Previously, it was easy to move photos you received in Gmail to Google Photos. One would save them to Google Drive and when linked they would appear in Google Photos. However, lately Google disliked Google Photos and Drive. This has also affected the way people migrate images from an email to Google Photos.
Now things are different if you have a lot of images in Gmail that you want to appear in your Google Photos. While there is no direct way to move them to Google Photos, there are several alternatives.
Let’s check out how to move photos from email, specifically from Gmail to Google Photos.
Export Photos from Email to Google Photos on the Web
There are two ways to do this. 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 need to upload the photos from Gmail to Drive first and then add them to Google Photos using the local Drive option.
We know that Google Photos allows us to upload unlimited photos, provided the upload size is set to high quality in the Google Photos settings. So, check the quality before adding photos from Drive. Once added, delete photos from Drive to free up Google storage.
Here are the detailed steps:
Note: This method only works with Gmail.
Stage 1: Open the email you want to move the photos to Google Photos.
step 2: Click the Save to Drive icon next to the photos. All photos will be automatically added to the root folder of Google Drive. If you only want to move selected photos, click the Drive icon on the photos themselves.
Note: At this point, the photos will take up the storage space in Google Drive.
Stage 3: Open photos.google.com and click Upload.
Step 4: Click on Google Drive from the menu.
step 5: Select photos to upload to Google Photos. Photos will appear on the date they were taken, not at the top.
Step 6: If you want to free up Google storage, open drive.google.com and delete the photos. Deleting them in Drive will not remove them from Google Photos.
2. Download and Move Photos to Google Photos
The downside of the above method is that it only works for Gmail. For other emails, including Gmail, you can use the normal procedure where you have to download all the photos to your computer and then manually add them to Google Photos.
Here are the detailed steps:
Stage 1: Open the email containing the photos.
Step 2: Click Download all attachments to download all photos. A ZIP file will be downloaded to your PC. You can even download individual photos by clicking the download icon.
Note: Extract the ZIP file to add the photos to Google Photos.
Stage 3: Open photos.google.com. Click Upload and select Computer. Go to the extracted or downloaded photos you want to add.
How to Upload Photos from Email to Google Photos on Mobile
Let’s check it out separately for Android and iPhone.
Move Photos from Email to Google Photos on Android
There are two methods to do this.
1. Move Photos Using Share Icon
Stage 1: Open the email containing the photos.
Step 2: Tap the photo and press the three dots 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 from email directly to Google Photos.
Stage 3: Select Google Photos. Next, select the Google account and tap Install.
2. Add Photos by Downloading
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 to your phone and then upload them together.
If backup for Google Photos is enabled for the Downloads folder on your phone, downloading them will automatically add them to Google Photos. However, if you don’t use Google Photos’ backup feature on your phone, you will have to add them manually.
Here are the steps:
Stage 1: Open the email. Look for the download button for the photos. You may need to open the photos and tap the three-dot icon.
Step 2: Once all the photos have been downloaded open your phone’s gallery app. Select the photos and tap the share icon. Select Google Photos.
If you’re using 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. Scroll up and select Backup.
Upload Photos from Email to Google Photos on iPhone
Stage 1: Start the email application and navigate to the required email.
Step 2: Open the photo and tap the download icon at the top.
Stage 3: After downloading all the photos, open the Google Photos app. Select the photos and tap the backup icon.
Why Use Google Photos Instead of Google Drive?
If you’re wondering, isn’t it better to just save photos to Google Drive? You can do. But as you know, photos saved in Google Drive are deducted from your Google storage quota. This is not the case with Google Photos if the images are included in high quality. Plus, it’s easier to view and share photos in Google Photos compared to Drive. Therefore, it is better to use Google Photos. We hope Google offers a native button in Gmail to add photos to Google Photos.
Next: Thinking of deleting some photos from Google Photos? Find out what happens when you delete a picture from Google Photos on Android, iPhone, and the web.
