Guide2026-06-03

How to Move Photos from iCloud to Google Photos

Switching from iCloud to Google Photos? Here's a step-by-step guide to moving your entire photo library without losing a single image.

Person holding iPhone with Google Photos

Whether you're switching to Android, want a cheaper storage plan, or just prefer Google's interface — moving from iCloud to Google Photos is very doable. Here's how.

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

A Mac running macOS 14 or later

A Google account with enough storage for your library

Enough free space on your Mac or an external drive

Time — large libraries can take hours to transfer

Step 1 — Download Your Photos from iCloud

First you need to get your photos off iCloud and onto your Mac or an external drive.

The easiest way is to use Migrate Moments:

Download Migrate Moments free on your Mac

Connect an external drive

Scan your library and export all photos to your drive

Your photos are saved organised by year and month as original files

Alternatively use the Photos app:

Go to Photos → Settings → iCloud

Select Download Originals to this Mac

Wait for everything to download

Export via File → Export → Export Unmodified Originals

Step 2 — Upload to Google Photos

Once your photos are on your Mac or external drive:

Go to photos.google.com in your browser

Click Upload → Computer

Select your photo folders

Wait for the upload to complete

For very large libraries the Google Photos desktop uploader app is faster:

Download Google Photos Backup from google.com

Point it at your photo folders

It uploads automatically in the background

Step 3 — Verify Everything Transferred

Before deleting anything from iCloud:

Check the photo count in Google Photos matches your iCloud library

Spot check some albums and dates to make sure everything is there

Check that videos transferred correctly — these sometimes get skipped

Step 4 — Set Google Photos as Your Default

On iPhone:

Download the Google Photos app

Open it and enable Backup

In settings, turn off iCloud Photos if you want Google Photos to be your only service

What About Live Photos?

Live Photos export as a still image plus a separate video file. Google Photos supports Live Photos on iPhone so they should display correctly once uploaded.

Will I Lose My Albums?

iCloud albums don't transfer automatically to Google Photos. You'll need to recreate them manually or use a third party migration tool. Your photos will all be there — just not organised into the same albums.