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Open the Google Photos app, tap Photos, and check the featured Memories carousel. The 2025 Recap appears at the front of that carousel when it is first available. During December, a Recap you have already watched moves to the back of the carousel and is pinned in Collections. After the new year, Google says to open the Photos grid, scroll to December, and look for the Recap pinned at the top. The annual Recap is currently a mobile feature, not a desktop feature.
Where Google Photos puts your Recap
Google changes the Recap’s location as the season progresses, so the right place to look depends on when you are searching. Google’s current help instructions describe the 2025 Recap; labels and placement for a later year may differ.
| When you look | Where to check | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| When the Recap first becomes available | Photos tab, featured Memories carousel | The Recap is placed at the front of the carousel when available. |
| Later in December, after you have watched it | The back of the featured Memories carousel or Collections | Google keeps the viewed Recap in the carousel and pins it in Collections. |
| After the new year | Photos grid, under December | The Recap is pinned at the top of that month. Google also describes saving it to the photo grid. |
These locations apply to the annual Recap, not to every Memory or Highlight video. A normal featured Memory can have different controls and can be available on the web, while Google specifically says the annual Recap is not currently available on desktop.
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Find the Recap during December
Use the Android app
- Open the current Google Photos app on your Android phone or tablet.
- Confirm that you are signed in to the Google Account that contains the year’s backed-up photos.
- Tap Photos in the app’s main navigation.
- Look across the featured Memories carousel near the top of the screen. When the Recap is ready, Google places the 2025 Recap at the front of this carousel.
- Tap the Recap to play it.
If you have notifications enabled for Google Photos, the app may alert you when the Recap is ready. A notification is optional; not receiving one does not by itself prove that you are ineligible.
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Return to a Recap you already watched
During December, a viewed Recap is no longer necessarily the first card you see. Swipe to the back of the featured Memories carousel, or open Collections and look for the pinned Recap. This is the quickest route when you remember watching the video but cannot find it at the front of Photos.
Find the Recap after the new year
- Open Google Photos and tap Photos.
- Scroll through the photo grid until you reach the month labeled December.
- Check the top of that month for the Recap pinned above or alongside the month’s photos.
- Open the pinned item to watch it again.
Google’s instructions also describe manually saving the Recap to the photo grid. If you used that command, the saved video can be found with the December material rather than only through the seasonal Memories carousel. The exact button wording can change with the app version, so use the save command shown in the Recap’s own menu.
Why a Recap may not appear
Recap generation depends on the account, the year’s photo coverage, face-group settings, the app version, and backup status. Check each condition instead of assuming that the video was deleted.
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|---|---|---|
| Photos across the year | Google says there must be enough photos throughout the year to create a Recap. | Review whether the account has a reasonable spread of photos over the year, not just a few images from one month. |
| Face Groups | Face Groups must be enabled, and your own face must be selected. | Open Google Photos settings, find the Face Groups controls, turn the feature on if needed, and select your face. Menu names can vary by app version. |
| App version | Google lists the latest Google Photos app as a prerequisite. | Update Google Photos through your device’s app store, then reopen it and check the Memories carousel again. |
| Backup | Backup must be enabled for that year’s content. | Check the account’s backup status and make sure the photos you expect the Recap to use belong to that account and have finished backing up. |
| Gemini features | Google describes Gemini features as an enhanced experience in the United States, not as a universal requirement. | Do not treat Gemini as mandatory outside the stated US enhancement. The core eligibility checks remain photos, Face Groups, the current app, and backup. |
| Timing | The instructions are seasonal and currently describe the 2025 Recap. | Check the carousel in December, then check the December section of the grid after the year changes. Future years may use different labels or timing. |
If all prerequisites look correct
Close and reopen Google Photos after updating it and allow time for the account to finish processing. Verify that you are not viewing a different Google Account, especially if the phone has personal and work accounts. Then check the seasonal locations in order: the front of the Memories carousel, the back of the carousel, Collections, and finally the December section of the grid after the new year.
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Do not look for the annual Recap at photos.google.com. Google Photos Help states, “Currently, Google Photos Recap isn’t available on desktop.” The web version can show and manage some ordinary featured Memories, but that does not establish web access to the annual Recap.
Personalize the Recap inside Google Photos
Hide photos or people
Google Photos provides a quick personalization route before you generate the final video. In the Recap editing flow, hide individual photos you do not want included, or hide particular people. This is useful when the year contains duplicates, accidental screenshots, private moments, or someone you do not want featured.
- Open the Recap from the Memories carousel or the December section of the grid.
- Choose the edit or customization control shown for that Recap.
- Review the people and photos selected for the video.
- Hide the unwanted person or photo.
- Use the command to regenerate or create the final video.
Hiding an item in this flow changes the Recap selection; it is not the same as deleting the original from your Google Photos library. Keep the distinction in mind before confirming any separate delete command.
