--- title: "Google Photos: what's possible and the Takeout route" url: https://storagestudio.us/wiki/google-photos category: "Cloud accounts" tags: ["cloud accounts", "google photos", "google drive", "data transfers"] summary: "Google Photos can't be added as a new account, because since March 2025 Google lets an app see only the photos it uploaded itself. To bring your library across, export it with Google Takeout to a connected drive and copy it with Data Transfers." updated: 2026-10-01T05:32:05.000Z --- # Google Photos: what's possible and the Takeout route Google Photos can't be added as a new account, because since March 2025 Google lets an app see only the photos it uploaded itself. To bring your library across, export it with Google Takeout to a connected drive and copy it with Data Transfers. You can't add Google Photos as a new account in Storage Studio. In March 2025 Google stopped letting apps like Storage Studio read your Google Photos library: an app can now see only the photos it uploaded itself, so a connection would show an empty library. The way to bring your photos across is **Google Takeout** — export the library to a cloud drive you've connected, then copy it with Data Transfers. ## What you see when you choose Google Photos **Google Photos** is still in the **Add Account** list, so you can find it. Choosing it shows **Google Photos isn't available right now** and explains why, instead of a sign-in that would end in an empty folder. The card has an **Open Google Takeout** button, which opens Google Takeout in your browser. ## The Takeout route, step by step Google Takeout is Google's own export service. It can deliver your whole library straight to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or Box. 1. Connect the account you want the export to land in, if you haven't already — for example [Google Drive](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/connecting-google-drive), [Dropbox](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/connecting-dropbox), [OneDrive](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/connecting-onedrive) or [Box](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/connecting-box). 2. In Storage Studio, choose Google Photos in **Add Account** and click **Open Google Takeout** (or go to Google Takeout in your browser). 3. In Takeout, choose Google Photos and ask for the export to be delivered to that same cloud account. Google prepares the export, which can take a while for a big library. 4. When the export has arrived in the account, open [Data Transfers](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-transfers) and click **New Transfer**. 5. Choose **Copy**. For **Source**, browse the cloud account to the export folder. For **Destination**, pick a folder on your Mac or your external drive. 6. Start the transfer. ```mermaid %% caption: Getting a Google Photos library onto your Mac or external drive flowchart LR A[Google Photos library] -->|Google Takeout export| B[A cloud drive you've connected] B -->|Data Transfers, Copy| C{Where should it go?} C --> D[A folder on your Mac] C --> E[Your external drive] ``` *Flowchart — Getting a Google Photos library onto your Mac or external drive. Outline:* - Google Photos library - Google Takeout export: leads to A cloud drive you've connected - A cloud drive you've connected - Data Transfers, Copy: leads to Where should it go? - Where should it go? - leads to A folder on your Mac - leads to Your external drive Copying to your external drive keeps the photos off your Mac's built-in disk. If you want to check what will be copied before anything moves, turn on **Dry run (preview only)** — see [trying a transfer first with Dry run](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/dry-run). ## If you connected Google Photos before A Google Photos account that was added in an earlier version still shows in your list, but Google's rule applies to it too: - it's offered only as a **destination** in Data Transfers, never as a source, because reading from it returns nothing; - it doesn't appear in [the Storage Studio location in Finder](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-storage-studio-location-in-finder) — see [why Google Photos isn't in the Finder location](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/google-photos-and-the-finder-location); - it can't be used as a backup destination. You can keep it or remove it — see [testing, editing and removing an account](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/testing-editing-and-removing-an-account). Removing it doesn't touch your photos at Google. ## Photos from Apple If the photos you want are in iCloud Photos under a different Apple ID, that library *can* be read directly — see [iCloud Photos of another Apple ID](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/icloud-photos-of-another-apple-id). - **Can I see all my cloud accounts in Finder on a Mac?** Yes. Storage Studio adds a "Storage Studio" location to Finder's sidebar, with each connected cloud account and paired device as a folder inside, and a Finder button in the app's main window opens it. Files stay in the cloud until you open them. Folders you have visited open straight away and… (https://storagestudio.us/faq) See also: [Cloud accounts](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/cloud-accounts) · [Accounts Storage Studio doesn't connect](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/accounts-we-dont-connect) · [Copying between two cloud accounts](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/copying-between-two-cloud-accounts) ## What links here - [Accounts Storage Studio doesn't connect](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/accounts-we-dont-connect) - [Cloud accounts](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/cloud-accounts) - [Connecting Google Drive](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/connecting-google-drive) - [Copying between two cloud accounts](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/copying-between-two-cloud-accounts) - [The cloud folder browser](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-cloud-folder-browser) - [Using your own sign-in credentials for an account](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/using-your-own-app-credentials) - [Why Google Photos isn't in the Finder location](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/google-photos-and-the-finder-location) - [iCloud Photos of another Apple ID](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/icloud-photos-of-another-apple-id)