Migrate Google Photos to iCloud, OneDrive, S3 or NAS

What is Google Photos?

Google Photos is the consumer photo-storage service backing every Android device — over 1 billion users sync photos to it across Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi and other Android phones, plus iPhone users who chose Google Photos for its superior search and free unlimited storage tier (which ended June 1, 2021). Today, every photo or video uploaded counts against the Google Account's 15 GB free quota shared with Gmail, Drive, and Calendar. Two backup quality modes: Original (full resolution, full quota cost) and Storage Saver (resized to 16 MP for photos, 1080p for videos, smaller quota cost). Google One paid plans extend the quota: $1.99/mo for 100 GB, $2.99 for 200 GB, $9.99 for 2 TB, scaling up to 30 TB.

Migrating Google Photos out is constrained by Google's deliberate API limits — the public Library API allows just 10,000 requests/day per project, with each photo upload counting as a request, making large-library migrations slow without partner-program access. Google Takeout works for one-shot exports but produces massive ZIP archives you must download, unzip, and re-upload manually. CloudsLinker uses Google's standard OAuth and respects the 10K/day cap with automatic pacing — typical 50K-photo libraries complete over several days of background transfer. The connector preserves photo and video originals, EXIF metadata (date taken, GPS, camera model), and album structure where the destination supports it. Live Photos transfer as paired image+video files; HEIC stays HEIC where the destination accepts it.

Key features of Google Photos

15 GB free, shared with Gmail / Drive

Free Google accounts get 15 GB pooled across Gmail, Drive, Photos. Photos at original quality consume this fast — average 4 MB per HEIC, ~30 MB per Live Photo, hundreds of MB per 4K video.

Google One: 100 GB → 30 TB

Paid Google One: $1.99/mo (100 GB), $2.99/mo (200 GB), $9.99/mo (2 TB). Plans extend up to 30 TB for power users.

Storage Saver vs Original

Storage Saver resizes photos > 16 MP to 16 MP, videos > 1080p to 1080p — 60–80 % smaller files. Original preserves full resolution. CloudsLinker reads whatever was uploaded.

Library API: 10,000 requests/day

Google Photos Library API capped at 10,000 requests per day per project. Each photo upload / list call counts. Heavy migrations take multiple days; partner-program apps get higher quotas.

Original tier ended June 2021

Google Photos was unlimited free for Storage Saver until June 1, 2021. Photos backed up before that date don't count against quota — keep older accounts intact.

Albums and face tags don't transfer

Album structure transfers to destinations that support albums. Google's face-recognition tags are Google-only metadata — neither CloudsLinker nor any third-party tool can preserve them cross-provider.

Why connect Google Photos to CloudsLinker

CloudsLinker connects to Google Photos through Google's official OAuth 2.0 flow with photo read scopes. Once authorized, transfers run server-to-server using the Google Photos Library API — albums and media items are enumerated in batches that respect the per-day quota, and downloads happen at original quality (when 'Original' was the upload setting). Common destinations include iCloud Photos, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, Synology Photos, Immich on a home NAS, or S3-compatible cold storage.

What you can do with Google Photos on CloudsLinker

Original-quality migration

Migrate Google Photos to iCloud Photos, OneDrive, Synology, Immich or S3 at original quality — full resolution preserved when the source was uploaded as Original (not Storage Saver).

Faster than Google Takeout

No multi-GB ZIP downloads, no manual re-upload to the destination. CloudsLinker streams directly between Google's servers and the destination over OAuth-authenticated APIs.

Scheduled photo backup

Set hourly / daily / weekly sync from Google Photos to a permanent archive (Wasabi, B2, Synology). The only practical way to keep an off-Google copy fresh.

Filter by date, album, type

Migrate only photos from 2024–2026, skip 4K videos > 5 GB, or back up just one specific Album. Stack rules to handle multi-TB photo libraries efficiently.

