How to Move Photos from Google Drive to OneDrive?

Shreyas Patil SEO
Shreyas PatilUpdated :
How to Move Photos from Google Drive to OneDrive

Moving photos from Google Drive to OneDrive allows you to consolidate your files and photos in one place for easier access and organization. The process is straightforward by using the OneDrive app for your desktop or mobile device.


Linking Google Drive to OneDrive

The first step is linking your Google Drive account to OneDrive. This creates a connection so you can access your Google Drive content within the OneDrive interface.

To link accounts:

  1. Open the OneDrive app and go to Settings > Add an account
  2. Select Google Drive and sign in with your Google account credentials
  3. Allow OneDrive permissions to access your Google Drive files

Once accounts are linked, you will see your Google Drive content appear as a separate folder/location within OneDrive.


Transfer Method 1: Upload from Computer

If your photos are stored locally on your computer, you can simply upload them directly to OneDrive:

  1. Open OneDrive and navigate to the desired folder
  2. Click Upload > Files and select photos from your computer
  3. Choose original quality and click Start Upload

Uploaded photos will sync from your computer to OneDrive automatically.


Transfer Method 2: App Transfer

To transfer existing photos already stored in Google Drive:

  1. Open the OneDrive app
  2. Navigate to the Google Drive folder
  3. Select the photos you want to move
  4. Click the More actions icon (•••) > Move to and choose destination folder

The app will transfer copies of your photos from Google Drive to the specified OneDrive folder.


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Transfer Method 3: Download and Re-Upload

Alternatively, you can download photos stored on Google Drive first, then upload the copies to OneDrive after:

  1. On your computer's file explorer, open your Google Drive folder
  2. Select the photos and right-click to download copies to a local folder
  3. Open the OneDrive app and navigate to the destination folder
  4. Upload the photo copies from your computer to OneDrive

This manual method can be time-consuming for many files but allows you to review and organize during the process.


Manage Copies and Original Photos

Once transfer is complete, you can choose to delete the original Google Drive photo copies if preferred to eliminate duplicates between accounts. Or keep both copies available in each cloud service.

The links to Google Drive and OneDrive enable easy file accessibility regardless of which interface you are currently using. Manage all cloud storage and shared content seamlessly from OneDrive.


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Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if I delete photos from OneDrive that were transferred from Google Drive?

Deleting photos from OneDrive only removes the copies stored in OneDrive. Your original Google Drive photo versions will not be affected or deleted.

Does linking Google Drive to OneDrive use up cloud storage?

No, linking accounts does not consume cloud storage capacity. It simply indexes Google Drive content to be accessible in OneDrive.

Can I move photos between Google Drive and OneDrive on mobile too?

Yes, the cloud services have mobile apps for Android and iOS that allow file transfers or uploads on smartphones and tablets, using the same methods.

Will there be sync conflicts if I edit the same photo in both Google Photos and OneDrive?

Potentially yes - if you modify the same photo in both places, the most recent save will override upon next sync or file access.

What are the full quality limits in OneDrive vs Google Photos?

OneDrive allows photo uploads up to 100GB each. Google Photos offers unlimited storage for "high quality" compressed images up to 16MP. Original quality images on Google Photos count towards your 15GB free storage limit for all content.

Can I set OneDrive to automatically import new photos added to Google Photos?

Unfortunately there is no native setting to automatically import new Google Photos content. However you can run the transfer periodically to manually move any new additions from one service to the other.

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