How to Unsync Google Photos: A Step-by-Step Guide
Google Photos is a fantastic service for backing up and managing your photos and videos. Its seamless integration with your devices makes it incredibly convenient. However, there might be times when you want to stop syncing your photos and videos to Google Photos. Perhaps you’re running out of storage, want to control which specific items are backed up, or simply prefer a different backup solution. Whatever your reason, this comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of unsyncing Google Photos on various devices.
Understanding What Unsyncing Means
Before diving into the steps, let’s clarify what it means to unsync Google Photos. Unsyncing essentially disconnects your device’s camera roll or specific folders from automatically uploading to your Google Photos account. It’s crucial to understand that unsyncing does not delete the photos and videos already backed up to Google Photos. These will remain safe in your Google Photos cloud storage unless you manually delete them. What unsyncing does is prevent future photos and videos from automatically uploading from the device you’re unsyncing.
Important Considerations Before Unsyncing
* Backup Strategy: Before unsyncing, ensure you have an alternative backup strategy in place for your photos and videos. Consider using an external hard drive, another cloud storage service, or manually transferring your files to a computer.
* Storage Space: Be mindful of the storage space available on your device. If you unsync and stop backing up to Google Photos, your device’s storage will fill up faster.
* Synced Devices: Remember that unsyncing on one device does not affect other devices linked to your Google account. You’ll need to repeat the unsyncing process on each device individually.
* Google Account Storage: Unsyncing does not free up your Google account storage if the photos are already backed up. To free up space, you need to delete the photos and videos directly from Google Photos after ensuring they’re safely backed up elsewhere.
Unsyncing Google Photos on Different Devices
Here’s a detailed breakdown of how to unsync Google Photos on various platforms:
1. Unsyncing on Android Devices
Android devices typically have Google Photos deeply integrated. Here’s how to unsync:
Method 1: Disabling Backup & Sync (Recommended)
This method completely disables the automatic backup and sync feature for your Google account on the device.
1. Open the Google Photos app:
* Locate the Google Photos app icon on your home screen or in your app drawer and tap it to open.
2. Access your Profile:
* Tap on your profile picture or initial, located in the upper-right corner of the app.
3. Go to Photos Settings:
* In the menu that appears, select “Photos settings”.
4. Navigate to Backup & Sync:
* Within the Photos settings, tap on “Backup & sync”.
5. Toggle Backup & Sync Off:
* Locate the “Backup & sync” toggle switch at the top of the screen. Tap the switch to turn it off. The switch will usually change color (e.g., from blue to gray) to indicate that it’s disabled.
6. Confirm Disabling Backup (If prompted):
* You might see a pop-up message asking you to confirm that you want to turn off backup and sync. Tap “Turn off” or a similar confirmation button.
By following these steps, you’ve effectively stopped Google Photos from automatically backing up new photos and videos from your Android device.
Method 2: Disabling Backup for Specific Folders
This method allows you to keep the overall backup and sync feature enabled but selectively prevent certain folders (like WhatsApp images or screenshots) from being backed up.
1. Open the Google Photos app:
* Locate the Google Photos app icon on your home screen or in your app drawer and tap it to open.
2. Access your Profile:
* Tap on your profile picture or initial, located in the upper-right corner of the app.
3. Go to Photos Settings:
* In the menu that appears, select “Photos settings”.
4. Navigate to Backup & Sync:
* Within the Photos settings, tap on “Backup & sync”.
5. Manage Device Folders:
* Scroll down the Backup & sync settings page until you find “Back up device folders” or simply “Back up folders”. Tap on it.
6. Toggle Off Specific Folders:
* You’ll see a list of all the folders on your device that Google Photos is currently backing up. Each folder will have a toggle switch next to it.
* Review the list and identify the folders you want to exclude from backup. Tap the toggle switch next to each of these folders to turn them off. The switch will typically change color to indicate that backup is disabled for that folder.
With this method, you maintain the convenience of automatic backup for your primary camera roll while preventing unwanted folders from consuming your Google Photos storage.
Method 3: Removing Google Account from the Device (Not Recommended for Unsyncing Only)
This is a drastic method and should only be considered if you want to completely remove your Google account from your Android device. This will unsync everything, not just Google Photos.
1. Open Settings App:
* Locate the Settings app icon on your home screen or in your app drawer. It usually looks like a gear or cogwheel.
2. Go to Accounts:
* Scroll down within the Settings app until you find the “Accounts” or “Users & accounts” option. The exact wording may vary depending on your Android version.