Common Google Photos transfer scenarios

Switch from Android to iPhone: migrate Google Photos → iCloud Photos

Apple's official privacy.apple.com tool transfers iCloud → Google Photos but not the reverse direction. CloudsLinker copies your entire Google Photos library to iCloud Photos preserving original quality (HEIC stays HEIC, video stays original codec), folder structure, and EXIF metadata. Multi-thousand-photo libraries complete in a few days due to Google's 10K/day API cap.

Self-hosted photo archive: Google Photos → Synology Photos / Immich on home NAS

Privacy-focused families want photos on hardware they own — Synology Photos, Immich, or PhotoPrism running on a home NAS. CloudsLinker migrates the entire Google Photos library to Synology / WebDAV / SFTP destinations preserving originals. After migration, point your phones at the home server's mobile app for ongoing sync.

3-2-1 backup of Google Photos to Wasabi / B2

Google's own retention policy is your only backup — accidental deletion (or account ban) means permanent loss after 30 days. Schedule a CloudsLinker monthly incremental from Google Photos to Wasabi ($6.99/TB) or B2 ($6/TB) with Object Lock for ransomware-resistant immutability.

Cold-archive years of older photos to cheaper storage

If you're paying $9.99/mo for Google One 2 TB but most of it is photos from 2014–2020, archive cold years to B2 ($6/TB) or S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval ($0.004/GB) and downsize Google One to 200 GB ($2.99/mo). CloudsLinker filters by date range to identify cold content.

Cross-account consolidation: family Google accounts → shared OneDrive Family

Households with multiple personal Google accounts (one per family member, each at 15 GB free) often want a unified family library. CloudsLinker connects each Google account separately and copies into a shared OneDrive Family (1 TB × 6 users = 6 TB total) for centralized access.

How to connect Google Photos to CloudsLinker

Google Photos uses standard OAuth 2.0 through Google’s authorization page.

Connection steps

Open CloudsLinker and click Add Cloud → choose Google Photos. (For accounts using the new Photo Picker flow, choose New Google Photos instead.)
The browser redirects to Google’s official OAuth page (accounts.google.com). Verify the domain before signing in.
Sign in with the Google account that owns the photos.
Review the requested scopes — CloudsLinker requests Photos read access. Click Allow.
(For New Google Photos:) Use Google’s Photo Picker to select the specific photos / albums to share with CloudsLinker.
You’re redirected back to CloudsLinker with the connection active. Google Photos appears in your cloud list, ready to use as source.

Library API vs Photo Picker

Google has begun phasing out broad Library API access for general apps, in favor of the user-controlled Photo Picker. If your CloudsLinker UI shows both Google Photos (legacy Library API) and New Google Photos (Picker-based), pick whichever your Google account supports — newer accounts default to Picker.

Revoke access

To revoke CloudsLinker’s OAuth later: https://myaccount.google.com → Security → Third-party apps with account access → find CloudsLinker → Remove Access. Token becomes immediately invalid.

Google Photos upload & download limits you should know

Google Photos quotas split between consumer storage (shared with Gmail/Drive) and API request rates (deliberately throttled to encourage Photos web/app use):

Storage: 15 GB free shared across Gmail, Drive, Photos. Google One paid: $1.99/mo (100 GB), $2.99 (200 GB), $9.99/mo (2 TB), scaling to 30 TB.
Backup quality modes:
- Original: full resolution, full file size, full quota cost.
- Storage Saver: photos > 16 MP resized to 16 MP, videos > 1080p resized to 1080p. ~60–80 % smaller files.
Photos backed up before June 1, 2021 in High Quality / Storage Saver mode are grandfathered and don’t count against quota.
Library API rate limit: 10,000 requests per day per project. Each photo upload, list, or media call counts.
Throttling: Google returns HTTP 429 when limits are hit. CloudsLinker auto-paces and resumes.
Partner program: higher API quotas for large consumer apps; not generally available.
Recently Deleted: 60 days, then permanent deletion.
Maximum file size per photo: no published cap; in practice, photos > 100 MB are rare from camera devices.
Maximum video size: 10 GB per video file (any longer is rejected at upload).
Live Photos: stored as paired image + video in Google Photos. Transfer as paired files where destination supports.
Albums: structure preserved; Google-specific face recognition tags do not transfer to other clouds.

