Updated September 2026: in 2021 I moved my older photos from Google Photos to OneDrive using Google Takeout, and ran into problems: the transfer took days, and the photos were not immediately usable in OneDrive. I have rewritten it into a guide to what to expect and how to do the move properly.
After choosing OneDrive, I used Google Takeout to move my existing photos. I expected a simple transfer. Instead, it did not happen at once, taking a day or two depending on the size of the library, and when Google confirmed the transfer, the photos were not accessible in OneDrive the way I expected.
How does Google Takeout move photos to OneDrive?
Takeout packages your Google Photos library into archive files. You can download them yourself, or choose to have them added directly to OneDrive or another supported cloud service. Either way, Google prepares the export first, which can take hours or days for a large library, and then sends it.
Why are the photos hard to use after transfer?
Because they arrive as compressed archive files, not as a browsable photo library. You need to extract them. Takeout also stores some details, such as dates and descriptions, in separate small data files next to each photo, so some apps may show the wrong date until those details are applied.
How should you do the move?
- Export in smaller archives, such as 2 GB or 10 GB each, which are easier to handle.
- Download to a computer and extract the archives there.
- Check the dates on a sample of photos; use a tool that reads the Takeout data files if they are wrong.
- Upload to OneDrive from the computer, organised in folders by year.
- Keep the Google copy until you have checked the OneDrive copy is complete.
How long does it take?
The export can take a day or more, and uploading a large library depends on your internet speed. Plan it over a weekend, and keep the computer awake during uploads.
Is it worth moving at all?
Only if you are leaving Google Photos for good. If you want both, keep Google Photos for browsing and use OneDrive for new backups, rather than moving years of photos twice.
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