Photos Backup

Native apps for your media

Your photos. Backed up.

A focused Google Photos backup app for macOS, Windows, and Android. Pick the albums, folders, or files that matter; follow each upload; keep your originals where they are.

Download v0.5.0 Read the validation

macOS 14+ · Windows 10/11 · Android 8+

Photos Backup on macOS showing backup status, iCloud Photos, and backup controls.
macOS v0.5.0 menu bar · synthetic demonstration data.

Version 0.5.0

Choose your platform.

Five native packages, one release. No Python or developer tools required.

macOS

Apple Photos albums and library, iCloud Photos, and optional Messages media. Includes connected iPhone and camera file import.

Apple silicon DMG Intel DMG

macOS 14 or later

Windows

Selected photo and video folders, with an optional iCloud Photos source. Includes portable-device/DCIM import and optional wireless ADB import.

Intel / AMD x64 EXE ARM64 EXE

Windows 10 1809+ / Windows 11 ARM64

Android

Selected on-device photos and videos. Includes accessible MediaStore device folders, which can be mirrored as Google Photos albums.

Universal APK ARM64 / x86_64

Android 8 or later

Verify every package with SHA256SUMS.txt. The Mac app is ad-hoc signed and not notarized; Windows installers are unsigned. See the release notes before installing.

A short, visible path

Start with a small backup.

  1. 1

    Choose a source

    Select albums, folders, or individual files. On Mac, review automatic backup settings before signing in: automatic backups are on by default.

  2. 2

    Connect Google Photos

    Sign in in the app. Credentials are protected by your operating system.

  3. 3

    Review the result

    Follow progress in the app, then check the item’s quality and storage details in Google Photos.

Photos Backup v0.5.0 on Windows showing connected-device import with synthetic media.
Windows v0.5.0 · connected-device import · synthetic demonstration data.

What we tested

Unlimited original quality, tested.

The unofficial Pixel XL upload mode currently works without using account storage in our tests. On 16 October 2026, Google Photos marked a photo and video uploaded from each platform as Original quality and not taking up account storage. Downloaded originals matched their source SHA-256 hashes.

Mac albums and Windows folders kept their source names and expected contents. These findings apply to those fixtures and account only: Google can change sign-in, uploads, or storage charging at any time.

Read the live validation report
Photos Backup for Android showing a dark backup overview.

Android

Choose the files to back up.

Select individual media or accessible MediaStore folders, not logical Google albums; partial permission shows only media you granted the app.

Read the Android guide

Details

Good to know.

Does this free up storage on my device?

No. It creates copies in Google Photos and leaves your original files where they are.

Are album names kept?

macOS can recreate selected Apple Photos albums and Windows can mirror folder names. Android mirrors accessible device-folder names; those folders are not logical Google albums.

Can it reclaim iCloud storage?

iCloud backup is copy-only by default. Experimental reclaim requires a reviewed manual preview or explicit automatic confirmation of up to 100 items, then fresh Google original readback and SHA-256 verification for every component before moving an item to Recently Deleted. It does not promise immediate free space or a permanent purge. Live deletion/recovery validation is still pending.

Is it an official Google app?

No. It uses the unofficial gpmc client. Google may change authentication, upload behaviour, or storage accounting.