Sources: Google Photos Help: Storage policy, Google Photos APIs: Limits and quotas, Google Photos Help: Backup quality, Google blog: Storage policy change.

Google Photos + CloudsLinker — Frequently Asked Questions

How is this different from Google Takeout?

Google Takeout produces multi-GB ZIP archives that you must download to your computer, unzip, and manually re-upload to the destination. CloudsLinker streams directly between Google's servers and the destination over OAuth-authenticated APIs — no local download, no re-upload, no ZIP handling. Particularly faster for libraries above 50 GB where Takeout downloads can take days on home internet.

Are photos transferred at original quality?

Yes — CloudsLinker reads whatever quality was uploaded. If you backed up at Original quality, full resolution / full file size transfers. If you backed up at Storage Saver, the resized version is what's stored on Google Photos and what transfers (Google does not retain a separate Original copy when Storage Saver is selected).

Why does my migration take so long?

Google Photos Library API caps third-party apps at 10,000 requests per day per project. Each photo enumeration / download counts as a request. A 50K-photo library requires ~5 days at this cap. Apps in Google's partner program get higher quotas, but those are reserved for large consumer applications.

Does Google Photos cost extra storage?

Yes — since June 1, 2021, all newly-uploaded photos and videos count against your 15 GB Google Account quota (shared with Gmail and Drive). Photos uploaded before that date in High Quality / Storage Saver mode are grandfathered and don't count. Original-quality uploads always counted.

Do albums and face tags transfer?

Albums: structure transfers to destinations that support albums (iCloud Photos, Synology Photos, PhotoPrism). Face tags: Google's face-recognition tags are Google-only metadata — no third-party tool can preserve them cross-provider. Photos and embedded EXIF (date taken, GPS, camera model) do transfer.

What about Live Photos and HEIC?

Live Photos from iPhone uploaded to Google Photos remain as paired image+video. CloudsLinker transfers them as paired files where the destination supports the format (iCloud Photos, Synology Photos). HEIC stays HEIC where the destination accepts it; converts to JPEG on destinations that don't (Dropbox, S3 metadata-aware tools).

Can I use CloudsLinker with the new Google Photos Picker API?

The legacy Library API is being phased out for general scope; new integrations may use the Google Photo Picker instead, where users select specific photos / albums to share. CloudsLinker has a New Google Photos connector for the Picker-based flow alongside the legacy Library API connector — pick whichever your account supports.

Are my Google credentials safe with CloudsLinker?

Yes. CloudsLinker uses OAuth 2.0 — your Google password never leaves Google's own login page (accounts.google.com). CloudsLinker only receives a revocable access token. Revoke from myaccount.google.com → Security → Third-party apps with account access → CloudsLinker → Remove access.

How fast can CloudsLinker pull from Google Photos?

Capped by Google's 10,000 requests/day Library API limit. Translates to roughly 5,000–10,000 photos per day per OAuth connection (each photo needs a list call + download). Multi-thousand-photo libraries complete in days, not minutes. Partner-program apps would get higher rates but are reserved for large consumer applications.

Is this an official Google partnership?

No. CloudsLinker is a third-party tool that uses Google Photos' public OAuth and Library API. Revoke access anytime from myaccount.google.com → Security → Third-party apps.

Google Photos transfer guides

Step-by-step walkthroughs for moving data to and from Google Photos.

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Conclusion

Google Photos is the most popular photo cloud on Android — but Google's deliberate 10K/day API cap and ZIP-based Takeout make migration painful without the right tool. CloudsLinker streams cloud-to-cloud at original quality, preserves albums and EXIF, and respects Google's API quota with automatic pacing. Connect via OAuth and migrate to iCloud Photos / OneDrive / Synology / S3 in minutes (set up) and days (background transfer).

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