It's definitely something to add to your reminders, though, as from October 1st, you'll no longer be able to sign into 'Backup and Sync'. So how do you go about making the switch? Right now, there isn't yet a way for consumer Google Photos users to pro-actively make the change – instead, Google says it will start the transition from July 19, with 'Backup and Sync' users given notifications and instructions on how to move over to 'Drive for desktop'. While that sounds like a dramatic change, Google says that 'your files are not affected' and this is effectively just an update to the way you access and sync them. The upshot is that all Google Drive and Photos users will have until the end of September to move to the new 'Drive for desktop' syncing app. This apparently hasn't make things any simpler for business users, though, with Google saying that many people have ended up using both applications, creating even more confusion. Google's streamlining of its desktop syncing clients into one app is mainly borne out of a desire to help its business users, rather than offer any major benefit for personal Google Photos and Drive users.Īfter all, Google did once have a single Drive app, which was then split into 'Drive File Stream' and 'Backup and Sync' in 2017.

As a workaround, you should instead open the app you don't want to back up images for (like WhatsApp) and disable automatic media saving so those images don't get synced to Google Photos.Th new 'Drive for desktop' app and its option to either sync to Drive or backup to directly Google Photos. Unfortunately, this isn't an option on iOS due to system limitations. Then, head over to Back up & sync > Back up device folders and disable all the irrelevant folders from which you do not want any media backup to happen. To do this on Android, open the Google Photos app on your device, then tap your profile photo at the top-right corner and choose Photos settings. If you receive a lot of junk media on WhatsApp or simply do not want your Instagram posts to back up to Google Photos, it's a good idea that you disable backup for such folders from your device to save space.

While this can come in handy for some, these media backups also take up storage space.

Google Photos can automatically back up photos and videos from WhatsApp, Instagram, and other folders on your device. Disable Photo Backup for WhatsApp and Other Device Folders

Backup google photos to computer