Google Drive Ends Automatic Google Photos Backups From Today: What Desktop Users Must Change

Google Drive for desktop reaches an important cut-off on August 10, 2026. From today, the desktop app will no longer back up computer photos and videos directly to Google Photos. Anyone who relied on a Pictures folder, camera-import folder, or another local directory quietly uploading through Drive needs to move that job to Google Photos itself.

Google is not discontinuing Drive for desktop. File streaming, mirroring and ordinary Google Drive syncing continue. The change is limited to the Google Photos backup feature, according to Google’s official Drive Help documentation.

What Changes For Google Drive And Google Photos Users Today?

Google began warning users on June 15, 2026, when it stopped allowing new Google Photos backup folders to be configured through Drive for desktop. Existing folders kept uploading during the transition. That grace period ends on August 10.

The official Google Drive Help page says users must reselect their preferred folders in the new Google Photos interface. Photos and videos already uploaded will remain in Google Photos, so the deadline does not delete an existing cloud library.

This is a workflow change rather than a storage migration. Google Drive can still sync normal files and folders with the cloud, while Google Photos now handles photo-folder backup through its own web interface.

Google had already been moving in this direction. A 9to5Google report documented web-based folder backup in 2024, allowing selected desktop folders to upload through photos.google.com without depending on Drive’s Photos integration.

What Desktop Users Need To Do Before New Photos Stop Syncing

Anyone who previously selected folders under “Back up to Google Photos” in Drive for desktop should set them up again at Google Photos. Google says previously backed-up items are recognised, so unchanged files already stored in Photos should not simply be uploaded again.

The switch is short, but skipping it can leave new camera files, edited images or downloaded photos sitting only on the computer.

• Open photos.google.com on the computer and sign in to the correct Google Account.
• Click Create and add photos, then choose Back up folders.
• Select each local folder that should keep sending photos and videos to Google Photos.
• Grant the browser permission to view and back up the selected folders.
• Check the backup status at the top of Google Photos and confirm the upload completes.
• Keep enough Google Account storage available, since Photos, Drive and Gmail share the account’s storage allowance.

Google’s computer backup instructions are worth checking before removing any old Drive settings.

The Browser Rule That Could Catch Users Out

The replacement does not behave exactly like Drive for desktop. Google says the Google Photos tab must stay open in the browser, or the Photos Web App must remain running, for automatic folder backup to continue in the background.

Close the tab and newly added photos will not automatically upload until the backup environment is available again. Users who treated Drive as a set-and-forget desktop utility should pay particular attention to this difference.

Google also says Apple Photos Library is not supported through the photos.google.com folder-backup method. Mac users with media stored there may need the Google Photos app on an iPhone or iPad instead.

What Happens To Existing Photos, Drive Files And Storage?

The biggest reassurance is simple: stopping Drive’s Google Photos backup does not remove media already stored in Google Photos. Google states that ending a folder backup only prevents future uploads. Existing cloud copies remain unless the user manually deletes them.

Drive for desktop also remains useful for documents, spreadsheets, videos, and other files stored in Google Drive. Users can continue choosing between streaming and mirroring for My Drive content.

Storage rules do not change with the switch. Google’s official Photos overview says every Google Account includes 15 GB shared across Google Photos, Gmail and Google Drive. Large photo libraries can therefore still push an account toward its limit.

Users should also review upload quality. Google offers Original quality for unchanged size and quality, while Storage saver reduces file size to use less cloud storage.

For desktop photographers, creators and families with years of folders on PCs or Macs, August 10 is mainly a configuration deadline. The photos do not vanish. The automatic route changes.

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