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How to Stop Syncing Google Photos
Stop syncing your Google Photos library to save storage space on your Google Account or for increased privacy. With a few simple steps, you can halt automatic syncing across your devices.
Understand Google Photos Sync
Google Photos automatically uploads images and videos from your mobile devices and computers to your Google Account's cloud storage. This allows you to access your media library anywhere and frees up local storage space.
However, automatic syncing means Google receives and stores all your media uploads to the cloud. If you have concerns over privacy or storage limits, disabling this feature may be preferable.
Delete Synced Photos & Videos (Optional)
If you wish to permanently remove previously synced content from Google Photos before disabling sync:
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Open the Google Photos website in your desktop web browser.
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Find media you wish to delete by searching or browsing your library.
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Select the images/videos and click the trash icon to remove them.
Deleting all past synced media is recommended if privacy is a concern. However, this will remove access to these files across any linked devices.
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Pause Syncing On Your Mobile Device
To stop photos/videos automatically uploading from your mobile device to the cloud:
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Open the Google Photos app settings.
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Find and select the "Back up & sync" option.
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Toggle the switch off to disable automatic syncing.
Repeat this on any mobile devices you want to stop backing up media from. This prevents future uploads without deleting existing content.
Pause Syncing On Your Computer
Likewise, halt syncing from a desktop web browser:
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Click your profile picture > Photos settings.
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Under "Back up & sync", click Turn off.
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Confirm you want to pause automatic syncing from this computer.
Disabling the backup on connected computers stops uploads from that device only. Repeat for all computers you want to stop syncing from.
Adjust Google Account Storage Settings
With sync turned off, also check your Google Account's storage settings:
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Review used/free cloud storage.
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Consider downgrading if you pay for unused storage with uploads disabled.
Pausing uploads can reduce your total usage over time as well. Downgrade if you no longer need expanded capacity.
Turn Sync Back On If Desired
To reactivate syncing in future, simply:
- On mobiles, re-enable "Back up & sync" in Google Photos settings.
- On computers, return to Photos settings and turn "Back up & sync" on.
Then confirm which folders/albums to backup when prompted to resume automatic syncing everywhere.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will disabling sync delete content stored in Google Photos?
No, existing media already uploaded will still be present in your Google Photos library online. Simply stopping the auto-sync will not remove these files.
Can I select specific folders/albums to keep syncing?
Yes - when re-enabling sync, you can choose exactly which folders or albums still automatically back up. Disable sync for your entire library, then only switch certain albums back on.
What happens to synced photos on my devices if I delete them from the cloud?
Any media deleted through the Google Photos website is removed from all connected devices and the cloud storage simultaneously. Disabling sync will not affect deleting.
If I re-enable sync later, will it upload all photos stored locally in the meantime?
Yes, Google Photos will upload everything stored locally after reactivating sync, even media accumulated during the disabled period. Keep this in mind when turning syncing on again.
Can I still manually upload new photos to Google Photos without auto sync?
Yes! You can optionally upload individual photos/videos through the mobile app or desktop website without having continuous auto backup enabled.
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