3. Select Your Google Account:
* You’ll see a list of the accounts connected to your device. Tap on your Google account (the one you use for Google Photos).
4. Remove Account:
* Depending on your Android version, you might see a “Remove account” button directly on the account page. If not, look for a “More” option (often represented by three dots) and tap on it. You should find the “Remove account” option there.
5. Confirm Removal:
* You’ll be prompted to confirm that you want to remove the account. Read the warning message carefully (as it will affect other Google services on your device) and tap “Remove account” or a similar confirmation button.
Warning: Removing your Google account will log you out of all Google services on your device, including Gmail, Google Drive, and others. This is generally not recommended solely for unsyncing Google Photos. Use Method 1 or 2 instead.
2. Unsyncing on iOS (iPhone and iPad)
Unsyncing Google Photos on iOS devices is similar to Android, with a few slight differences in the interface.
Method 1: Disabling Backup & Sync (Recommended)
This method disables the automatic backup and sync feature for your Google account on your iPhone or iPad.
1. Open the Google Photos app:
* Locate the Google Photos app icon on your home screen and tap it to open.
2. Access your Profile:
* Tap on your profile picture or initial, located in the upper-right corner of the app.
3. Go to Photos Settings:
* In the menu that appears, select “Photos settings”.
4. Navigate to Backup & Sync:
* Within the Photos settings, tap on “Backup & sync”.
5. Toggle Backup & Sync Off:
* Locate the “Backup & sync” toggle switch at the top of the screen. Tap the switch to turn it off. The switch will usually change color (e.g., from blue to gray) to indicate that it’s disabled.
6. Confirm Disabling Backup (If prompted):
* You might see a pop-up message asking you to confirm that you want to turn off backup and sync. Tap “Turn off” or a similar confirmation button.
This stops Google Photos from automatically uploading new photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad’s camera roll.
Method 2: Revoking Photos Access (Alternative, Less Recommended)
This method prevents Google Photos from accessing your photo library altogether. However, it can also affect other apps that rely on photo access. It is generally not recommended unless you also want to restrict access to your photos from Google Photos for privacy reasons.
1. Open the Settings app:
* Locate the Settings app icon on your home screen and tap it to open.
2. Scroll down and tap on “Privacy”
3. Tap on “Photos”:
* You’ll see a list of apps that have requested access to your photos.
4. Find Google Photos in the List:
* Scroll through the list of apps until you find “Google Photos”.
5. Change the Permission:
* Tap on “Google Photos”. You’ll see options like “Selected Photos”, “All Photos”, or “None”.
* Select “None”. This revokes Google Photos’ access to your photos library.
Caution: Revoking photo access completely prevents Google Photos from accessing any photos on your device. This means you won’t be able to manually upload photos to Google Photos unless you grant access again.
3. Unsyncing on Desktop (Windows and macOS)
On desktop computers, Google Photos syncs through the Google Drive for desktop application (formerly Backup and Sync). Unsyncing involves adjusting the settings within this application.
Steps:
1. Locate the Google Drive Icon:
* Look for the Google Drive icon in your system tray (Windows) or menu bar (macOS). It usually looks like a cloud.
2. Open Google Drive Preferences:
* Click on the Google Drive icon. A menu will appear. Click on the gear icon (usually representing Settings or Preferences) and select “Preferences” or “Settings”.
3. Navigate to the “My Computer” or “Computers” Tab:
* In the Google Drive Preferences window, look for a tab labeled “My Computer” (Windows) or “Computers” (macOS). This tab controls which folders on your computer are synced to Google Drive and Google Photos.
4. Choose Sync Options:
* You will see a list of folders on your computer. You have two main options here:
* Stop Syncing Specific Folders: If you’ve selected specific folders to back up, uncheck the boxes next to the folders you no longer want to sync. This will stop backing up new photos and videos from those folders to Google Photos.
* Disconnect Computer: This completely disconnects your computer from Google Drive and Google Photos. This is a more drastic option and will stop syncing all folders. Look for a “Disconnect account” or similar button.
5. Confirm Changes:
* After making your selections, click “Done” or “Save” to apply the changes. Google Drive will then update its sync settings.
Explanation of Options
* Syncing Specific Folders: This is the most common and flexible option. You can choose to sync only your “Pictures” folder or specific folders containing photos and videos. Unchecking a folder stops new items in that folder from being backed up.
* Disconnecting Computer: This option is useful if you no longer want to use Google Drive or Google Photos on your computer at all. It removes the connection between your computer and your Google account. You will need to sign in again if you want to re-enable syncing in the future.
