How to Stop Google Photos from Automatically Backing Up Your Pictures
Hey there! Today, I want to tell you about a neat trick I discovered for turning off the auto-backup feature in Google Photos. So if you’re tired of your pictures being backed up automatically, keep reading!
You know how it is – sometimes, you just want a bit more control over what gets backed up to the cloud. I get it, and I’m here to help. Here’s what you need to do:
First things first, open up the Google Photos app on your device. Once you’re in, take a look at the top right corner of the screen. See that three-line icon? Tap on it. This will bring up a menu with a bunch of options.
Ah, didn’t think it would be that easy, did you? Now, scroll down until you find the “Settings” option. Tap on it, and you’ll be taken to a new page with even more choices.
Alright, we’re almost there! On this new page, you’ll see a bunch of options related to your Google Photos preferences. Look for the one that says “Back up & sync” and tap on it. This is where the magic happens.
Once you’re in the “Back up & sync” menu, you’ll notice a toggle switch at the top. By default, this switch is turned on, which means your pictures are being backed up automatically. But guess what? You can turn it off!
Now, all you have to do is tap on that switch, and it will change from blue to gray. That’s it – you’ve successfully disabled the auto-backup feature in Google Photos. Give yourself a pat on the back!
But wait, there’s more. I have one last little tip for you. If you want to double-check that auto-backup is indeed turned off, just head back to the main Google Photos screen. See those little cloud icons on your pictures? If the cloud has a slash through it, it means that picture won’t be backed up. Easy peasy, right?
So there you have it – a quick and simple way to take control of your Google Photos backups. No more relying on the app to do it automatically. Now you can choose exactly what gets saved to the cloud. Go ahead, give it a try, and enjoy the power of manual backup!
Auto backup is a really convenient way for me to keep all my photos in the Cloud while also freeing up space on my phone. But there’s a limit to how much I can upload for free. I have to admit, the 15GB they give me is pretty generous, but that doesn’t mean I won’t run out of space quickly.
If I take more than a few photos a day and have the auto backup turned on, I might hit the limit in a couple of weeks. But if I keep the auto backup turned off, I can choose which images I want to back up and which ones I don’t.
Setting up Google Photos
When I install Google Photos, it connects to my Camera Roll or Gallery and asks me to turn on auto backup. It’s better not to do this because it will back up all my photos to Google.
Chances are, I have more than 15GB of photos on my phone, so the backup will stop once it reaches the limit. I’ll also keep getting annoying notifications to upgrade my storage to keep the backup running.
Thankfully, turning off the auto backup is really easy. I just need to open the app, tap on the Cloud icon on the right, and then tap the backup button to turn it off. I’ll also confirm my choice in a pop-up window.
Hey there! I wanted to mention something cool about Google Photos – it gives you two options for backing up and storing your images.
- The first option is called “High quality”. This reduces the file size of your photos without compromising their quality, and you can upload as many as you want – there’s no limit!
- The second option is called “Original”. This keeps the full resolution of your photos, but you can only upload up to 15GB of them.
Neither option is right or wrong – it all depends on what you need. However, choosing the “Original” option gives you more flexibility to edit or print your photos later on.
Note: Before you go for the auto backup feature, make sure to turn off the option to use cellular data when there’s no Wi-Fi. This will prevent any surprise charges.
But can you do all of this from your browser?
The short answer is no. Google Photos in your browser doesn’t have a backup feature. That makes sense, though, because the photos you see in your browser are already stored in the Cloud. However, there is a Mac and Windows app that you can use to sync and back up photos from your computer, SD card, or camera.
If you’re using Google Photos in your browser, you can go to the More menu (it looks like a little hamburger icon on the left), scroll down, and click on “App Downloads”. There, you’ll find clickable buttons to download the desktop version, as well as Google Photos for Android or iOS.
Here’s the deal: you’re gonna need some extra software if you want to back up your stuff from your computer. Luckily, the desktop app has a nifty feature that lets you automatically turn on and off backups.
Doing It Yourself
If you don’t want the app to automatically back things up, that’s cool. You can still save your favorite pictures to Google Photos manually. Just open the app, find a photo you love, and hit the Cloud icon. Once the picture is uploaded, you can check on your computer to make sure it’s all good and backed up.
If you have a lot of images to back up, there’s an easy way to select them all at once. It may not be obvious, but let me show you how. First, tap on the three horizontal dots in the Search bar. Then, choose “Select photos.” Next, simply tap on each image you want to upload. Once you’ve made your selections, hit the dots again and choose “Back up” from the pop-up window. It’s that simple!
What about removing backed-up photos?
Removing backed-up photos from Google Photos can be a bit tricky, whether you manually or automatically back them up. Let me explain. When you back up your photos, Google Photos actually creates two copies: one on your device and one online. This means you can manipulate both copies at the same time.
But don’t worry, the Google Photos app has a delete button that can help. When you hit that button, the backed-up image gets deleted from all your accounts and devices. So, if you’re using an iPhone, for example, the photo will disappear from your Camera Roll, the Google Photos app, Google Photos backup, and even iCloud. It’s like magic!
Let me break it down for you. When you’re using Google Photos, you can’t choose which image to keep. Instead, it deletes all copies of the image. A little inconvenient, I know. But here’s a workaround: if you want to remove an image from the backup and keep it on your device, you can delete it from your Camera Roll. Lucky for you, this won’t affect Google Photos.
But here’s the catch: when you delete the image from your Camera Roll, it gets deleted from all your accounts and, most importantly, from your Gallery or Camera Roll. So, what can you do if you want to remove the image from the backup but keep it on your device?
Well, guess what? The same thing happens. Google deletes the image from all your accounts, including your Camera Roll or Gallery. If you want to get rid of the backed-up image from the Cloud, you can archive it. To do this, simply select the image, tap on the three vertical dots, and choose “Archive.” Alternatively, you can press Shift+A after opening the image.
But here’s the catch: archiving photos is not the same as permanently deleting them from the Cloud. So keep that in mind!
Store Photos Securely
Although Google Photos has its drawbacks, it remains a reliable Cloud service for keeping your images safe. Admittedly, there is room for improvement in terms of file organization, but this shouldn’t discourage you. While browsing through your backed-up files, you might even come across some photos you thought were lost forever.
So, how frequently do you back up your photos? Do you rely on other services or apps besides Google Photos? Share your preferences with us in the comments section below.
