How to Move Photos from Email to Google Photos

Earlier, when you received photos on Gmail, it was easy to move them to Google Photos. One would save them to Google Drive, and they would show up in Google Photos as they were linked. But, recently, Google unliked Google Photos and Drive. That also affected the way how people moved pictures from an email to Google Photos.

If you get many pictures on Gmail that you would like to appear in your Google Photos, things are different now. Even though there is no direct way to move them to Google Photos, various alternatives exist.

Let’s check how to move photos from email, especially from Gmail to Google Photos.

How to Transfer Photos from Email to Google Photos on Web

There are two ways to do that. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Let’s check them out.

1. Move Photos to Google Photos Using Google Drive

The first method takes the help of Google Drive using the built-in feature in Google Photos. You have to upload the photos to Drive from Gmail first, and then add them to Google Photos using the native Drive option.

We know Google Photos lets us upload unlimited photos, provided the upload size is set to high quality in Google Photos settings. So, check the quality before adding the photos from Drive. Once they are added, delete the photos from Drive to free up Google storage.

Here are the steps in detail:

Note: This method only works with Gmail.

Step 1: Open the email from which you want to move photos to Google Photos.

Step 2: Click on the Save to Drive icon next to the photos. All the photos will be added automatically to the root folder of Google Drive. If you want to move selected photos only, click on the Drive icon on the photos itself.

Note: At this point, photos will take up the storage space on Google Drive.

Step 3: Open photos.google.com and click on Upload.

Step 4: Click on Google Drive from the menu.

Step 5: Select the photos to upload them to Google Photos. The photos will appear at the date on which they were taken and not at the top.

Step 6: Open drive.google.com and delete the photos if you want to free up space on Google storage. Deleting them on Drive will not remove them from Google Photos.

2. Move Photos to Google Photos by Downloading

The drawback of the above method is that it works for Gmail only. For other emails, including Gmail, you can use the normal procedure where you have to download all photos on your PC and then add them to Google Photos manually.

Here are the steps in detail:

Step 1: Open the email containing the photos.

Step 2: Click on Download all attachments to download all photos. A ZIP file will be downloaded on your PC. You can even download individual photos by clicking on the download icon.

Note: Extract the ZIP file to add the photos to Google Photos.

Step 3: Open photos.google.com. Click on Upload and select Computer. Navigate to the extracted or downloaded photos that you want to add.

How to Upload Photos from Email to Google Photos on Mobile

Let’s check separately for Android and iPhone.

Move Photos from Email to Google Photos on Android

There are two methods to do that.

1. Move Photos Using Share Icon

Step 1: Open the email containing the photos.

Step 2: Tap on the photo and hit the three-dot icon at the top. Select Share from the menu. In some apps, you will find the Share all option. Use it to save all photos in the email directly to Google Photos.

Step 3: Select Google Photos. Then, choose the Google account and tap on Upload.

2. Add Photos by Downloading Them

If you have multiple photos and your email app or website doesn’t support sharing all photos to Google Photos, you can download them individually on your phone and then upload them together.

If backup for Google Photos is enabled for the Downloads folder on your phone, then downloading them will automatically add them to Google Photos. However, if you don’t use the backup feature of Google Photos on your phone, you will have to add them manually.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Open the email. Look for the download button of the photos. You might have to open the photos and tap on the three-dot icon.

Step 2: Once all the photos are downloaded, open the gallery app of your phone. Select the photos and tap on the share icon. Select Google Photos.

In case you use Google Photos as your gallery app, launch the Google Photos app. Tap on Albums and navigate to the folder containing the downloaded images. Open the photo. Swipe up and select Back up.

Upload Photos from Email to Google Photos on iPhone

Step 1: Launch the email app and go to the required email.

Step 2: Open the photo and tap on the download icon at the top.

Step 3: Once you have downloaded all the photos, open the Google Photos app. Select the photos and tap on the backup icon.

Why Use Google Photos Instead of Google Drive

In case you are wondering, isn’t it better to save the photos on Google Drive only? Well, you can. But as you are aware, photos saved in Google Drive count against your Google storage quota. That’s not the case with Google Photos if pictures are added in high quality. Also, viewing and sharing photos is easier on Google Photos as compared to Drive. So it’s better to use Google Photos. We hope Google offers a native button in Gmail to add photos to Google Photos.

Next up: Thinking of deleting some photos from Google Photos? Find out what happens when you delete a picture from Google Photos on Android, iPhone, and web.