How to Uninstall Google Photos Backup on Mac?

Google Photos is a useful app that can automatically back up photos and videos from your Mac. However, you may wish to uninstall Google Photos Backup for various reasons. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to fully uninstall Google Photos Backup on your Mac.

Why You Might Want to Uninstall Google Photos Backup on Mac

Before jumping into the steps, let's first understand some common reasons why you might want to uninstall Google Photos Backup on your Mac:

To Save Storage Space

• Google Photos Backup can take up a lot of storage space on your Mac with all the photo and video backups. Uninstalling it can free up significant storage space.

To Stop Auto Backup

• If you don't want your photos/videos to auto backup from Mac to Google Photos cloud, uninstalling the backup software is the way to go.

If You Are Switching to a Different Cloud Service

• If you decide to use a different cloud storage service like iCloud, Dropbox, etc for photo backup, you'll want to uninstall Google Photos Backup.

When Reinstalling the App

• Sometimes uninstalling and reinstalling the app can fix bugs and other issues.

Prerequisites Before Uninstalling Google Photos Backup

Before starting the uninstall process, it's important to:

Make Sure All Your Photos/Videos are Uploaded

• Verify that all your photos and videos on the Mac have already been backed up to the Google Photos cloud. This ensures no data is lost.

Know Your Google Account Login Details

• You'll need your Google account email and password handy to sign in during the uninstall process.

Check Google Takeout if You Want to Download Backup

• Use Google Takeout to download a backup of your Google Photos data if you want a local copy before uninstalling.

Back Up the Mac

• Do a full backup of your Mac so you have a restore point in case anything goes wrong.

Step-by-Step Guide to Uninstall Google Photos Backup on Mac

Follow these steps carefully to fully remove Google Photos Backup from your Mac:

Open Google Photos App

• Launch the Google Photos app on your Mac.

  

Click on the User Profile Picture

• At the top right corner, click on the profile icon showing your display picture or initials.

Select Settings

• From the dropdown menu, choose Settings to open the Settings page.

Click on Uninstall Google Photos

• In the Settings screen, click on the Uninstall Google Photos option at the bottom.

Confirm Uninstallation

• A popup will appear asking you to confirm uninstallation. Click Uninstall to proceed.

Enter Your Admin Password

• You will be prompted to enter your Mac admin password to grant permissions to uninstall Google Photos. Enter password and click OK.

Wait for Uninstall to Complete

• The uninstall process will now start. Wait patiently until it finishes. Progress will be indicated.

Click Agree to Remove User Data

• Once done, a message will appear asking if you want to remove user data. Click Agree to complete the uninstall.

Restart Your Mac

• Lastly, restart your Mac to complete the full uninstall of Google Photos Backup.

And that's it! Google Photos Backup should now be uninstalled from your Mac. Let's look at some post-uninstall steps.

Post Uninstall Tasks

After you have uninstalled Google Photos Backup, here are some tips on what to do next:

Verify Backup Folder is Deleted

• Go to Finder > Pictures and see if the Google Photos folder has been deleted to confirm uninstall.

Check Activity Monitor for Processes

• Open Activity Monitor and see if any Google Photos processes are running or using CPU. Quit them if found.

Remove Login Details from System Preferences

• Go to System Preferences > Internet Accounts and remove your Google account that was used for Google Photos Backup.

Clear Browser Data and Cookies

• Clear cookies and browsing data from Chrome/Safari browsers related to Google Photos.

And that completes the full uninstall procedure for removing Google Photos Backup from your Mac! With the app uninstalled, your Mac's storage will be freed up and auto backup stopped.

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.

FAQs Related to Uninstalling Google Photos Backup on Mac

Here are some common questions about uninstalling Google Photos Backup on Mac:

Will uninstalling Google Photos delete all my backed up photos?

No, uninstalling the app does not delete or remove any photos/videos already backed up to your Google Photos account cloud storage. Your data on the cloud is safe.

Can I reinstall Google Photos Backup on my Mac later?

Yes, you can reinstall Google Photos Backup in the future if needed. Just download the app again from the App Store and set up backup. Your cloud library will still be intact.

What happens to the local Google Photos folder on my Mac after uninstall?

The local Google Photos folder in your Pictures directory will be deleted during the uninstall process. Any photos only saved locally will be removed.

Will I stop seeing my Google Photos library on my iPhone after uninstalling on Mac?

No, your Google Photos app on iPhone and other devices will continue working normally. Only backup from the Mac will stop once uninstalled.

Is there any risk of data loss when uninstalling Google Photos?

There should be no risk of data loss if your photos/videos have already been backed up to the Google Photos cloud. As a precaution, take a backup of your Mac before uninstalling.

Can I selectively disable auto-backup instead of fully uninstalling the app?

Yes, you can go to Google Photos settings on your Mac and turn off auto-backup instead of fully uninstalling the app if you prefer.

Summary

To recap, here are some key points about uninstalling Google Photos Backup on your Mac:

• Fully uninstalling Google Photos Backup will stop auto photo backup and free up disk space.
• Important steps are making sure your photos are backed up, uninstalling via the app, removing account associations, and clearing related data.
• Your actual Google Photos library remains intact in the cloud and on other devices.
• You can still reinstall Google Photos later and access your cloud library again.
• Take a full Mac backup before uninstall as a precaution against data loss.

Uninstalling the app is relatively quick and easy on a Mac. Just follow the step-by-step process outlined above. Let your photos remain safely backed up on Google cloud while freeing up your Mac's storage!