A photo marks memories, and it “worth a thousand words” as the saying goes. As valuable as it is, it should be kept safe and secure for future reference. It is proper for you to set up your mobile device or PC to back up all photos and videos to another safer location just in case. In this post, I will be showing you how to upload photos to Google Drive automatically using your Android device, iPhone, or Personal Computer.

Before we proceed, you should not misunderstand my suggestion or recommendation. Mobile phones of today come with a considerable amount of storage space you can store data or files. They are even more than enough to contain a few thousands of photos. However, mobile devices or data storage cards can get damaged anytime or they can be misplaced/stolen too.

You can easily leave your phone behind at work, have it slip from your pocket in a park, or misplace it while shopping at the mall. Every one of these possibilities is a serious security risk to your privacy. I once wrote about how you can trace mobile device location, so it can come in handy if you find yourself in any of this situation.

When you misplace your device and realized that the photos it contained are one of a kind, and the possibility of you seeing them again is zero, it is then you may begin to see the importance of having a backup. You still have the time now to prevent such from happening.

Also read: How to download videos and images from Discord

A perfect way to protect your photos or have them backed up from disappearing would be by backing them up in Google Drive or more specifically Google Photos. This can be easily done from your PC, as well as your Android and iOS mobile devices.

Below are some simple steps to upload photos to Google Drive automatically.

How to Upload Photos to Google Drive Automatically (Android, iPhone, and PC)

How to Upload Photos to Google Drive – Backing Up Photos to Google Drive

Regardless of the mobile device, you are making use of, you need to have the Google Drive app installed on them. For the PC version, just visit the Google Drive website with your browser or download the Backup & Sync desktop app.

To get the Google Drive app on your mobile device, you need to visit the Google Play Store or iOS App Store to download and install it. Although, most Android phones these days do come with the app pre-installed.

Now let me show you how to upload photos to Google Drive automatically using the three respective operating systems or devices.

How to Backup Photos to Google Drive from iPhone (iOS Devices)

Google Drive can be used as a great tool to back up most of the content on your iPhone or iOS devices. Your photos specifically will be backed up to Google Photos. The process is simple, but before start off:

Ensure that your device is currently connected to a WiFi network.
Understand that when you back up your photos multiple times, only the newer photos will be saved and stored.
If you are currently at max storage capacity, your photos will not be backed up to Google Photos. This can be avoided by upgrading the storage capacity to your Google Drive.
Photos organized into albums will be moved over; however, the albums themselves will not.

Once the Google Drive app has been downloaded and installed on your device:

Open the Google Drive app on your iPhone or iOS device.
Tap the menu (three vertically stacked lines) in the top-left corner.
From the list, tap on “Settings”. It should be located at the top.
Tap “Backup”.
Finally, tap “Start Backup” to begin the backup process.

You can now view and edit your stored photos by using the Google Photos app on your phone or visiting Google Drive directly. It will have a folder labeled Google Photos if the backup was completed.

To get there:

With Google Drive app, head back into “Settings”.
Tap on “Photos”.
Turn on the “Google Photos folde”r.

If the backup did not complete, and you received the error message “Backup did not complete” then you should attempt it a second time. The issue may only be a temporary one. If it fails again, it ensures that your connection to the WiFi network is stable.

How to Backup Photos to Google Drive from Android Devices

Same with the iOS method, you will need to have the Google Drive app downloaded and installed on your Android device before you can start the backup process.

Once you have done that:

Launch the Google Drive app from your Android device.
Tap the menu (three vertically stacked lines) icon at the top-left.
Open Settings.
Tap “Auto Add” in order to add your photos to Google Drive.

View and edit your photos via the Google Drive app or Google Photos app. In case the backup fails, look to following the same troubleshooting steps as provided in the iOS Devices section.

How to Backup Photos to Google Drive from Personal Computers

Just like I stated earlier, there are two possible ways to backup up your photos automatically to Google Drive from PC. The first way is the easiest and most straightforward of the two, and that is by visiting Google Drive site directly from your browser.

How can you achieve this?

Visit the site drive.google.com and log in with your Google Photos Gmail account.
Look for the “Cog Wheel” icon, which is the Settings, and click on it.
Locate “Create a Google Photos folder”.
Next to it, you can turn on “Automatically put your Google Photos in a folder in My Drive”.

Your photos will now automatically sync up to the Google Photos folder that has been created in your My Drive. You can also manually upload photos from a folder into your Google Photos using the browser. Just drag and drop them into your Google Photos or upload them by clicking the Upload button at the top-right of the screen.

The second way to back up your photos, as well as videos and other data all at once is to use the Backup & Sync desktop app. The following requirements will need to be met before you can begin uploading:

Your internet connection must be strong. It is best to use an ethernet connection when transferring data.
All photos cannot be smaller than 256 x 256 pixels and may not exceed 75MB. This is a per photo requirement.
The only file types allowed are .jpg, .png, .webp, and some other RAW files.

Once requirements are met and you have Backup & Sync installed on your computer:

Sign in to the Google Photos account.
Choose whether you’d like to back up photos and videos only or all files.
Select any folders you’d like to save through the backup and sync process.
Select your photo upload size.
Click “Start”to begin the backup.

The Backup & Sync app can also be used for your mobile devices, however, the basic procedures already covered above are more than adequate for automatic photo backup needs.

Conclusion

If you are using an Android, iOS, or PC, these are basic ways you can upload photos to Google Drive automatically. In case you have other options, kindly share them with us by using the comment box below.