If you use Google Drive for desktop to automatically back up photos and videos stored on your computer to Google Photos, an important change has taken effect from today, August 10, 2026. Google has ended support for Google Photos backups through Drive for desktop. However, this does not mean Google Photos is shutting down or that photos already stored in the service will suddenly be deleted. The change only affects the way photos and videos stored on computers are backed up to Google Photos.
The update is particularly important for people who store photos and videos on computers or laptops and previously used Drive for desktop to sync selected folders with Google Photos. These users now need to set up their photo backup process through Google Photos. If the new arrangement is not configured, newly added photos and videos on a computer may no longer be automatically backed up to Google Photos.
Google Changes the Connection Between Drive and Photos
Until now, Google Drive for desktop allowed users to select folders on their computers and back up the photos and videos stored in them to Google Photos. Users could choose specific folders and send their contents to their Google Photos accounts.
Google has now separated this functionality from Drive for desktop. The company had already stopped allowing users to create new Google Photos backup folders through the desktop Drive application. Existing folders continued syncing during the transition period, but that arrangement has now ended from August 10.
The change does not affect photos and videos that have already been successfully backed up to Google Photos. Those files will continue to remain available in the user’s account.
How to Continue Backing Up Photos
Users who want to continue backing up photos and videos stored on their computers need to set up folder backup through Google Photos. The basic process is straightforward.
Open Google Photos on a computer and select the option to back up folders. Choose the folders containing the photos and videos that need to be protected and allow the backup process to complete.
After setting up the new backup process, users should check Google Photos to make sure the files are actually appearing there. This verification is especially important for people with large photo libraries, as it can help identify any gap between the old Drive-based backup process and the new Google Photos arrangement.
Users should not assume that the transition has worked automatically. Checking recently added photos and videos can confirm whether the new backup system is functioning correctly.
Who Will Be Affected by the Change?
The change mainly affects users who were using Drive for desktop to send photos and videos from computer folders to Google Photos.
People who only use Google Photos to back up pictures directly from their smartphones will not see their regular mobile backup routine affected by this particular change. Similarly, users who never used the Google Photos backup feature in Drive for desktop do not need to make any changes.
The update is more relevant for photographers, content creators and people with large personal photo archives stored on computers, especially those who depended on the previous desktop workflow for continuous backups.
Why Is Google Making This Change?
Google is moving desktop photo backups away from the Drive for desktop interface and toward a dedicated Google Photos experience. The company is effectively separating photo backup functionality from the desktop Drive application rather than continuing to maintain it as part of the Drive workflow.
For casual users, the change may have little practical impact. However, people with thousands of photos or large video collections on their computers may need to adjust their backup arrangements to ensure that new files continue to be protected.
The most important point is that photos already stored safely in Google Photos will not disappear because of this change. The issue concerns future photos and videos that are added to computer folders after the old backup method has ended.
Users should therefore set up the required folders through Google Photos and verify that new files are being backed up correctly.
It is also advisable not to rely on a single cloud copy for important memories and documents. Keeping an additional copy of important photos, videos and files on an external hard drive or another secure storage location can provide an extra layer of protection against accidental deletion, hardware failure or other data-loss risks.
