Share photos & videos

You can share photos, videos, albums, and highlight videos with any of your contacts, even if they don't use the Google Photos app.

Before you get started

Share photos & videos in a conversation

You can share directly to anyone with a Google Account if they're in your contacts or by searching their email address or phone number. For everyone else, you can create a link to share.

If your contact’s phone number isn’t associated with their Google Account, you can help them find and connect with you. If your contact doesn’t have a Google Account, you can send them a link or share using another app instead.

To share with other people in a conversation:

  1. On your mobile device, open the Google Photos app Photos.
  2. Sign in to your Google Account.
  3. Select a photo, album, or video.
  4. Tap Share Share.
  5. Under "Send in Google Photos," select people to share with. 
    • To share with one person, tap their name.
    • To find someone specific, tap Search . Enter their name, phone number, or email address.
    • To share with more than one person, select multiple people.
    • (Optional) Add a message to go with your shared media.
    • Google makes suggestions based on your interactions. Learn more about suggestions.
  6. To share, tap Send. This will create an ongoing conversation thread where you and the people you have shared with can add additional photos, videos, comments, and likes over time.  

Tips: 

  • There is a 20,000 photo limit on conversations. 
  • To hide a suggested sharing contact, press and hold their profile photo and tap Hide suggestion. To find them again to share something with them later, tap Search , enter their name, and tap Show hidden suggestions.

You can also automatically share your entire library with someone.

Create a shared album
  1. On your mobile device, open the Google Photos app Photos.
  2. Sign in to your Google Account.
  3. At the bottom, tap Photos.
  4. Select photos or videos for the album. 
  5. At the top, tap Add Add. 
  6. Tap Shared album. 
  7. Enter an album title. 
  8. When the album is complete, tap Share. 
  9. Select who to share your album with.

Important:

  • You can share directly to anyone with a Google Account if they're in your contacts or by search using their email address or phone number. For everyone else, you can create a link to share.
  • When you share a link to your album, anyone with the link can view the photos and add to the album. Learn how sharing controls give your photos more privacy.
  • If you share an album that automatically adds photos of face groups, anyone with access to the album can view photos as they're added.
Send a link or share to other apps
  1. On your mobile device, open the Google Photos app Photos.
  2. Sign in to your Google Account.
  3. Select a photo, album, or video.
  4. Tap Share Share.
  5. Under “Share to apps,” select another app to share to. Swipe left to find more apps. 
  6. To create and share a link, tap Create link.

Anyone that has the shared link will be able to view the album. Learn how to change your sharing options.

Manage, review, or leave your conversations & albums

Find albums & conversations you’ve shared
  1. On your mobile device, open the Google Photos app Photos.
  2. At the top, tap Sharing .
    • Important: For some users, Sharing can be found at the bottom.
  3. You can access your shared albums and sharing activity, like comments and recently added photos. New sharing activity will be in bold.
Review an album

  1. Open the album you shared.

  2. Click More More and then Options.

Leave an album

When you leave a shared album, all of the photos, videos, comments, and likes you have added will be removed.

To leave an album:

  1. Click the album.
  2. At the top right, click More More and then Leave album.
Leave a conversation

When you leave a shared conversation, all of the photos, videos, comments, and likes you have added will be removed.

To leave a conversation:

  1. Tap the conversation.
  2. At the top, tap More More and then Options.
  3. Next to your name, tap Leave.

Remove people or items from albums & conversations

Remove someone from an album

You must be the owner of the album to remove someone.

  1. Open the desired album.
  2. Click More More and then Options.
  3. Scroll to find the contact you’d like to have removed.
  4. Click More More and then Remove person.
Remove photos & videos

You can remove photos and videos you have added to conversations and shared albums.

To remove photos and videos:

  1. In a shared album or conversation thread, click on the photo or video.
  2. At the top right, click More Moreand then Remove.
Remove comments & likes

To remove comments and likes:

  1. In a shared album or conversation thread, click on the comment or like. 
  2. Click Delete.

Learn about what happens when you share photos & videos

What happens when you share
  • When you send to a contact in Google Photos:
    • Contacts you shared with get an in-app notification and a push notification from the app. The shared item(s) appear in their Sharing page.
    • When you share a new album or conversation with them, they’ll also receive an email notification.
    • Their account profile photo or initial is added to the album or conversation and will appear faded until they view the album or conversation.
    • When they view the album or conversation, their account profile photo or initial will appear in the activity view next to the latest photos, comments, or likes they have viewed.
    • If they join a shared album or like, comment, or add photos in a shared album or conversation, their profile image changes to their account profile photo or initial.
  • When you add photos or videos to albums or conversations, your account profile photo or initial will appear next to the latest photos you added.
  • If you share a video captured fully or partially in slow motion, others may be able to view any part of the video at a slower speed in their own player.
  • If you edit a photo that you previously shared via link sharing, people may be able to temporarily view the unedited version through the original link.
What happens when someone shares with you
Important: If you think someone is spamming you, or violating other abuse policies, you can block or report them. Learn more about our abuse policies.
If your contact can’t share their media, you can help them find and connect with you.
  • When someone shares an album or conversation with you, you will receive an email. 
  • If you already use Google Photos, you will also receive an in-app notification and a push notification and the share will appear in your Sharing page.
  • When you view the album or conversation, your account profile photo or initial in the album will light up and appear next to the latest photos, comments, or likes you have viewed. 
  • If you join a shared album or like, comment, or add photos in a shared album or conversation, your account profile photo or initial will appear next to the action you took. 
  • If someone edits a photo after they've shared the link with you, the original link sharing may not immediately update to the new version of the photo.
Save photos & videos shared with you

When you save a photo or video that has been shared with you, you receive a copy of it in your library. Any edits to the original shared photo after it has been saved will not apply to your saved copy. Saved photos and videos count toward your quota except for certain partner sharing instances. Learn more about partner sharing.

To find photos or videos in your device gallery app, you must download them. Learn how to download photos or videos.

To save photos and videos shared with you in a conversation:

  1. In the conversation, scroll to the photo or video that you want to save.
  2. Below the photo or video, tap Save .
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