How to move photos in google photos album

Q: How do I change the order of photos in Google Photos?

Click the Sort Photos icon (up and down arrows). You see the options Oldest first Newest first Recently added (first). When finished, click the check mark (Done) in the upper left corner.

Q: How do I move multiple photos from one album to another in Google Photos?

When you are in the original album, tap on the photo then on the 3 dot menu, then Add to album and select the new album. An image can exist in multiple albums, so you dont need to Move it, but if you do want to remove it from an album, you can select one or more images and Remove from album on the 3 dot menu.

Q: How do you drag selected photos in Google Photos?

On Google Photos, the easiest way to grab a bunch of photos is to long press on one image until a blue check mark appears, but dont lift your finger off the screen. Then drag your finger across the photos you want to select, lifting it only when the job is done.

Photo books
from Google Photos

Table of Contents Show

Download a single photo back to your device
Download multiple photos back to your device
About This Article
Is this article up to date?
How do I change the order of photos in Google Photos?
How do I move multiple photos from one album to another in Google Photos?
How do you drag selected photos in Google Photos?

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Download a single photo back to your device

Open any photo at Google Photos.
Tap the 3-dot menu or swipe upwards.
Choose Download. If the photo is already on your device, the option will not appear.
On my Android device the photo is saved to DCIM/Restored and in Google Photos shown in Camera.

Download multiple photos back to your device

When you used "Free up space" all photos are still in the Photos tab of Google Photos, but the folder structure is lost.
When photos were uploaded with setting "Storage saver" (or former "High Quality") the original is also lost.

On iPhone or iPad

- On iOS you can select multiple photos > use the Share button > Save to device.
  See also https://support.google.com/photos/thread/86166997
- You can also use iTunes.

On Android (and some also on iOS)

- On Android there is no option to transfer multiple photos from Google Photos back to your camera roll.
- You can go to https://photos.google.com/ on the phone, select several photos, tap 3-dots > Download.
  They will be saved as a ZIP file, for example in the "Downloads" folder, where you can "extract" them.
- You can "Share" selected photos with Google Drive and download from there, but that will probably double the storage used by the photos. Therefore not recommended.
  Similarly you can share with "File manager +" when you install that app, and download to the folder you want.
- You can use Google Takeout: go to https://takeout.google.com/settings/takeout in a browser
  You will also get lots of .json files which you can delete. I recommend to try with a small album to start with.
  - Deselect all products, then select Google photos
  - Tap "All photo albums", then deselect all
  - Select an album, for example "Photos from 2022", and tap OK
  - Scroll down till the end and tap "Next step"
  - When settings are OK, tap "Create export" and wait till ready
  - When ready tap "Download" and Unzip
- You can download the photos on a computer, connect the Android phone with the computer (USB cable) and copy the photos to the device. See https://support.google.com/android/answer/9064445.
- See more options on https://www.wikihow.com/Transfer-Images-from-Computer-to-Mobile-Phone
- You can use the Google One app once to restore the 200 most recent photos.
  See https://support.google.com/photos/thread/84975423

Also note that it is not really safe to delete from your device without making an extra backup. See this article.

Download Article

You can use albums to keep your photos organized in Google Photos. Albums are like containers for your photos—you can sort them into albums based on any criteria you choose. You’ll also have the ability to add, edit, or remove photos from an album any time. Learn how to create and manage albums in Google Photos, as well as how to rearrange the order of photos outside of their albums.

1
Open the Google Photos app or visit http://photos.google.com. To keep your photos and videos organized, try sorting them into albums. You can do this using the Google Photos app or in a web browser.
2
Create a new album. The steps are a little different depending on your device:
- Mobile: Tap the ⁝ icon and select "Album." Now you’ll see a list of your photos, all with circles at their upper top corners.
- Web: Click the + symbol next to the search box and select "Album." Your photos will appear, all with circles at their top left corners.
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3
Click or tap the circle to select a photo. This will add the photo to the album. You can select as many photos as you’d like.
- See Adding Photos to an Album to learn how to add additional photos later.
4
Tap "Create" (mobile) or click "Next" (Web). Now you’ll see a text box that says "Untitled" above the album’s contents.
5
Enter a name for the album. You can call the album anything you want. Nobody will see the name unless you use the Google Photos sharing tools to share it with others.
6
Click or tap the text tool (T) to write a description. It’s at the top right corner of the screen. Like an album title, nobody will see the description except you.[1]
7
Click or tap the check mark to save. Your album is now live.
- To view a list of all of your albums next time you sign in, click or tap the Albums icon (at the bottom of the app, and on the left side of the website). The icon looks like a square with a bookmark at its upper-right edge.

1
Open Google Photos. You’ll be able to use this method with both app for mobile device and http://photos.google.com.[2]
2
Click or tap the Albums icon. It’s at the bottom of the mobile app, and on the left side of the website. The icon looks like a square with a bookmark at its upper-right edge. Once clicked or tapped, a list of your albums will appear.
- If you don’t see any albums, you’ll need to create one first.
3
Click or tap an album to modify. The album’s current contents will appear.
4
Click or tap the Add Photo icon. It’s at the top right area of the screen and looks like a photo with a plus sign. Now you’ll see a list of your photos (outside the album), all containing circles at their upper left corners.[3]
5
Click or tap to select a photo. When you select a photo, the circle at its upper left corner will turn to a check mark. All photos with check marks will be added to the album. You can select as many photos as you’d like.
6
Click or tap "Done." It’s at the top right corner of the screen. The photos you selected are now added to your album.

