How to Upload Pictures to Google Drive on Desktop & Mobile

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A beginner-friendly guide to uploading pictures to your Google Drive account

Written by Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: July 6, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Using a Computer
|
• iPhone & iPad
|
• Android
|
• FAQ
|
• Video
|
• Q&A
|
• Tips

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You can store your pictures on Google Drive just like any other cloud storage service. You can upload the pictures the way you normally do with other files from a computer, or you can upload them using the Google Drive mobile app. Once you’ve put your pictures in the cloud, you can access them anytime, anywhere with Google Drive.

Uploading Photos to Google Drive

Open the Google Drive website or mobile app and click the New or + button, then select the option to upload or add files. You can select your photos and upload them to your Google Drive.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

Using a Computer

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1. 
   1
   Go to Google Drive. Using any web browser on your computer, visit the Google Drive page.

   • Sign in if you aren't already logged in.
   • Upon logging in, you will be brought to the main drive or directory. All your folders and files on Google Drive can be accessed from here.
2. 
   2
   Click New and select “File upload.” Your computer’s file explorer will open.

   • Navigate through your folders and go to the one that contains the pictures you want to store on Google Drive. Click on all the pictures you want to upload.
   • You can click on one to select it, but to select multiple, press and hold Ctrl (Windows)or Cmd (Mac) and click more than 1 file.
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3. 
   3
   Click Open. The selected pictures will then be uploaded to Google Drive.
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Section 2 of 4:

Using the Google Drive App on iOS

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1. 
   1
   Launch Google Drive. Look for the Google Drive app (which looks like a green, yellow, red, and blue triangle) on your iOS device and tap on it.

   • You will be brought to the main drive or directory. All your folders and files on Google Drive can be accessed from here.
2. 
   2
   Tap +. You'll see this plus sign icon in the lower right corner of your screen.
3. 
   3
   Tap Upload file. It's with the icon of an arrow pointing up.
4. 
   4
   Tap Photos and Videos. It's the first option, with a roll of film.

   • If this is your first time uploading photos to Google Drive, the app will ask for your permission to access your photo library. Tap Allow Full Access or Limit Access… to continue.
5. 
   5
   Select pictures to upload. Go to the album or folder that contains the pictures you want to store on Google Drive. Tap on all the pictures you want to upload. The selected pictures will be marked with a check.
6. 
   6
   Upload pictures. Tap the Upload button in the top right corner of the menu box to upload the selected pictures to Google Drive.
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Section 3 of 4:

Using the Google Drive App on Android

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1. 
   1
   Launch Google Drive. Look for the Google Drive app on your Android device and tap on it.

   • You will be brought to the main drive or directory. All your folders and files on Google Drive can be accessed from here.
2. 
   2
   Tap +. This plus sign icon is in the lower right corner of your screen.
3. 
   3
   Tap Upload. It's with an icon that looks like an arrow pointing up.
4. 
   4
   Navigate to your picture. Depending on the manufacturer, this step most likely looks different for many Androids. However, you can easily find pictures by tapping "Images" near the top of the screen.
5. 
   5
   Tap a picture to upload. It will begin uploading from your Android to Google Drive immediately. If you want to upload multiple images, tap and hold an image until it's checked with a check mark, then tap to upload more images and tap Select in the top right corner.

   • You will see a notification at the top of your Android's screen when the image is finished uploading.
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Section 4 of 4:

FAQ

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1. 1
   Does Google Drive automatically save my photos? Once you upload a photo to Google Drive, you don't need to click a save button—confirming the upload is essentially "saving" the photo by adding it to your Google Drive files. If you have photos in Google Photos, they won't be automatically saved to your Drive, but they will be counted in your Google storage limit.

   • You can use Google Photos to sync and automatically back up your photos on Android. To do this:
     • Open Google Photos.
     • Tap your profile picture.
     • Tap Photos settings.
     • Tap Backup.
     • Toggle the switch next to "Backup" so it's enabled.
2. 2
   How do I download all of my photos from Google Drive? To download multiple files, first press and hold Ctrl (Windows)/Cmd (Mac) and click on each photo you want to download. Then right-click (or Ctrl-click on Mac) and select Download. You can't download multiple files at once via the Android or iPhone Google Drive apps.
3. 3
   Why can't I upload pictures to Google Drive? The main reason Drive might not be uploading your photo is a browser error, or you've reached your account storage limit. Drive does have a file size limit, but that limit is 5 TB (which is larger than any single photo file) and accepts any file type, though only JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, and SVG can be previewed.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  Can I delete photos on my computer without deleting them on google drive?

  

  Community Answer

  Yes, as long as they are backed up you should be able to do this with no problem.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 2 Helpful 11
• Question

  How can I save my pictures to my Google account?

  

  Community Answer

  You can store your pictures on Google Drive just like any other cloud storage service. You can upload the pictures the way you normally do with other files from a computer, or you can upload them using the Google Drive mobile app. Once you’ve put your pictures in the cloud, you can access them anytime, anywhere with Google Drive.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 0 Helpful 2
• Question

  Is it done with computer only or you can also use phone to do it?

  

  Community Answer

  Upload pictures. Click the "Open" or "Upload" button on the file explorer once you’ve selected all the photos. The selected pictures will then be uploaded to Google Drive.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 1 Helpful 1

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• To add photos to Google Drive on a computer, drag picture files from your File Explorer and drop them into the Google Drive folder.

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