How to Completely Reset Google Photos Backup on Mobile Phone?

Resetting your Google Photos backup on a mobile phone can be useful for freeing up storage space, starting fresh with a new backup, or troubleshooting issues with your existing backup. Completely resetting your Google Photos removes all backed up photos and videos and clears all settings, allowing you to set up a brand new backup from scratch.

This guide will walk you through the full process of resetting your Google Photos app and backup on an Android or iPhone mobile device. We'll cover backing up existing photos first if needed, then resetting the app and settings, re-enabling backup, and confirming the reset was successful. Follow these steps carefully to avoid permanently losing any photos you want to keep.

Back Up Existing Google Photos Before Resetting

Before resetting your Google Photos app and removing all backups, it's wise to download or back up your existing Google Photos library first. Here are two options for preserving your current Google Photos content:

Download Photos to Your Mobile Device Storage

• Open the Google Photos app and select Library > Utilities > Export
• Choose to export All photos or just Selected items
• Pick Export to Device Storage to save photos/videos directly to your phone

This will let you keep copies of your Google Photos content on the device even after resetting the app.

Use Google Takeout to Download Full Backup

• Visit Google Takeout in a desktop web browser
• Deselect all services except Google Photos
• Choose export format (ZIP, TGZ, etc)
• Click Export to download full archives of your Google Photos library

Google Takeout provides a convenient way to export everything in your Google Photos backup before wiping it clean on your mobile device.

Completely Sign Out of the Google Photos App

Now that your photos are backed up, you can reset the app. First, completely sign out of Google Photos:

• Open the Google Photos app on your Android or iOS device
• Tap your profile icon in the top right
• Select Settings > Back up & sync
• Tap Account
• Choose Remove account

This will fully sign you out of the Google Photos app and disconnect it from your Google account and any existing backups.

Clear App Data and Cache

Removing the account association doesn't delete the app data and cache files. To wipe those clean:

On Android

• Go to Settings > Apps > Google Photos
• Tap Storage
• Select Clear Cache and Clear Data

On iPhone

• Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage
• Select Google Photos
• Tap Offload App to remove data

Now your Google Photos app is completely reset with all data erased.

Enable a New Google Photos Backup

With a blank slate, you can set up a brand new Google Photos backup:

• Open the Google Photos app and walk through the setup prompts
• Sign in to your Google account when prompted
• Enable back up & sync for photos and videos
• Select backup quality and cellular data settings

The app will restart your backup as if you were setting up Google Photos for the first time.

Confirm the Reset Was Successful

To verify your Google Photos backup was completely reset:

• Open the app and check if any old photos appear (there shouldn't be any)
• Visit photos.google.com in a desktop web browser and confirm your backup is empty
• Take new photos and videos and ensure they now back up successfully

If you see your new content backing up but no remnants of your old library, the reset was a success!

Troubleshooting Tips

If parts of your old backup still remain after resetting, try:

• Signing out and clearing app data/cache again
• Removing and re-adding your Google account on your device
• Contacting Google support for further help

A clean, blank Google Photos library indicates the reset worked.

Quick Tip to ensure your videos never go missing

Videos are precious memories and all of us never want to ever lose them to hard disk crashes or missing drives. PicBackMan is the easiest and simplest way to keep your videos safely backed up in one or more online accounts. 

Simply Download PicBackMan (it's free!), register your account, connect to your online store and tell PicBackMan where your videos are - PicBackMan does the rest, automatically. It bulk uploads all videos and keeps looking for new ones and uploads those too. You don't have to ever touch it.

Conclusion

Completely resetting your Google Photos backup on a mobile device can be a helpful troubleshooting step, or allow you to start fresh with a new backup. Follow this guide to properly back up existing photos, reset the app, clear data/cache, re-enable backups, and confirm the reset worked as expected. With a few careful steps, you can wipe the slate clean and enjoy a fully reset Google Photos experience on your Android or iPhone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some common questions about resetting your Google Photos app and backup:

Does Reset Delete Photos From Google Photos Servers?

No, resetting Google Photos on your mobile device does not affect the photos stored remotely in your Google cloud account. Your existing Google Photos library remains intact online unless you manually delete it.

Can I Undo a Reset If I Change My Mind?

Unfortunately no - once you reset the app and clear its data, there is no way to retrieve that data or undo the reset. This is why it's critical to fully back up your photos first before resetting Google Photos.

Will Resetting Affect Other Google Services?

Resetting Google Photos only affects the photos backed up in that one service. No other Google apps or services will be impacted or lose data.

Do I Need to Reset Google Photos on All My Devices?

No, you only need to reset Google Photos on a single mobile device to clear backup data from just that device. Other devices signed in to your Google account will retain their existing Google Photos backups.

Will My Phone Memory Be Freed Up After Resetting?

Yes, resetting Google Photos removes all local copies of your backup photos and videos, potentially freeing up a significant amount of storage space on your mobile device.

What's the Best Way to Back Up Google Photos Before Resetting?

The two best options are: 1) Exporting directly to your device storage, or 2) Using Google Takeout to download your entire library. Both allow full backups that won't be erased when you reset the app.