Want to change your default Google Photos backup account? If you’re an Android user, you know how crucial a Google account is. When I first created mine, I gave little thought to the organization and put everything in one place. It wasn’t until later that I realized I needed a separate Google account with more storage for photo backups.
The problem was that I had been backing up to a different Google Photos account all along, and changing it didn’t seem very easy. Unlike other Google services like the Play Store or Gmail, where switching accounts is just a swipe away, Google Photos doesn’t simplify it.
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Signs You Need a New Google Photos Backup Account
You might want to change your default Google Photos backup account for various reasons, such as:
- Storage Limits: Your current Google account is running low on storage due to accumulated emails, files in Drive, and other data.
- Account Organization: You use separate accounts for personal and professional purposes and want to keep your photos separate.
- Account Changes: You’re closing your existing account or leaving a previous organization’s account and want to move your photo backups to a different Google account.
- Accidental Setup: You initially set up Google Photos with the wrong account and want to change it now.
Check Which Account You’re Currently Backing Up to
You can check this from the Google Photos app settings. Tap your profile picture in the top right corner, then tap Photos Settings > Backup to see which account you’re currently backing up to.
Google Photos also lets you quickly change the account from which you’re viewing photos by tapping your profile picture in the top right corner and choosing any accounts there. However, this only changes the account you’re viewing photos from, not the one you’re uploading to.
Choose a Different Default Account for Google Photos Backup
To change the Google account you’re using to back up your photos and videos, follow the steps below:
1. Open the Google Photos app on your phone.
2. Tap your profile picture in the top right corner. Make sure the account you want to use for backups is selected.
3. Tap on your profile picture again and choose Photos settings > Backup.
4. Under Account and storage, tap your current account.
5. You will see a list of available accounts. Select the one you want to use for backups.
Your phone will now start backing up photos and videos to your new account, as shown in the screenshot above.
If you see only your current account here: The account you want to use might not be listed because you haven’t added it to your device yet. To add it, go to your device settings under Accounts. Once the account is added, it should appear in Google Photos.
If the account still doesn’t appear at all: If the account is already on your phone but doesn’t show up in the list, it’s likely because it hasn’t been used with the Photos app. Tap your profile picture in the top right corner and switch to that account. Back up at least one photo to ensure it’s registered. Then, return to settings and change the backup account.
Transfer Photos from Your Old Google Account to Your New One
After changing your default backup account, you may want to transfer your old Google Photos to the new account. Here’s how:
1. Easy Transfer if All Photos Are on Your Phone
If the current phone is the first device you used to back up photos to Google Photos, and all those photos are still on your phone and haven’t been deleted, you don’t need to transfer photos between accounts.
Simply change your default backup account (as shown in the guide above), and Google Photos will back up all the photos on your phone to the new account.
2. Use Shared Albums for Fewer Photos
If you only need to transfer a bunch of photos and videos, use Shared Albums:
- In your old account, go to Library > New Album. Create a shared album and add all the photos you want to transfer.
- Get the shareable link for the album.
- Sign in to your new account and open the shared album link.
- Select all the photos and add them to a new album in your new account.
3. Use Partner Sharing if You Have Too Many Photos
If you have too many photos to move, use Partner Sharing:
- In your old account, go to Google Photos settings > Sharing > Partner Sharing.
- Invite your new account and choose the sharing settings.
- In your new account, accept the invitation and enable Turn on auto save.
- All photos from your old account will be copied to your new account.
4. Use Google Takeout to Transfer Everything at Once
If you want to transfer everything from your old Google Photos account to the new one, use Google Takeout feature:
- Go to Google Takeout (https://takeout.google.com/).
- Sign in with the account containing the photos you want to transfer.
- Uncheck all options except Google Photos.
- Choose the desired export file type and size.
- Click Create Export. Google will prepare your archive.
- Once the archive is ready, you’ll receive an email with a download link.
- Download the archive and extract the photos.
- Sign in to your new Google account and upload the photos to Google Photos.
You can upload the photos to your new account from the Google Photos website or mobile app. I prefer the desktop method because it allows you to manually select and upload all the photos from the Takeout folder at once.
5. Third-Party Platforms
Several third-party apps and tools, such as MultCloud, allow you to transfer your backed-up photos and videos from one Google account to another. However, I generally don’t prefer or recommend these because these platforms can access your photos, which could be a privacy concern.
Avoid this option entirely if you have sensitive media in your Google Photos account.
Switching Accounts in Google Photos
In short, simply tapping your profile picture and choosing another account (or swiping) in Google Photos only changes the account you’re viewing photos from. You’ll see photos from that account plus those stored locally on your phone.
To change your default backup account, you must do so within Google Photos settings. Once you’ve changed your backup account, you can also transfer your existing photos and videos to this new account using the methods described in this guide.
