Google Drive is shutting down desktop app Photos backups in August - here’s how to prepare

Published Aug 7, 2026, 10:16 AM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary Google Drive desktop stops backing up to Google Photos on Aug 10, 2026; your cloud backups stay intact. Deselect 'Back up to Google Photos' in Drive Preferences to avoid conflicting backups; files won't be deleted. Switch to Google Photos: use Plus button > Back up folders for continuous backup, or import photos from Drive. If you're using the Google Drive desktop app to back up your images to Photos, you only have a few days to change course. The internet giant has announced that it'll cut off support for Google Photos on August 10th. Fortunately, if you'd like to continue keeping your memories backed up, getting set up with the new system is easy. The Google Drive desktop app is losing Photos backups on August 10th You can swap over to the new system with a few clicks Currently, you can tell the Google Drive desktop to back up a local folder to Google Photos automatically. However, as per the Google Photos Help documents, that feature will go away on August 10th, 2026. It will no longer automatically back up any photos in your designated folder, but all of your photos, and any backups you have made, will stay perfectly intact. If you'd like to continue backing up your images to Google Photos, you'll now need to hand over the process to Photos itself. Before you do that, it's a good idea to detach Google Drive from your photos folder so there's no confusion between backups. You can do this by opening up your Google Drive desktop app, going to Settings, then opening Preferences, then clicking Folders from your computer on the left and deselecting Back up to Google Photos for each location. Don't worry; doing this will not erase the photos on your computer, nor will it erase your current backups in the cloud. Once done, head over to the Google Photos website and click the Plus button at the top right. Your next step depends on what you want to do: For continuous folder backup: Select Back up folders. Pick your computer folders to back them up directly through your browser. To import from Google Drive: Click Google Drive to pull across photos already stored in your cloud Drive folders. Google Photos will now ensure your photos are kept safe.