How to Find Photos Backed Up on Google [3 Easy Ways]
Millions of people rely on Google cloud storage like Google Photos to back up their memorable photos. With Google Backup, you can not only keep your media secure but access them on any device, from anywhere.
But if you happen to find some of your photos or videos stored on Google missing, don’t panic. Google offers multiple ways to locate backed-up photos or videos. And that’s what this article is all about.
We will teach you everything about how to find backed-up photos on Google on your device. Read it till the end to make sure you never lose important photos again.
Part 1: Things You Should Know About Google Backed-Up Photos
Google backup is a remarkable way to store your photos and videos on a single cloud storage, with one Google account. After signing up, each Google user gets 15GB of free storage. Here are a few important things about Google backup that you ought to know:
About Google Backed Up Photos
- After enabling the Google backup option on Google Photos app, it backs up all the media on your phone’s gallery.
- You can find and view the backed-up photos on your Android, iPhone, and computer.
- When you accidentally delete a photo, Google keeps it in the “Trash” folder for 60 days. You can easily retrieve them on your device.
Part 2: How to Find Backed Up Photos on Google
Finding your photos on Google is pretty easy. Depending on the device you’re using, the steps can vary slightly, but the overall procedure remains the same.
1. Find Google Photos on Your Phone
Google has a dedicated app called Google Photos that stores your gallery photos. It has a friendly interface to allow even non-technical users to find and retrieve their photos conveniently.
Here’s how to find backed up photos on Google Photos on Android or iOS:
Step 1: Open the Google Photos app. Make sure to sign in with your Google account.
Step 2: Just swipe down to view the backed-up photos. You can also use the “Search” option to filter the photos.
Step 3: If you can’t find the photos in the results, tap “Library” at the bottom and select Bin or Trash.
Step 4: On Android, tap Restore and if you’re on iOS, tap Select.
Step 5: Now, select the photo you want to restore and hit Restore at the bottom of the screen.
2. Find Google Photos on Your Computer
Besides the Google Photos app, Google has a friendly web app to you access to the backed-up photos. Using this online version, you can also upload, manage, and download photos to your computer.
If you wonder how to recover backed up photos from Google on your PC, check the below steps:
Step 1: Head to Google Photos from any web browser and sign in with your Google account.
Step 2: Search for the intended photos. Type in a word and hit Enter.
Step 3: If the photo doesn’t come up, click the “Trash” option on the left tab.
Step 4: Select the desired photos and hit “Restore” at the top-right corner. The photos will be downloaded to your computer instantly.
Note that Trash keeps your deleted photos for 60 days before removing them permanently. Hopefully, now you know how to find Google backup photos on both your PC and smartphone.
Part 3: What To Do If the Photos Are Not in the Trash Folder
Couldn’t find your photos anywhere on Google? Sometimes, the photos you’re looking for might not be in the Trash folder. Before you get all frustrated, there are a couple of handy tips you can apply to find these photos.
Take a look!
1. Confirm You’re Using the Right Google Account
Do you have more than one Google account? It might happen that you have backed up the photos in some other Google account. So, if you are unable to find the photos, make sure you’re checking the right Google account.
Open the Google Photos app or web version and try to sign in with the correct account. This issue occurs mostly on your phone where people tend to use multiple Google accounts.
2. Look in the Archive Folder
Google Photos has a special feature called “Archive” that lets you hide the selected images from the Photo view. These photos are not deleted, rather they just move to another folder. Look into this folder and you might find the photos you’re looking for.
Here’s how to find backed up photos on Google in the Archive folder:
Step 1: Go to Google Photos on your computer and sign in with your account.
Step 2: Click the Archive option on the left tab.
Step 3: Select the photos you want to restore and hit Download/Restore.
3. Confirm the Back Up Option is Enabled
After installing and signing-in with the Google Photos app, the backup option is automatically enabled. But maybe you have accidentally turned this feature off.
Now, imagine thinking all your photos are getting backed up only to find out that the backup feature was disabled. To confirm this:
Step 1: Launch Google Photos on your phone and tap your profile picture at the top.
Step 2: Go to “Photo settings” from the available options.
Step 3: Next, tap “Backup & Sync” and enable its toggle.
From this point on, all your photos on the phone’s gallery will be backed up to Google Photos.
Part 4: Alternative Way to Backup and Restore Your Photos to a PC
Are you worried about not finding the backed-up data on Google? Or do you want a more professional backup tool that gives you complete authority over the whole process?
Either way, try this amazing product called AirDroid Personal. It is a mobile management tool that lets you backup all the precious photos and videos on a PC. With this software, you never have to worry about how to find Google backed up photos again. It takes just a few clicks to backup or restore your media.
Moreover, you can also activate the “Automatic backup” feature to eliminate all your concerns about losing data. What’s best about AirDroid Personal is you can view the backed-up data anytime. More so, it allows users to selectively restore photos in a hassle-free manner.
And if that’s not enough, here are some additional features of AirDroid Personal:
Key features of AirDroid Personal
- Supports file transfer across different platforms including Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac.
- No restrictions on the file size or format for transferring them.
- Respond to all the SMS and notifications from your computer. This saves you from the hassle of checking your phone regularly.
- It offers a one-click procedure to mirror your Android phone on a computer.
- With its “Remote Camera” feature, use can turn an old Android phone into a remote camera to keep tabs on your pet or a child.
Here’s how to backup photos using AirDroid Personal:
Follow the below instructions to back up your media:
Step 1: Install and run AirDroid Personal on your phone and computer. Sign in with the same AirDroid account.
Step 2: Open the desktop version and click “File Transfer” on the left tab. Under “My Devices” select your iPhone’s name to connect both devices.
Step 3: After that, click on Backup at the top and select “Backup.” Follow the on-screen instructions to turn on the Automatic backup feature.
Step 4: Hit Done and wait until the program completes backing up your photos and videos. After that, click on “Open Folder” to view your backup files.
Final Remarks
This article shows several ways for how to find backed up photos on Google on your phone or computer. Be sure to confirm you’re checking the right Google account. And also check the Trash and Archive folders for the missing photos.
Moreover, we talked about AirDroid Personal as a perfect alternative to Google backup. It offers added convenience and reliability to back up and restore your personal photos on a computer. In addition, you can use it to manage everything on your smartphone from the comfort of a PC.
FAQs
1. How to find photos backed up on Google?
To retrieve photos backed-up on Google:
- Open the Google Photos app on your phone or go to its web version.
- Sign in with your Google account.
- On your phone, tap “Library” at the bottom and select Bin or Trash.
- On a PC, click the Trash folder on the right tab.
- Select the desired photos and hit Restore.
2. Why can't I find my backed up photos on Google?
Some of the possible reasons why your Google Photos backup not showing include:
- The photos you’re looking for was deleted more than 60 days ago.
- You accidentally backed it up on another Google account.
- The backup option on the Google Photos app was disabled. And that’s why the photos were never backed up in the first place.
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