How To Transfer Google Photos To Macbook Official

On your Mac, open the Photos app (not Google Photos).

Go to photos.google.com on your Mac’s browser.

At the bottom, click “Next step.”

Go to the “Google Photos” tab. Check the box that says “Enable Google Photos” and choose a folder on your Mac where photos should be saved.

Click the three vertical dots (⋮) in the top-right corner. how to transfer google photos to macbook

Go to takeout.google.com and sign into your Google account.

Download the zip files to your MacBook, then double-click each to extract the folders. Inside, you’ll find your photos organized by album and year. Note: Photos compressed by Google (High quality) will be restored to original size, but live photos and edited versions may appear as separate files. Method 2: Google Drive for Desktop (Best for Ongoing Sync) If you want a continuous connection between Google Photos and your Mac’s Finder, use Google Drive for Desktop. On your Mac, open the Photos app (not Google Photos)

Find the zip in your “Downloads” folder, double-click to unzip, then drag the photos into the Photos app or a Finder folder. Warning: Google strips metadata (like location and original date) when downloading individual photos. For archival purposes, use Method 1. Method 4: Using an iPhone Sync (If You Still Have Original Photos on Your Phone) If your photos are still on your iPhone and you use Google Photos only as a backup, you can bypass Google entirely.