How to download your entire Google Photos library

Wanting a copy of your Google Photos library on your own computer is one of the most reasonable requests in all of Google Photos. A local backup. Photos on an external drive. A copy of everything before a big cleanup.

There are two honest ways to do it, and which one fits depends on what you want.

Option 1: Google Takeout, for a complete archive

Google's official export tool is Google Takeout. You request an export of your Google Photos data, Google prepares it, and you download the archive when it is ready.

Takeout is the right tool if you want the most complete archive possible: your album structure and metadata files come along with the photos. The tradeoffs are the process itself. Exports can take hours or days to prepare, arrive as large archives you download on Google's schedule, and the folder structure takes some untangling.

If you want the completest possible archive and do not mind the wait, use Takeout. That is the honest answer, and no extension changes it.

Option 2: download from Google Photos itself

Google Photos on the web can also download photos directly: select photos, press Shift+D, and Google packages your selection and downloads it. You get full-quality copies of your photos and videos, on the spot, from the library you are looking at.

The catch is the same one as always: there is no select-all. Downloading a whole library this way means selecting a batch, downloading, selecting the next batch, and keeping track of where you were, over and over.

That is the loop Batch automates.

How Batch downloads your entire library

Batch for Google Photos is a Chrome extension that works through your library for you. The action is called Download all. It selects your photos in waves, triggers Google Photos' own download for each wave, and keeps going until it has covered the library. Google packages each wave as a zip file, so your library arrives as a numbered series of zips.

What you get:

• Full-quality copies of your photos and videos, from Google Photos' own download.
• Files saved straight to your computer by your browser. Nothing passes through any Batch server.
• Clearly named zips in their own folder: a Batch Photos Export folder inside Downloads, with each zip numbered so you can tell the series apart.
• A progress count while it runs, including how many zip files have finished landing in your Downloads folder.

A few honest things to expect:

• Large libraries take a while and use real disk space. Make sure the computer has room before you start.
• Chrome will ask once for permission to download multiple files. That is Chrome's standard prompt, and it is expected.
• While the run is active, Chrome may show a banner saying Batch has started debugging the browser. That is Chrome's standard message for extensions that automate the browser on your behalf. It is expected while the run is active, and you can stop the run at any time.
• These are full-quality copies, not a Takeout-style archive. If you need album structure and metadata files, Takeout remains the better fit.

Step by step

1. Install Batch for Google Photos from the Chrome Web Store.
2. Open Google Photos in Chrome and click Batch.
3. In the Entire library section, choose Download all.
4. Check that your computer has enough free disk space, then start the run.
5. When Chrome asks to allow multiple downloads, allow it.
6. Let it run. Zips land in the Batch Photos Export folder inside Downloads as they finish.
7. When it completes, Batch tells you how many zip files are in your Downloads folder. Unzip and review.

FAQ

Are these my original files?

They are full-quality copies of your photos and videos, downloaded through Google Photos' own download. For the most complete archive, including album structure and metadata files, use Google Takeout.

Where do the files end up?

In a Batch Photos Export folder inside your Downloads folder, as a numbered series of zip files.

How long does it take?

It depends on library size, connection, and how quickly Google prepares each zip. Large libraries take a while. You can pause or stop at any time and the zips already downloaded stay on your computer.

Does downloading change or delete anything in Google Photos?

No. Downloading makes copies. Your library stays exactly as it is.

Are videos included?

Yes. The zips include your photos and videos.

Why does Chrome show a debugging banner?

It is Chrome's standard message for extensions that use the browser's automation API to act on your behalf. It is expected while the run is active, and you can stop the run at any time.

Does Batch see my photos?

No. Your browser saves the files directly to your computer. Nothing is uploaded to Batch and nothing passes through any Batch server.

If you want a copy of your library before a cleanup, this pairs naturally with the rest of Batch: download everything, then reclaim storage by converting Live Photos to stills, or clear the library once your copy is safe.