One factor Google actually desires you to do is, effectively, keep in Google — as a result of the extra you do issues the Google approach, the extra information the corporate can monetize. The result’s that whereas it’s doable to drag your emails, pictures, and different materials outdoors of the Googleverse, it’s just a bit bit tougher.

For instance, let’s say you wish to present an album of household pictures which can be saved on Google Photos to your favourite grandparent. If they’re fairly Google-savvy, it’s not an issue in any respect — you simply share the album with them.

Share a Photos album on the net

• Click on “Albums” within the left menu.
• Hover the cursor over the album you wish to share, and click on on the three dots.
• Click on “Share album.”

Another approach to go:

• Click on “Albums” within the left menu.
• Select the album you wish to share.
• Click on the “Share” icon within the upper-right nook.

Share an album utilizing the cell Photos app

• Tap on “Library” on the backside of the display screen.
• Select the album you wish to share.
• Select “Share.”

However, let’s say your grandparents wish to obtain copies of the pictures to e mail to a buddy or to add to a non-Google app. Then issues get barely extra sophisticated.

Download a Photos album on the net

Actually, sophisticated will be the unsuitable phrase. It’s not tough to obtain an album; you simply need to know the place to look.

• Click on “Albums” within the left menu.
• Open the album you wish to share, both by clicking on the album in the principle part or deciding on the album title within the left-hand column
• Click on the three dots within the upper-right nook and choose “Download all.”
• Google will then obtain a zipper file containing the pictures out of your album.

You also can obtain a number of albums (or all of your albums) through the use of Google Takeout, which helps you to export information being held in your Google Account:

• Go to the “Download your data” web page of your account.
• Click on “Deselect all” (as a result of this web page mechanically checks off each Google service you utilize).
• Page right down to Google Photos and choose it by clicking within the test field.
• Click on the button that claims “All photo albums included.” Again, click on on “Deselect all” after which test the packing containers of these albums you do wish to obtain. (Of course, if you’d like obtain all of your albums, then simply maintain it the way in which it’s.)
• Click on “Multiple formats” for details about how your pictures will likely be downloaded. For instance, the precise pictures will likely be downloaded in the identical format that they have been uploaded, whereas metadata will likely be downloaded as JSON information.
• Scroll down and click on on “Next step.”
• You can then select the way you’ll obtain your albums. You can obtain the file by way of an e mail hyperlink or have it ship to Dropbox, Drive, OneDrive, or Box. You also can select if you’d like this to be a one-time obtain, whether or not you need it as a ZIP or TGZ file, and what the utmost dimension of the file ought to be.
• Click on “Create export.” Be conscious that it could take some time so that you can obtain your export — According to Google, it may take hours or days (though after I tried it with a single album, it took a few minute).
• You will obtain an e mail informing you of the profitable obtain and providing you a hyperlink to obtain your information, or in case you select to ship them to a cloud storage service, to the place they have been despatched.

Grid View

Download an album utilizing the cell Photos app

The reply to that is quite simple: you’ll be able to’t. There are, nevertheless, a few workarounds that you need to use. For instance, you need to use Google Takeout utilizing your cell machine’s browser and observe the steps listed above. You also can share the pictures throughout the album to e mail or Google Drive, after which obtain them from there. This second methodology is fairly awkward, however it does work.

Here’s the way you share to e mail or Drive. (The pictures proven are from a Pixel 3 XL operating Android 12 beta, however the course of ought to be the identical for many Android telephones and iPhones.)

1. In the Photos app, choose “Library” from the underside of the display screen.
2. Look for the “Albums” heading, after which faucet on the album you wish to obtain.
3. Press and maintain onto the primary photograph till you see a test within the field within the upper-left nook of the photograph. Then drag your finger down till all of the pictures within the album are checked.
4. Tap on the “share” icon on the highest proper of the display screen.
5. From right here, you’ll be able to both e mail the pictures to your self (an oldie however goodie) or save them to your favourite on-line storage service and obtain them from there.

As extra individuals work utilizing their telephones quite than on laptops or different bigger programs, the lack to do sure duties on a cell machine — for instance, obtain an album — goes to change into, to say the least, irritating. Hopefully, Google will take be aware.

Update August thirtieth, 2021, 11:50AM ET: This article was initially printed on June 4th, 2019, and has been up to date to account for modifications within the Google Photos interface.