As a long-time Android user and Google Photos enthusiast, I've navigated the platform's quirks to help you share and download albums effortlessly. While Google Photos excels at organization, exporting data requires a few extra steps. Follow these proven methods for web and mobile.
For instance, sharing a family photo album with your grandparents is simple if they're Google-savvy—just send them a link. But if they need downloadable copies for email or other apps, here's how.
Share a Photo Album on the Web
- Click "Albums" in the left menu.
- Hover over the desired album and click the three dots.
- Select "Share Album".
Alternative method:
- Click "Albums" in the left menu.
- Select the album.
- Click the "Share" icon in the upper right corner.
Share an Album Using the Photos Mobile App
- Tap "Library" at the bottom of the screen.
- Select the album.
- Tap "Share".
Downloading albums is straightforward on the web but more limited on mobile. Let's break it down.
Download a Photo Album on the Web
It's simpler than it seems:
- Click "Albums" in the left menu.
- Open the album by clicking it or selecting from the left column.
- Click the three dots in the top right and choose "Download All".
- Google creates a ZIP file with your photos.
For multiple albums or a full export, use Google Takeout:
- Visit the Download your data page.
- Click "Deselect all".
- Scroll to Google Photos, check it, and select "All photo albums included". Deselect all, then check specific albums.
- Choose "Multiple Formats" for export details (photos in original format, metadata as JSON).
- Click "Next Step".
- Select delivery (email, Drive, Dropbox, etc.), format (ZIP/TGZ), size, and frequency.
- Click "Create Export". It may take hours or days—in my tests with one album, it was under a minute.
- Get an email with the download link.
Download an Album Using the Photos Mobile App
No direct download option exists, but workarounds work well. Use Google Takeout in your mobile browser or share to email/Drive:
- In Photos, tap "Library".
- Tap the album under "Albums".
- Press and hold the first photo, then swipe to select all.
- Tap "Share".
- Email to yourself or save to Drive/other storage, then download.
As mobile usage grows, direct album downloads on phones would be ideal—hopefully coming soon from Google.
Updated August 30, 2021, 11:50 am ET: This article was originally published on June 4, 2019 and has been updated to reflect changes to the Google Photos interface.