Important Notes for Desktop Unsyncing
* Existing Backups: Unsyncing on your desktop does not remove photos and videos already backed up to Google Photos. They will remain in your Google Photos cloud storage.
* Deleting Files: If you delete files from a synced folder on your computer while it’s still connected to Google Drive, the files will also be deleted from Google Photos (after being moved to the trash). Be careful when deleting files after unsyncing to avoid accidentally deleting them from your Google Photos backup.
4. Managing Backup on Google Drive (Web)
While the primary sync controls reside within the Google Photos app on your devices or the Google Drive desktop app, you can also manage some backup settings from the Google Drive web interface. This is primarily related to photos uploaded through Google Drive, not directly through the Google Photos app on your phone.
Steps:
1. Open Google Drive in a Web Browser:
* Go to drive.google.com in your web browser and sign in to your Google account.
2. Go to Settings:
* Click on the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the screen and select “Settings”.
3. Manage Google Photos Integration:
* In the Settings menu, look for an option related to “Google Photos” or “Create a Google Photos folder”.
* The options here might be limited, but you might be able to control whether photos uploaded to Google Drive are automatically added to Google Photos. If you see an option to disable this integration, you can do so.
Limitations
The Google Drive web interface offers limited control over Google Photos backup. The primary settings are managed through the Google Photos app or the Google Drive desktop app.
5. Checking and Managing Existing Backups in Google Photos
After unsyncing, it’s a good idea to review your Google Photos library to ensure that the photos you want to keep are safely backed up and that you’re not unnecessarily storing unwanted items. Here’s how:
1. Open Google Photos in a Web Browser or App:
* Go to photos.google.com in your web browser or open the Google Photos app on your phone or tablet.
2. Review Your Library:
* Browse through your photos and videos. Pay attention to items that you might have accidentally backed up or that you no longer need.
3. Delete Unwanted Items:
* Select the photos and videos you want to delete. Click on the trash can icon to move them to the trash.
4. Empty the Trash:
* To permanently delete the items and free up storage space, go to the “Trash” or “Bin” section in Google Photos (usually found in the menu) and click on “Empty trash”.
Important Notes on Deleting
* Deletion is Permanent: Once you empty the trash, the deleted photos and videos are permanently removed from your Google Photos account and cannot be recovered (unless you have another backup).
* Synced Devices: Deleting photos from Google Photos will also delete them from any synced devices if the backup and sync feature is enabled on those devices. Be careful when deleting to avoid accidentally losing photos from your devices.
* Freeing Up Storage: Deleting photos and videos from Google Photos is the only way to free up storage space in your Google account if those items were using storage.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
* Photos Still Uploading After Unsyncing: If you’re still seeing photos uploading to Google Photos after you’ve unsynced, double-check that you’ve disabled backup and sync on all your devices. Also, make sure that you haven’t accidentally enabled backup for specific folders.
* Storage Still Full After Deleting Photos: After deleting photos, it might take some time for your Google account storage to reflect the changes. Also, remember to empty the trash to permanently delete the items and free up space.
* Can’t Find the Google Drive Icon: If you can’t find the Google Drive icon on your desktop, make sure that the Google Drive for desktop application is installed and running. You might need to restart your computer.
* Photos Missing After Deleting: If you’ve accidentally deleted photos from Google Photos and they’re also missing from your devices, check your device’s trash or recently deleted folder. You might be able to recover them from there. If not, and you don’t have another backup, the photos are likely permanently lost.
Alternatives to Google Photos
If you’re looking for alternatives to Google Photos, here are a few popular options:
* iCloud Photos: If you’re an Apple user, iCloud Photos is a natural choice for backing up your photos and videos. It integrates seamlessly with your Apple devices.
* Amazon Photos: Amazon Photos offers unlimited photo storage for Prime members and provides a good alternative to Google Photos.
* Microsoft OneDrive: OneDrive is Microsoft’s cloud storage service and includes photo backup features. It’s a good option if you’re already using other Microsoft services.
* Dropbox: While primarily a file storage service, Dropbox also offers photo and video backup capabilities.
* Local Backup (External Hard Drive): For maximum control over your data, you can back up your photos and videos to an external hard drive.
Conclusion
Unsyncing Google Photos is a straightforward process, but it’s essential to understand the implications and ensure you have an alternative backup strategy in place. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can effectively manage your photo backups and control which devices and folders are synced with Google Photos. Remember to review your Google Photos library regularly and delete any unwanted items to free up storage space. And don’t forget to explore alternative backup options to find the solution that best meets your needs.