Toon van Daele

Go with your browser to Google Photos via photos.google.com and sign up with your Google account. You now see an empty library, unless you have automatically uploaded something via other Google services. To add photos, click on it at the top right plus-button and choose (for example) Import photos.

On your smartphone you first install the Google Photos app from the official Appstore and also sign up with your Google account. You can switch on automatic backup here so that new photos are automatically uploaded (standard only via WiFi).

For our 15 tips we assume that you already have photos in Google Photos, possibly spread over several albums. We have placed the tips in five categories and start from the mobile app (in Android).

Overview and organization

You can change the sort order of albums

Albums

If you Collections / albums Chooses, the albums appear as standard based on the date of the most recent photo in every album. You can adjust the order via the double arrow button at the top, wherever you Last modified or Album title can select. If you want a specific album at the very top, you can let the title start with 00 or A- (open the album and keep your finger on the title to adjust it) and then sort it on Album title.

Screenshots can quickly be selective and remove in bulk

Remove screenshots

Have you made a lot of (surplus) screenshots? Fortunately, you can delete this quickly. Type screenshots In the search bar to show them all, keep your finger on the first screenshot and drag down. Let go once you have indicated enough items. Tap the trash icon or the button with the three dots and choose To delete To erase them from your device. From your browser, bulk selection works even easier: click on the first photo, keep Shift pressed and click on the latter to select everything in between.

Hide persons

If you prefer no more memories or group photos of, for example, an ex-partner or deceased person, you can disable them. Tap your profile photo and choose Settings for Photos. Go to Preferences and Memories. Select Hide people and pets and tap +Select facesbee Fewer to show or Blocked. Clear the desired faces and confirm with Completed. The photos are stored but no longer appear automatically.

Search and discover

Combined search

You can search for personal names that you have linked to faces, but Google also automatically recognizes objects such as bike,, ” dog,, ” beach or red flowers. You can also combine faces, objects and locations in your search, for example Rob Greece or Sea Spain. It is also possible to make combinations with multiple words.

Hide private photos

People with sunglasses? Use an emoji

Sometimes you take photos or screenshots that you would rather not have visible in Google Photos, for example from medical documents or personal moments. You can ensure that they are no longer in your general timeline, while they remain findable through searches, in the archive and in albums. Select the photos so that they get a check mark, tap the button with the three dots and choose Move to Archive

Use emojis

Perhaps not always very useful, but fun: you can also search based on emojis. Tap To search And then on the emoji icon at the bottom of your virtual keyboard. Enter emojis like a face with sunglasses, sun, piece of cake, dog or flower bouquet. Google then uses image recognition and AI to link visual elements in your photos to the meaning of that emoji. Feel free to try it out.

Creative operations

Make animations

If you have taken several, similar photos, you can easily make an animation or collage of it. You can use it for social media or to make memories more vivid. Select two to ten similar photos in the main display, tap the bottom of it plus button bee Add and choose Animation or Collage. You can share this result immediately or add to an album via the button with the three dots.

	From photos to video With a few mouse clicks	From now on also an English Version of PC-Active?

Make videos

You can also make videos of a photo collection and add music to it. Open Photos and tap at the top of it plus button. Molar Video with highlights And search suitable photos or tap Select photos to choose up to fifty photos manually. Tap Sample and set the size through the rectangle, for example 16: 9 or Square. Tap it Music note icon and choose Theme music or My music To add a soundtrack. View the result and tap Save To save it (in Collections,, ” Videos).

Use lens

If you have taken a photo of an object with text, such as a menu or poster, you can easily have that text highlighted, read or translated. Open the photo and tap at the bottom Lens. A frame with white corner points appears that you can drag with your finger to mark the text. Tap Select text To copy it to the clipboard (so that you can stick it elsewhere), or tap it A-icon And choose the desired target language for a direct translation. You can then select and listen to that translation.

To share

Accountless sharing

If you want to share a photo album with family or friends without a Google account, open the album via Collections / albumstap the three dots and choose To share. Tap Link And then on the part-button At the bottom. Select an app, such as WhatsApp or your e-mail app, to send the link. The recipients only have to click on the link to view the shared album in their browser.

	Conducted captions for A personal touch to your photos	You can photos with certain people automatically share with specific persons

Add caption

You can provide separate photos of a caption and possibly place them in a shared album. Open an album and select a photo to view it completely. Drag the photo up to Add a caption becomes visible. You can enter your comments there. This appears on the left or at the bottom of the photo. This way you make your photo story more livelier and more personal.

Share automatically

Maybe you want to automatically share specific photos, such as those with your children, with certain people. Then tap your profile photo and choose Settings for Photos. Go to To share and tap Share with Partner. Set a start date and choose Only photos with selected people. Indicate one or more people, confirm with Finished and tap Partner select. Choose a partner or enter a name or e-mail address. Tap To confirm.

Storage and backups

	23 GB is pretty big!	You can make it Temporarily expand backups

Free space

If you have little space on your smartphone, you can quickly release storage by removing all the photos synchronized with Google Drive locally. Tap your profile photo and go to Settings for photos / apps and devices. At the top you can see how much space you can save. Tap Free storage space on device And confirm with free.

Backups interrupt

If you want to save data temporarily or if you are on the road without WiFi, you can take a break of backups. Tap your profile photo and choose Settings for Photos. Go to Backup and adjust the switch Backup out. You can switch it on again later at any time.

Selective backuping

Google Photos does not make a backup of all folders on your device as standard, for more space and overview. You can indicate yourself which folders you want a backup. Tap your profile photo and choose Settings for Photos / Backup. Scroll down and tap A backup of device folders. Turn on the switch button with the folders you want to take with you, such as Screenshots and WhatsApp Images.

You probably don’t want any backups of all device folders