the top right corner, then tap "Free up space".
- Review the list of photos that are already backed up and can be safely removed.
- Tap "Free up space" to delete the local copies from your device.
This tool ensures you never accidentally delete a photo that hasn't been backed up, keeping your memories secure while freeing up storage for new pictures.
