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The quickest method depends on how many screenshots you need to move. For a few files, download each screenshot from photos.google.com and upload the local copies to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box. For a large collection, use Google Takeout: select Google Photos, choose a cloud destination, create the export, then extract and organize the archive. Both methods create copies; they do not remove the originals from Google Photos.
Choose the right transfer method
Use an individual download when you only need a small number of screenshots and want each file immediately visible in the destination folder. Use Google Takeout when selecting files one by one would be impractical. Takeout packages the export as an archive, so it is better for volume but adds an extraction and checking step.
| Situation | Recommended route | What you receive | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| A few screenshots | Download from Google Photos, then upload | Individual image files | You must select and transfer each file |
| Many screenshots | Google Takeout | An export archive delivered to a selected destination | You must wait for the export and extract or organize the archive |
| Need to stay inside one Google account | Takeout with “Add to Drive” | An archive in Google Drive | The archive uses shared Google Account storage |
| Want separation from Google | Takeout to Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box | An archive in the selected non-Google service | You manage storage and access in a separate account |
Prepare before moving anything
- Decide whether you need individual files or an archive. A direct download is easier to browse immediately. Takeout is more efficient for a large set.
- Check the destination account. Google Drive shares storage with Google Photos and Gmail. A Takeout archive added to Drive therefore consumes the same Google Account quota used by those services.
- Make room for temporary files. The download-and-upload route stores files on your computer first. If internal storage is tight, a USB flash drive or external SSD can act as optional staging storage.
- Keep the Google Photos originals for now. Do not delete anything until the destination copy has been opened and checked.
- Choose an organizing plan. For example, create a destination folder named “Screenshots” before uploading individual files. With Takeout, decide whether you will keep the archive intact, extract it, or do both.
Move a few screenshots by downloading and uploading
This is the fastest route for a small selection. Google documents downloading from the Photos website as the way to create a local copy.
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- On a computer, open photos.google.com and sign in to the Google account that contains the screenshots.
- Select a screenshot to open it or mark it for download.
- Choose More, then choose Download. Save the image where you can find it easily, such as a temporary “Photos transfer” folder.
- Open Google Drive or the other cloud service you selected. Sign in to the destination account.
- Open the destination folder and use its upload control to select the downloaded image file. Repeat for the remaining screenshots.
- Open the uploaded copies in the destination and compare them with the originals in Google Photos. Check that the expected screenshots are present and readable before changing anything in Photos.
Downloading first is intentional: it gives you a local copy that can be checked before it is placed in cloud storage. If the computer does not have enough free space for the files, use a USB flash drive or external SSD as staging storage, then upload from that device. These accessories are optional; Google does not require one for the transfer.
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When this method is preferable
- You need only a handful of screenshots.
- You want each image to appear as a separate file immediately.
- You want to rename or sort files during the transfer rather than process an archive later.
- You have enough local space for the temporary downloads.
Move many screenshots with Google Takeout
Google Takeout is the documented bulk-export route. It creates an archive from Google Photos and can deliver that archive to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box.
- Open Google Takeout and select Google Photos.
- If you do not want every item in Photos, open the product’s All data included control and limit the data included in the export. Review the selection carefully before continuing.
- Select Next step.
- Choose the delivery method. Select Add to Drive to place the archive in Google Drive, or select a supported destination such as Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box.
- Select Create export.
- Wait for Google’s notification that the export is ready. The export may take time because Takeout is preparing an archive rather than copying one image at a time.
- Open the destination folder or cloud account, locate the archive, and inspect it before deleting or changing anything in Google Photos.
- Extract the archive if you need screenshots to be individually browsable and movable. If you want a long-term backup, you can retain the archive as well as the extracted files.
Takeout’s destination is an archive, not a live synchronization folder. Plan for an extraction or organization step if you expect to browse individual screenshots in the new cloud service.
What “Add to Drive” means
When you select Add to Drive, Google places the Takeout archive in Drive. Google says that an archive added to Drive counts toward storage. Because Google Account storage is shared across Photos, Drive, and Gmail, the archive can use quota that those services also need. Check available space before creating a large export and again after it arrives.
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Sending the archive to a non-Google cloud
Dropbox, OneDrive, and Box are supported Takeout destinations. This keeps the exported archive outside the Google account, which can be useful if you want account separation or already manage files in one of those services. Each provider has its own storage quota and plans, so confirm that the destination account can hold the archive before starting the export. After delivery, open the destination, verify the archive, and extract it there or download it for local extraction.
