Deleting photos from Google Photos without deleting them from your device: How-to Tutorial

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Delete Photos from Google Photos without Deleting Them from Your Device

Deleting images from Google Photos without deleting them from your device may seem complicated, but by following certain steps, it's possible to keep the photos on your phone and delete copies in the cloud. This article breaks down the procedure for doing so.

Initial Setup of Google Photos

To begin, it is essential to understand the configuration of Google PhotosThis app lets you automatically back up and sync photos. To access Google Photos:

1. Open the application Google Photos on your device.
2. Tap the profile icon in the top right corner.
3. Select “Photo Settings.”
4. Go to “Backup and Sync.”

In this section, you can choose the quality of the photos you want to save to the cloud and whether backups should be made over mobile data or Wi-Fi only.

Disable Backup and Sync

To prevent new photos uploaded to Google Photos synchronize automatically:

1. Go to “Backup and Sync.”
2. Disable the “Backup and sync” option.

This action will stop new photos and videos from automatically uploading to Google Photos from your device.

Delete Photos in Google Photos While Keeping Them on Your Device

Use File Manager

An effective way to delete photos from Google Photos without affecting your device is to use a file manager. Follow these steps:

1. Download a file manager from the Google Play Store, such as ES File Explorer (nofollow: ES File Explorer).
2. Open the app and navigate to the DCIM folder or any other folder where your photos are stored.
3. Select the photos you want to delete from Google Photos only.
4. Move these photos to a new folder that you create specifically for this purpose.
5. Open Google Photos, select the photos you want to delete, and then delete them.

This way, the photos remain on your device, but are deleted from the cloud.

Use Google Drive

Since 2019, Google Photos and Google Drive are no longer fully synchronized. However, you can use Google Drive to manage photos:

1. Access Google Drive on your device or web browser.
2. In Google Photos, select photos and manually upload them to a specific folder in Google Drive.
3. Once uploaded, open Google Photos and delete the selected photos.

This methodology allows you to maintain a backup without relying entirely on Google Photos.

Disable Sync for Specific Folder

On Android devices, Google Photos allows you to turn off syncing for specific folders:

1. En Google Photos, go to “Photo Settings.”
2. Go to “Backup and Sync.”
3. Select “Automatically back up device folders.”
4. Disable folders you don't want to sync with Google Photos.

This method ensures that only photos in selected folders are synced to the cloud.

Using the Google Photos Trash

Google Photos also offers a temporary option to delete photos:

1. Select the desired photos in Google Photos.
2. Tap the trash can icon to send photos to the trash, which doesn't delete them immediately.
3. Empty the trash after confirming that the photos are still on your device.

Sync Only the Photos You Need

For those who want more selective control, another option is to sync only the required photos:

1. Turn off auto-sync in your Google Photos settings.
2. Manually create specific folders and move the desired photos.
3. From Google Photos, select the folders you want to sync.

This procedure promotes organized and specific management of your images.

Apply Meta Tags

An advanced technique to differentiate photos stored locally and in the cloud involves the use of Metadata:

1. Use photo editing apps to add custom tags to local photos.
2. This way, you can easily identify which photos shouldn't be deleted from your device.

Consequences of Deleting Photos on Google Photos

When deleting photos from Google Photos, it is important to be aware of the consequences:

1. Photos deleted from Google Photos are also deleted from other devices. synchronized with the same account.
2. Deleted items remain in the trash for 30 days before being permanently deleted.
3. Deleting photos in Google Photos doesn't affect external copies stored on hard drives, USB drives, or alternative services like Dropbox or OneDrive.

Alternatives to Google Photos

Exploring alternatives to Google Photos may be necessary if managing your photos seems complicated. Alternatives include:

1. Apple iCloud (nofollow: iCloud) for iPhone and iPad users.
2. Amazon Photos (nofollow: Amazon Photos).
3. Dropbox (nofollow: Dropbox).
4. Microsoft OneDrive (nofollow: OneDrive).

Maintain Security and Privacy

Keeping photos safe and private is paramount. It's important to choose reliable backup methods and always ensure that only authorized devices have access to your photos:

1. Set up two-step authentication on your Google accounts and other backup services.
2. Periodically review your privacy and access settings in Google Photos.

To successfully manage your photos in Google Photos without losing them from your device, it's crucial to follow these steps and adapt the techniques as needed. This way, your photos will be preserved, accessible when needed, and you'll avoid wasting unnecessary cloud space.