Google has now officially uncoupled Google Photos from Drive, and the two storage services no longer automatically keep their photos in sync. That means photos you’ve uploaded to one service, and any changes you make to them, no longer reliably show up in the other place.
The tech gaint says it made the change because some people found the relationship confusing. But if you like having your photos synced, we’ve found a workaround that can help you keep both storage services in lockstep. And to help, Google has a tool to help you keep the two apps in sync.
A new Google’s Backup and Sync desktop app for Windows and Mac will help you backup photos from your computer, camera or SD card to Drive and Photos, and the app will upload a copy to both Google services for you. Here’s how you set it up.
1. If you haven’t already, download Backup and Sync to your computer.
2. Follow the instructions to install it and sign in.
3. Grant the app permission to access your photos.
4. The app will install a folder on your computer called Google Drive, and you can drag photos and documents onto the folder to sync its contents with Drive on Google’s servers.
5. To sync other folders on your computer with Drive, open Backup and Sync preferences and select the folders you’d like to sync, such as Documents or Pictures.
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How to copy photos from Google Drive to Google Photos
Another option is to move photos and videos from Drive over to Photos using the new Google Photos Upload tool. The tool doesn’t sync these duplicate files, however, so changes you make in one spot won’t affect the copy kept in the other spot.
1. On the we version of photos on your browser, tap Upload in the top right corner.
2. To copy photos over from Drive, tap Google Drive in the menu.
3. Select the image or images you want to copy from Drive and then tap Upload at the bottom right of the window.
You’ll see a message saying your selection is being uploaded to Photos.
