{"id":"backups.can-i-back-up-to-google-photos","url":"/faq/backups/can-i-back-up-to-google-photos","category":{"id":"backups","title":"Backups & restore points"},"subcategory":{"id":"destinations","title":"Where backups go"},"question":"Can I use Google Photos as a backup destination?","alt_questions":["back up to Google Photos Storage Studio","Google Photos Data Backup","Why isn't Google Photos in the destination menu?","save backups in Google Photos"],"short_answer":"No. Google Photos can't hold backup files, and Google Photos accounts can't be added right now after Google's 2025 rule change. Back up your photo folder to a drive or another cloud account instead.","answer_markdown":"No. Google Photos can't be a Data Backup destination — it only stores photos and videos, not the kind of files a backup is made of — and Google Photos accounts can't be added to Storage Studio right now anyway, after Google changed its rules for third-party apps in 2025.\n\nTo protect your photo library, back up the folder it lives in to a drive or to another cloud account. To get photos *out* of Google Photos, use Google Takeout.","answer_html":"

No. Google Photos can't be a Data Backup destination — it only stores photos and videos, not the kind of files a backup is made of — and Google Photos accounts can't be added to Storage Studio right now anyway, after Google changed its rules for third-party apps in 2025.

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To protect your photo library, back up the folder it lives in to a drive or to another cloud account. To get photos out of Google Photos, use Google Takeout.

","answer_text":"No. Google Photos can't be a Data Backup destination — it only stores photos and videos, not the kind of files a backup is made of — and Google Photos accounts can't be added to Storage Studio right now anyway, after Google changed its rules for third-party apps in 2025.\n\nTo protect your photo library, back up the folder it lives in to a drive or to another cloud account. To get photos out of Google Photos, use Google Takeout.","tags":["google photos","destination","photos"],"related":[{"id":"backups.where-can-i-back-up-to","question":"Where can Storage Studio back up my files to?","url":"/faq/backups/where-can-i-back-up-to"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Can I use Google Photos as a backup destination? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"No. Google Photos can't hold backup files, and Google Photos accounts can't be added right now after Google's 2025 rule change. Back up your photo folder to a drive or another cloud account instead.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Backups & restore points","path":"/faq/backups/"},{"name":"Can I use Google Photos as a backup destination?","path":"/faq/backups/can-i-back-up-to-google-photos"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/backups/can-i-back-up-to-google-photos","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Can I use Google Photos as a backup destination?","alternateName":["back up to Google Photos Storage Studio","Google Photos Data Backup","Why isn't Google Photos in the destination menu?","save backups in Google Photos"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No. Google Photos can't be a Data Backup destination — it only stores photos and videos, not the kind of files a backup is made of — and Google Photos accounts can't be added to Storage Studio right now anyway, after Google changed its rules for third-party apps in 2025.\n\nTo protect your photo library, back up the folder it lives in to a drive or to another cloud account. To get photos out of Google Photos, use Google Takeout.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/backups/can-i-back-up-to-google-photos"}}]},"fragment":"
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Backups & restore points · Where backups go

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Can I use Google Photos as a backup destination?

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Short answer: No. Google Photos can't hold backup files, and Google Photos accounts can't be added right now after Google's 2025 rule change. Back up your photo folder to a drive or another cloud account instead.

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No. Google Photos can't be a Data Backup destination — it only stores photos and videos, not the kind of files a backup is made of — and Google Photos accounts can't be added to Storage Studio right now anyway, after Google changed its rules for third-party apps in 2025.

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To protect your photo library, back up the folder it lives in to a drive or to another cloud account. To get photos out of Google Photos, use Google Takeout.

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