Compare Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Box as destinations
The best destination is usually the one you already use and can verify easily. The practical differences are storage accounting, ecosystem access, archive handling, and whether the copy remains tied to your Google account.
| Destination | Storage and cost consideration | Access and sharing fit | Archive handling | Account separation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Drive | Takeout archives count against shared Google Account storage used by Drive, Photos, and Gmail. | Convenient for collaboration with a Google account. | The Takeout result is an archive that may need extraction before individual screenshots are browsable. | Keeps the workflow within the Google account. |
| Dropbox | Uses Dropbox’s own quota and plans. | Fits people who already share files through Dropbox. | The delivered Takeout archive may need downloading or extraction. | Provides a non-Google destination. |
| OneDrive | Uses OneDrive’s own quota and plans. | Fits people who already organize files in OneDrive. | The delivered Takeout archive may need downloading or extraction. | Provides a non-Google destination. |
| Box | Uses Box’s own quota and plans. | Fits people who already use Box for file access and sharing. | The delivered Takeout archive may need downloading or extraction. | Provides a non-Google destination. |
Understand copying, deletion, and synchronization
Exporting or downloading creates another copy. It does not delete the Google Photos originals. Google Photos Help states: Important: If you download your Google data, it doesn’t delete it from Google’s servers.
Treat that as a safety benefit: keep the originals until the destination has been checked, then decide separately whether you still want them in Photos.
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Do not expect Google Photos and Google Drive to remain synchronized after this transfer. Google stated: Since photos and videos will no longer sync across both products, items copied in Original Quality will count towards your storage quota in both Drive and Photos.
In practical terms, a copy in Drive is a separate stored item, not a view that automatically mirrors later changes in Photos. If an item is copied in Original Quality, account for storage in both products.
Verify the destination before deleting anything
A successful export notification is not the same as a completed review. Use a deliberate check, especially for a large archive.
- Confirm that the destination contains the expected archive or uploaded files.
- Open several screenshots from different parts of the transfer, including files that are important to you.
- If you used Takeout, extract the archive and confirm that the screenshots are present as image files, not only as an unopened compressed package.
- Check that the files open correctly in the destination and that the number of screenshots is consistent with what you intended to export.
- For a non-Google destination, sign out and back in, or check from another device, if you need to confirm that the files are available through the account rather than only through a temporary local view.
- Only after verification should you consider deleting originals from Google Photos. Deletion is a separate action and is not part of either transfer method.
Troubleshoot common transfer problems
The archive has not appeared yet
Takeout must build the export before delivery. Confirm that you selected Create export, then wait for Google’s notification. Check the destination account named in the export settings rather than assuming the archive will appear in a different account.
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- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
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Google Drive reports insufficient storage
An archive added to Drive consumes shared Google Account storage. Review space used by Drive, Photos, and Gmail together. If the account cannot hold the archive, use a supported non-Google destination with enough available quota or free space before starting another export.
The archive is difficult to browse
That is expected behavior for a bulk export. Download or extract the archive, then organize the resulting image files in the destination cloud. Keep the original archive if you want an untouched backup, but do not mistake the archive itself for a folder of individually searchable screenshots.
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For individual transfers, download in smaller batches or use optional staging storage such as a USB flash drive or external SSD. For Takeout, the archive can also require local space if you download it for extraction. Size the staging device for the export you actually plan to handle rather than assuming a particular capacity is sufficient.
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You are unsure whether to use Drive or another provider
Choose Drive when Google-account collaboration and a single-account workflow matter most and the shared quota can hold the archive. Choose Dropbox, OneDrive, or Box when you already use that service or want the copy separated from Google. In every case, verify the delivered archive or uploaded files before removing anything from Photos.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A practical workflow for a large screenshot library
For a substantial collection, separate the work into four checkpoints: selection, export, inspection, and retention.
- Selection: In Takeout, use Google Photos’ All data included control to limit the export if the whole library is not required.
- Export: Select the destination that matches your storage and account needs, then choose Create export.
- Inspection: Open the delivered archive, extract it when individual files are needed, and test representative screenshots.
- Retention: Keep the Google Photos originals until verification is complete. Decide later whether the archive, extracted files, or both are your long-term copy.
This sequence avoids the most damaging mistake in a migration: deleting the source before confirming that the destination contains usable files.
Key limitations to keep in mind
- Takeout produces an archive, so bulk transfer is not the same as automatic folder-by-folder synchronization.
- Adding the archive to Drive uses the Google Account’s shared storage quota.
- A non-Google destination has separate quotas and plans that you must evaluate for the archive size.
- Photos and Drive are separate products for synchronization purposes; a copied item does not become a continuously mirrored file.
- Neither downloading nor exporting removes data from Google’s servers.
Bottom line
Download and upload when you have only a few screenshots. Use Google Takeout for a large collection, deliver the archive to Drive or a supported alternative cloud, extract and inspect it, and keep the Google Photos originals until the copy is confirmed. The method is a copy operation, not a deletion or ongoing synchronization process.
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