1
2
Click or tap the Albums icon. It’s at the bottom of the mobile app, and on the left side of the website. The icon looks like a square with a bookmark at its upper-right edge. Once clicked or tapped, a list of your albums will appear.
3
Select an album to manage. The contents of the album will appear.
4
Click or tap the ⁝ menu. It’s at the top right corner of both the website and the mobile app.
5
Select "Edit Album." The album is now in edit mode, and you can tell this by the editing symbols at the top right corner of the screen.
6
Drag a photo to move it. You can drag it as far up or down as you wish. When you’ve found a good spot for the photo, let go of the mouse (or lift your finger from the screen) to drop it there.[4]
- You can drag as many photos as you wish, but you’ll have to drag them all individually.
7
Click or tap the check mark to save. The photos are now in the order you selected.

1
Open Google Photos. You can remove a photo from an album (without deleting it) using the mobile app or at http://photos.google.com.
2
Click or tap the Albums icon. It’s at the bottom of the mobile app, and on the left side of the website. The icon looks like a square with a bookmark at its upper-right edge. Once clicked or tapped, a list of your albums will appear.
3
Select an album to manage. The contents of the album will appear.
4
Click or tap the ⁝ menu. It’s at the top right corner of both the website and the mobile app.
5

Select "Edit Album." The album is now in edit mode, and you can tell this by the editing symbols at the top right corner of the screen. Also, you’ll see a small X at the top left corner of each photo.
6
Click or tap the X to remove a photo. The photo will disappear from the album. You’ll still be able to find it in the main photos list when you first access Google Photos.

1
Open the Google Photos app or visit http://photos.google.com. If you no longer have use for an album, you can safely delete it without deleting the photos inside. Start by launching the app on your mobile device or visiting Google Photos in a web browser.[5]
2
Click or tap the Albums icon. It’s at the bottom of the mobile app, and on the left side of the website. The icon looks like a square with a bookmark at its upper-right edge. Once clicked or tapped, a list of your albums will appear.
3
Select an album to manage. The contents of the album will appear.
4
Click or tap the ⁝ menu. It’s at the top right corner of both the website and the mobile app.
5
Select "Delete Album." A confirmation pop-up will appear, reminding you that deleting an album is permanent. Remember: the photos inside the album will not be deleted—just their container.
6
Click or tap "Delete." The album will now be removed from the album list.

1
Open http://photos.google.com in a web browser. When you access your photos, you’ve surely noticed that they appear in order by date and time. You can rearrange the order of these photos by changing their dates and times. You’ll need access to a computer.[6]
- To rearrange the photos in an album instead, see Rearranging Photos in an Album.
- If you’re not already signed in to Google Photos, do so now.
2
Hold the mouse cursor over a photo. A selection circle will appear at the photo’s top left corner.
3
Click the circle to select the photo. A check mark will fill the circle.
- You can select multiple photos to change all to the same date and time. Just click the circles on each photo you want to edit.
4
Click the ⁝ icon at the upper right corner. A brief menu will appear.
5
Select "Edit Date & Time." Now you’ll see the "Edit date and time" pop-up. The photo’s current date and time information is visible on this window.
6
Replace the current date and time with a new one. To move the photo closer to the top of the list, make the date later than the current one. To move the photo downward, make the date earlier.
7
Click "Save." Your photos will now be reordered based on the edited time and date.

Add New Question

Question
If photos are deleted from the Gallery after an album has been created, will the photos be deleted from the album too?

Yes, but if you are using iOS (on an iPad, iPhone, etc.), you can recover the photos from the Recently Deleted album.
Question
How do I organize Google Photo albums themselves? How do I create sub albums within parent albums?

You cannot create sub albums. Google does not let us have that simple and basic feature. It still lives in the era when data was less, so that it could be organized using just one layer of folders and there was no need of sub folders.
Question
Is there a way to arrange albums in alphabetical order by their names to make them easier to find in Google Photos?

Using the sort options provided by Google does not work now. The photos are sorted incorrectly no matter you choose 'oldest' or 'newest'. It ignores the 'date taken' on some photos. This happens more often recently. Previously there was no need to use this option and photos uploaded from PC were shown newest first on 'Photos' and became oldest first in 'Albums'. Not anymore, they are out of order now! You have to use 'custom' option to drag photos yourself in your album to put them to the right order. There is no option to sort by 'file name'.

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To share an album with others, open the album and click or tap the Share icon—a less-than symbol (<) with three dots. You can share over SMS, social media, email, and other methods.

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About This Article

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 144,543 times.

Is this article up to date?

How do I change the order of photos in Google Photos?

Click the "Sort Photos" icon (up and down arrows). You see the options "Oldest first" Newest first" "Recently added (first)". When finished, click the check mark ("Done") in the upper left corner.

How do I move multiple photos from one album to another in Google Photos?

When you are in the original album, tap on the photo then on the 3 dot menu, then "Add to album" and select the new album. An image can exist in multiple albums, so you don't need to "Move" it, but if you do want to remove it from an album, you can select one or more images and "Remove from album" on the 3 dot menu.

How do you drag selected photos in Google Photos?

On Google Photos, the easiest way to grab a bunch of photos is to long press on one image until a blue check mark appears, but don't lift your finger off the screen. Then drag your finger across the photos you want to select, lifting it only when the job is done.