Best Ways to Download Photos from Google Drive: Complete Guide

Why Save Photos From Google Drive to Computer?

The reasons why users want to save photos from the drive on the system are: 

• Migrating data from one Google Drive to another Google or Microsoft account.
• Saving photos from the system of user offboarding from the organization. 
• Optimizing storage on the clouds and archiving data locally on the system. 
• Photos are required offline on the system or for users in remote areas.
• Use for evidence purposes in compliance and audit requirements.
• Shift from Google Cloud to on-premise or any other data storage server. 

Since 2019, when Google stopped the automatic sync between Google Drive and Google Photos and terminated direct downloads. It resulted in managing Google Photos being a hard task. Therefore, it is mandatory that the right solution is selected to download photos securely from Google Drive without any loss. 

How to Download Photos from Google Drive to Computer?

Use the manual methods or the professional tool provided below for image downloads from Google Drive. All the methods are discussed in detail to ensure a clean and secure download in less time and with accuracy. 

#1: Download Google Photos Into Local Drive via Web

1. Initially, sign in to your Google Drive account on the browser. 
2. Then, click My Drive or open the folder containing Photos. 
3. After that, select multiple Photos using the following keys: 

• On Windows: Ctrl + Click 
• On Mac: Cmd + Click 

1. Or, you can press Ctrl + A / Cmd + A to select all the photos inside the folder. 
2. Lastly, right-click the chosen Photos and click Download. 

What Happens?

Google Drive will compress all the selected photos into a ZIP file and save it on the system. This will possibly preserve your folder hierarchy, but the metadata and sharing permissions are not.

Cons: 

• ZIP file creation usually fails for very large and bulk Photos. 
• Browser timeouts can happen with photo sets of 5-10 GB+
• If the download is interrupted once, it cannot be resumed. 
• Suitable only for small or one-time downloads. 

#2: Download Photos from Google Drive by App 

1. Install the Google Drive Desktop App and sign in to your account. 
2. Then, during the setup, choose to Mirror files and not Stream. 
3. Afterward, select the folder from the Drive that contains Photos. 
4. Wait until the sync completes. Later, copy photos from the synced folder. 

What’s Different?

Photos are downloaded in the original quality directly without any .zip file compression. Also, a few large databases are supported, as compared to downloads from a browser. 

Cons: 

• This method consumes the local disk space, so you need extra space. 
• You need stable internet connectivity for continuous sync. 
• Unsuitable for one-time downloads or clearing shared drives’ space. 
• Ideal only for power users and the IT team with ongoing local access. 

#3: Download Photos from Google Drive with Takeout 

1. Start Google Takeout and from the options, select Photos/Drive only. 
2. Then, click Next Step and choose a file size and export frequency as Once. 
3. Afterwards, pick the export format as ZIP or TGZ for Photos. 
4. Finally, tap Create Export to download your Photos and Drive data in bulk. 

Why Takeout?

Google Takeout can handle bulk volumes and maintains folder hierarchy upto an extent. Also, it is stable, and downloads can be resumed if interrupted. 

Cons: 

• The export time can take from hours to days or more. 
• Not suitable for very large datasets and high-quality images. 
• No selective file type filtering options available for downloads. 
• It handles large photo libraries but contains a high risk. 

#4: Download Google Photos into Local Drive Professionally

The smartest way to download Photos from Drive is using the SysInfo Google Drive Migrator Tool. It allows you to save the entire Google Drive data at once on your system, and that too with complete accuracy and preserved data integrity and folder structure. Additionally, it is very easy to use and suited for all versions of Windows and Mac OS. Moreover, its Demo Version lets you save files of less than 20 MB at no cost. 

Steps to Download Photos From Google Drive to Computer

1. Launch the Google Drive Backup Tool and click Next.

2. Then, select your Google Drive account and click OK.

3. Further, select the folder containing Photos from the tree and tap Next.

4. Afterward, apply the filters as desired and click Next.

5. Select Local Drive as your destination and click Next.

6. Finally, pick a destination, give your file a name, and click OK to download.

Why Backup Tool?

It is user-friendly, allows batch exports, and also gives 24*7 technical support. Moreover, experts highly trust this software, and it even ensures that no loss occurs. 

Pros:

• Multiple Photos export to the desired destination. 
• Safe downloads with original quality and 100% accuracy. 
• Secure OAuth authentication in the Drive account. 
• Saves time and cost, and is an effortless process. 

Conclusion

It sounds trivial to download Photos from Google Drive until scale, time, and data security are essential. Manual methods work for small to medium-sized databases, but for large databases, advanced tools are the only solution. The Google Drive Backup Software is such a dependable solution to manage large Photo repositories, download without any missing or lost images in the process. It ensures that business operations resume and the download takes place flawlessly in the minimal possible time with precision.

Frequently Asked Questions

About The Author:

Simran Bhatia

Simran Bhatia is a technical content writer engaged in writing clear, concise, and SEO-optimized content. With a background in computer science and a passion for writing, I thrive to deliver complex technical content in simple layman terms.