How Do I Transfer Photos Between Two Google Accounts?

The most straightforward way to transfer photos between two Google accounts is by using the Shared Libraries feature within Google Photos. This allows one account to automatically share photos with another account, which can then save them.

Here's how you can set up a shared library to transfer photos from one Google account to another:

Setting up Shared Libraries

This method involves sharing your entire photo library (or specific photos) from your source account to your destination account. You'll typically do this using the Google Photos app on your phone.

Steps to Share Your Library:

Follow these steps on the phone logged in with the source account (the account you want to transfer photos from):

1. Open Google Photos: On your phone, open the Google Photos app.
2. Access Settings: At the top left corner, click on the three bars icon (the menu) and select 'Settings'.
3. Start Shared Library: Now, tap on 'Shared Libraries' and click on 'Get Started'.
4. Enter Destination Account: Enter the email address of your second account (the one you want to transfer photos to).
5. Select Photos to Share: Select 'All photos' to share everything, or choose specific people's photos if you prefer. For a full transfer, select 'All photos'.
6. Send Invitation: Tap 'Next' and then 'Send Invitation'.

Accepting the Invitation and Saving Photos

Now, switch to the device or browser where you are logged into the destination account (the account you want to transfer photos to).

Steps to Accept and Save:

1. Check Google Photos: Open Google Photos (app or web) for the destination account. You should see an invitation to join the shared library.
2. Accept Invitation: Accept the invitation from the source account.
3. Enable Saving: Once the library is shared, you need to enable saving these photos to your destination account's library. Go back into 'Settings' > 'Shared Libraries' (within the destination account) and find the shared library from the source account.
4. Save Photos: Look for the option to automatically save photos from this library. You can usually choose to save 'All photos' or specific groups. Select 'All photos' to save everything shared.

Once saving is enabled, photos from the source account's library will start appearing in the destination account's library. Depending on the number of photos, this process can take some time. The photos are effectively copied to the destination account, using its storage space.

Using Shared Libraries is an efficient way to move your entire photo collection between two Google accounts without manually downloading and re-uploading thousands of pictures.