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How to transfer photos to iCloud from Google Photos

Transferring photos can be a difficult process, but we’ve got you covered.

google photos logo on blurry background
Image: KnowTechie

It’s official. As of June 1, Google no longer offers unlimited free picture storage with Google Photos. Since its inception in 2015, Google has offered everybody unlimited photo storage, but that has all stopped.

Now, storage capacity is limited to 15 GB before you will be required to purchase more.

Now, 15 GB is still a lot of storage, considering most high-quality photos are around 1-4 MB. This will give you around 300 photos per GB or 4,500 for the entire 15 GB.

It’s also important to note that everything uploaded before June 1 is unlimited and doesn’t count towards the new 15 GB limit.

Still, this update may rub some people the wrong way. There are several options for cloud photo storage for those who are ready to make a change after Google’s update. One of the most popular options out there is Apple’s iCloud Photos.

How to transfer photos from Google Photos to iCloud

Now, it is important to note that iCloud Photos is also not a free unlimited storage option.

Each iCloud account comes with 5 GB of free storage, but you’ll have to pay for more after that. Apple offers options from $0.99 a month for 50 GB up to $9.99 a month for 2 TB of storage.

READ MORE: T-Mobile is bringing back unlimited Google Photos storage

Still, iCloud is a great photo storage option, especially for users already integrated into the Apple ecosystem. Here’s how to get started transferring your photos.

  1. Head to takeout.google.com

  2. Click “Deselect all” in the top rightgoogle transfer photos

  3. Scroll down and check the box next to Google Photostransferring photos on google photos

  4. Go to the bottom and click “Next Step”

  5. Choose your export preferenceshow to transfer photos

  6. Select “Create Export”

  7. Wait for an email from Google letting you know when it’s ready

  8. Select “Download” when your photos are ready

READ MORE: How to free up iCloud storage by reducing your iPhone backup size

Once you’ve got your photos, you’ll now need to upload them to Apple’s iCloud Photos

Now that you have all of the photos from Google Photos, the next step involves moving those files over to iCloud. You have a couple of different options for this.

The first way you can do this is by using a Mac:

  1. Open the Photos app
photos app on mac
Image: KnowTechie

2. Click File then Import in the toolbar

3. Select the folder(s) with your photos

4. Review then select Import All New Photos

Once you’ve done this, your photos will fully transferred from Google Photos to iCloud. This could take some time, depending on the size of the folder.

The other way to upload your photos to iCloud is through a web browser on PC

  1. Head to iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID
icloud upload
Image: KnowTechie

2. Select Photos then the Upload icon

uploading photos to icloud
Image: KnowTechie

3. Select the folder(s) with your photos

4. Select Upload

Once you’ve done that, your photos will begin uploading to the iCloud servers. Again, this process could take some time, depending on how many photos you need to upload.

And there you have it. Unfortunately, our time with unlimited photo storage with Google Photos is over. Fortunately, there are some other options, like iCloud, out there for those looking to make a switch.

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