There is no universal "Select All" button in Google Photos on either desktop or mobile, so you cannot select all photos in Google Photos with a single click. Instead, you must use specific workarounds to batch-select groups of photos for actions like downloading, deleting, or organizing.
How to select multiple photos on a desktop browser
On a computer, use the Shift+click method to select a continuous range of photos. Follow these steps:
- Open Google Photos in your browser and sign in.
- Hover over the first photo you want to select and click the white circle (checkmark) in its top-left corner.
- Scroll down to the last photo you wish to include in your selection.
- While holding the
Shiftkey on your keyboard, click the white circle (checkmark) on that last photo.
All photos between the first and last selected images will be chosen. The number of selected photos will be displayed in the top-left corner of the screen. Note that the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+A does not select all photos in your entire library; it only selects photos visible on the current screen.
To select all photos from a single day, hover your mouse over the date that appears above a set of photos and click the checkmark that appears to the left of the date. This instantly selects every photo taken on that day.
How to select multiple photos on an iPhone or Android
On a mobile device, use the long-press and drag method to select photos in a continuous sweep:
- Open the Google Photos app.
- Long-press (tap and hold) the first photo until a checkmark appears, indicating it's selected.
- While still holding your finger down on the screen, drag it across other photos to select them.
The number of selected photos will appear in the top-left corner of the screen. Release your finger when you have selected all desired photos.
To select all photos from a specific day or month, first toggle to day or month view by pinching or spreading your fingers on the screen. Then, tap on the date or month name to instantly select every photo within that time period.
What you can do after selecting your photos
Once photos are selected, you can perform batch actions such as downloading them to your device, deleting them from your library, or adding them to an album. To organize Google photos, use the "Add to album" option in the toolbar to group selected images into a new or existing album. If you need to save everything at once, you can download all photos from Google photos at once to PC without selecting them individually. For detailed instructions on downloading or deleting, refer to the relevant sibling pages for complete step-by-step guidance.