Review the result before sharing
Play the regenerated video from start to finish. Check that the selected people, dates, and photos match what you intended, and make sure no private image appears in a frame or short clip you plan to send. If the result still includes an unwanted item, return to the selection controls, hide it, and regenerate again.
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Save and share the finished video
Save a copy to your Photos grid
Google documents saving the Recap memory. Open the Recap’s action menu and choose the save command offered by the app. Saving gives you a route back through the photo grid after the seasonal carousel changes, although the exact label and icon can vary between releases.
A saved Recap remains subject to the account and device state used to create it. Before changing accounts or clearing app data, confirm that the saved item is visible in Photos and that any important copy has been downloaded or shared through a destination you control.
Share the full video or shorter pieces
The share controls can offer several formats:
- The full Recap video: use this when recipients should see the complete yearly story.
- Short clips: choose a smaller section for a message or social post.
- Collages: share a still-image arrangement when a video is unnecessary.
Open the Recap, tap its share control, select the format offered, choose the destination, and confirm the recipients. Review the preview and recipient list first. Sharing a link or file can expose every photo included in that version, so remove or hide anything that should stay private before sending it.
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What the optional workflow does
- In Google Photos, choose the photos you want to use for a more customized video.
- Remove photos you do not want to send to the external editor, or add the photos you do want included.
- Choose the Google Photos Recap template option when it is offered in the handoff.
- In CapCut, select music from CapCut’s own library and adjust the edit using the controls available there.
- Review the finished edit and export or share it from the external app according to its current options.
The exact integration screen can change, and CapCut’s own account, storage, privacy, and music terms apply. Only send the images you have deliberately selected. If a photo contains another person, a child, a document, a location, or other sensitive information, consider whether that image should leave Google Photos before you continue.
When CapCut is unnecessary
Stay in Google Photos if you only need to hide a person, remove a photo, regenerate the Recap, save it, or share the full video, a clip, or a collage. The external route is useful for additional template and music choices, not a prerequisite for finding or preserving the official Recap.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Organize Recap-related creations
The annual Recap and other creations are related but are not identical categories. Google’s general Android Memories guidance says saved creations appear in the Photos view and can be located with search.
Search for saved creations
- Open Google Photos and go to the main Photos view.
- Tap the search field.
- Enter
Creationsto look for saved creations generally. - To narrow the search, enter a creation type such as
Highlight videos. - Open the result and use its save, share, or other available actions.
This search is a general organization tool. It does not guarantee that every element of an annual Recap will be indexed as a separate creation, so use the seasonal Recap locations as your primary route for the official yearly video.
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Create a simple personal filing system
After saving a Recap, use a consistent name or album location if Google Photos offers those controls for the item. A practical scheme is to keep the original Recap in the December area, place any edited version in a clearly named album, and reserve a separate album for clips or collages shared with others. Keeping the original and edited versions distinct prevents an export from being mistaken for the source Recap.
Platform and account limitations
Desktop
The annual Recap is not currently available on desktop. Do not expect to find it by signing in at photos.google.com, even though the web interface supports other Memories features. Use the supported mobile app workflow instead.
iPhone and iPad
The supplied Recap instructions provide Android steps. Google’s general Memories documentation has platform-specific navigation for iOS, so button names and settings may differ on an iPhone or iPad. Look for the Photos tab and featured Memories in the current iOS app, then follow the year-specific prompts Google presents. If a control is absent, consult the current Google Photos Help instructions for your device rather than applying an Android menu path literally.
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Recap eligibility is tied to the account whose photos, Face Groups, and backup state Google is processing. If the video is missing, tap your profile picture and verify the active account before changing settings. Switching accounts can make the same device appear to have lost a Recap when the video is simply associated with another library.
A repeatable checklist for next year
- Keep Google Photos updated before the seasonal Recap period.
- Use the Google Account you want associated with the video.
- Maintain backup for the year’s photos.
- Enable Face Groups and select your own face if you want the full eligibility path Google describes.
- Check the featured Memories carousel in December.
- After watching, check the back of the carousel and Collections.
- After the new year, check the December section of the Photos grid.
- Hide unwanted people or photos before regenerating the final video.
- Save the Recap and verify that the saved item is visible before relying on it as your archive.
- Review every frame before sharing the full video, a clip, or a collage.
- Use the Creations search for related saved videos, while treating the annual Recap’s own seasonal locations as authoritative.
What to expect from future Recaps
Google’s current documentation is explicitly year-sensitive: it describes the 2025 Recap and its December-to-new-year placement. A later Recap may be released on a different schedule, use a revised carousel card, or change the names of its menus. The durable method is to start in the mobile app’s featured Memories carousel, verify the account and eligibility conditions, and then follow the year-specific location Google displays. Do not assume that a 2025 label or placement will remain permanent.
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