What You Need Before You Start
Downloading your entire Google Photos library is a straightforward process, but it does not happen from within the mobile app or the standard web interface. Instead, Google provides a dedicated service called Google Takeout. This tool is designed to let you export your data from most Google products, and it works especially well for Photos because it preserves the original file quality and metadata.
Before you begin, make sure you have a few things in place:
- A stable internet connection. Your library might be large, and the download will use significant bandwidth. A wired connection is preferable for very large archives.
- Enough free storage on your computer or hard drive. Check your Google Photos storage usage in the app or web settings. Your download will be roughly the same size, sometimes larger because of the archive format.
- Your Google account credentials. You will need to sign in to your Google Account to access Takeout.
It is also worth noting that Google Takeout does not delete your photos from Google. The service only copies your data. You can continue using Google Photos normally both during and after the download process.
How to Download All Your Google Photos at Once
The entire process is handled through Google Takeout. Follow these steps to start the export:
- Go to Google Takeout. Open a web browser on your computer and navigate to takeout.google.com. Sign in with the Google Account that contains your photos.
- Deselect all products. By default, Takeout selects every Google product linked to your account. Click the Deselect all button at the top of the product list. This saves time and ensures you only download what you need.
- Select Google Photos. Scroll down the list until you find Google Photos. Check the box next to it. You will see a note that says “Include all photo albums.”
- Choose specific albums (optional). If you do not want every photo, click the All photo albums included button. A menu will open, letting you deselect individual albums. Unless you need only a subset, leave this set to “All photo albums included” to download everything.
- Configure the export settings. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Next step. Here, you can set:
- Delivery method: Choose “Send download link via email.” The archive will be emailed to your Gmail address once it is ready. Alternatively, you can add the archive directly to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box if you prefer not to download it directly to your computer.
- Frequency: Select “Export once.” This is the standard setting for a one-time backup.
- File type and size: Choose .zip or .tgz. For most users, .zip is the most compatible option. Set the maximum file size to 2 GB, 10 GB, or 50 GB. Larger files mean fewer downloads but may be harder to handle if your connection is slow. A 10 GB limit is a good balance for most people.
- Create the export. Click the blue Create export button. Google will begin compiling your photos and videos. You will see a confirmation message telling you that an email will be sent when the archive is ready.
The preparation time varies dramatically. A small library of a few hundred photos might be ready in minutes, but a library with hundreds of gigabytes of videos can take hours or even a full day. You do not need to keep the browser page open while it processes.
How to Download the Archive
Once your export is complete, Google sends an email to your Gmail address with the subject line “Your Google data export is ready.” The email contains a link to download your archive.
- Open the email. You can also check your export status by returning to takeout.google.com and looking at the “Manage your exports” section. Active and completed exports are listed there.
- Click the download link. You will be asked to sign in to your Google Account again for security. The link expires after a certain number of days, so do not wait too long.
- Download each part. If your archive was split into multiple files (for example, “part-1.zip,” “part-2.zip”), download every part. They are all needed to access the full library. Each part can be extracted independently; they are not sequential.
- Extract the files. Once all parts are downloaded, use a file extraction tool. On Windows, right-click the first part and choose “Extract All.” On macOS, double-click the file to unzip it, or use a utility like The Unarchiver for .tgz files. Your photos and videos will appear in folders named after the albums in your Google Photos library.
Alternative Methods
Google Takeout is the only official way to download your entire library at once. There are no direct “download all” buttons inside the Google Photos app or website for the entire library because of how large these downloads can be. However, you have pther notable alternatives for specific scenarios:
Google Photos Bulk Downloader chrome extension. This extension detects all visible photos on the page and lets you pick which ones to download or select all. It’s perfect for backing up your memories, archiving family albums, or transferring your content offline without using Takeout.
![Google photos 1[1]](https://mobileos.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/google-photos-11-400x300.jpg)
- Sync to Google Drive first. In the Google Takeout steps above, you can choose “Add to Drive” as the delivery method instead of an email link. The archive is then placed in your Google Drive, where you can stream or download it later. This does not avoid the download, but it gives you access from other devices without re-downloading.
- Use a third-party backup tool. Several apps (such as “Takeout for Google Photos” on some platforms) can connect to your Google Photos account and download everything directly. Be very careful with these. Only use apps that are verified and have a clear privacy policy, because granting access to your Google Photos library is a significant security risk. The official Takeout method is always the safest.
Common Problems
You might run into a few issues during the process. Here are the most frequent ones and what to do about them.
The export is taking very long. This is normal for large libraries. Google needs to compress and prepare files from its servers. Check your email periodically, but do not restart the export unless you see a failure notification. If it takes more than a week, cancel the export in the “Manage your exports” page and start a new one with a smaller file size per archive.
The download link does not work. Links expire, usually within a week after the export is ready. If your link has expired, go back to takeout.google.com and click “Manage your exports.” You can renew the download link for your existing export or create a new one.
The archive is missing photos. Google Takeout includes photos and videos stored in Google Photos. It does not include images that were uploaded but later deleted from your library. It also does not include photos stored only in Google Drive that have not been backed up to Photos. If you are sure a photo is missing, double-check whether it appears in your Google Photos web view. If it is there, the export should include it. A small number of users report missing items when using multi-part archives; try a single, larger archive file on the next attempt.
I cannot extract the files. Large .zip files can fail if the download was interrupted. Verify that each part file downloaded completely by comparing file sizes. If one part is smaller than expected, delete it and download it again. Use a reliable extraction tool. If you chose .tgz, make sure you have software that supports that format.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will downloading my photos delete them from Google Photos?
No. Google Takeout creates a copy of your data. Your original photos and videos remain in your Google Photos account exactly as they were.
Can I do this from my phone?
You can initiate the Google Takeout export from a mobile browser on your phone, but you will have a much easier time managing the download and extraction on a computer. The archive files can be very large, and phones have limited storage and file management options.
What file format are the photos in after extraction?
Your photos are downloaded in their original format (typically JPEG, PNG, or RAW). Videos are downloaded in their original format (such as MP4). Metadata like dates, locations, and album names are preserved in sidecar JSON files or embedded directly in the files themselves, depending on the type.
