Share photos and 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 start

Share 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 who 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. Select a photo, album or video.
  3. Tap Share Share.
  4. Under 'Share to apps', select another app to share to. Swipe left to find more apps. 
  5. To create and share a link, tap Create link.

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

What happens when you share
  • When you send to a contact in Google Photos:
    • Contacts who 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 that 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 that 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?
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 that 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 that 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.
  • If you think that someone is spamming you or violating other abuse policies, you can block or report them. Learn more about our abuse policies.
Save photos and 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 be applied to your saved copy. Saved photos and videos count towards 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

In a shared album, you can:

  • Save a photo or video to your library: Tap the photo or video that you want to save. At the top, tap Save.
  • Save all photos and videos in an album to your library: Below the user icons, tap Save .
  • Save the album to your Library tab: At the top, tap More  and then Show in Library.

Tip: When you save a shared album to your Albums tab, you receive a copy of the album in your Albums tab. This doesn't save album content to your library.

Manage your conversations and albums

  1. On your mobile device, open the Google Photos app Photos.
  2. At the bottom, tap Sharing .
  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 that you shared.

  2. Click More More and then Options.

Leave an album or conversation

When you leave a shared album or conversation, all of the photos, videos, comments and likes that 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.

To leave a conversation:

  1. Click the conversation. 
  2. At the top, click and then next to the names of the people in the conversation.
  3. Next to your name, click Leave.

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 that you’d like to have removed.
  4. Click More More and then Remove person.

Remove items from shared albums and conversations

You can remove photos, videos, comments and likes that 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 More and then Remove.

To remove comments and likes: 

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

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