Step-by-Step Guide: Transfer Photos from Google Photos to Immich

For years, Google Photos has served as a reliable platform for many to store and organize their cherished images. Although its user-friendly interface and free storage options are appealing, users eventually face storage limits, leading to potentially mounting subscription fees. Furthermore, it’s essential to consider that your photos reside on external servers rather than on personal devices. If you prefer greater control over your digital content and wish to keep your files locally without incurring monthly expenses, consider switching to Immich. This open-source photo backup solution operates similarly to Google Photos but ensures your images are saved directly on your hardware. This guide will walk you through the steps to transfer your photos from Google Photos to Immich, empowering you to manage your digital memories more effectively.

Reasons to Transition from Google Photos to Immich

One of the primary advantages of Immich is the enhanced privacy it offers. By hosting all your photos on your server, you eliminate reliance on Google’s cloud infrastructure. Additionally, you enjoy the freedom of unlimited storage, provided your hardware can accommodate it, while bypassing Google’s image compression policies, unpredictable changes, and subscription fees. This transition also grants you complete control over how you organize and manage your photos. Immich also boasts powerful functionalities, including map views, search capabilities, and facial recognition technology.

The Pitfalls of Direct Uploading from Google Photos to Immich

While the idea of directly exporting your photos from Google Photos for immediate upload to Immich may seem straightforward, there are crucial considerations to keep in mind. Google Photos stores image metadata— such as timestamps, GPS coordinates, camera details, album structures, and sometimes even facial tagging— in distinct files. If you simply import images into Immich, you risk losing this valuable metadata, significantly hindering your ability to organize these photos effectively.

Moreover, failing to employ a systematic tool for this process can generate duplicate images, especially if similar photos exist across multiple albums or exports, compounding the challenge of managing your library.

Preparations Prior to Migration

To ensure a successful transition, take these essential precautions: Start by retaining a copy of your Google Takeout as a backup. Next, confirm that your Immich server is equipped with sufficient storage, RAM, and CPU to accommodate the incoming upload. Consider uploading files in smaller batches to enhance system stability. Finally, schedule your migration during low-traffic hours to minimize disruptions and alleviate system overload.

Transferring Your Photos from Google Photos to Immich

The Immich-Go command-line tool simplifies the bulk import process into Immich. Tailored for use with Google Photos Takeout, iCloud, and local directories, it provides speed, reliability, and metadata preservation.

Utilizing this method is highly recommended, as it ensures not only the correct handling of JSON metadata but also the integrity of your EXIF data, preventing duplicate photos during the import process. It effectively supports both RAW and JPEG formats, making it a versatile choice for users who work with various file types.

This solution is ideal for managing extensive libraries, even exceeding 100, 000 images. Best of all, it operates seamlessly without the need for Node.js or Docker, and it’s compatible across Windows, macOS, and Linux systems.

To get started with Immich-Go, visit the Immich-Go GitHub releases page and download the binary suitable for your operating system. For instance, I downloaded the “immich-go_Windows_x86_64.zip” for my Windows PC.

Once downloaded, extract the contents of the folder. Within it, locate the “immich-go.exe” file which can be run directly from CMD without requiring additional installation.

In order to authenticate Immich-Go with your Immich server, you will need an API key. Access your Immich dashboard through your web browser, navigate to Account Settings:

Under API Keys, click the New API Key button to generate a new key.

Specify a name for future reference, such as “Immich-Go”, select the appropriate Permissions, and then click Create.

Afterward, copy the generated API key to your clipboard for subsequent use.

Next, head to the Google Takeout website and log in with your Google account containing the photos you wish to export. You’ll access a list of Google services—click on Deselect all to exclude unnecessary data. Scroll down and select the checkbox adjacent to Google Photos.

Scroll to the end and click Next step to move forward with the export.

Set your export preferences, including delivery method, frequency, file format, and size, then click Create export.

Google will commence preparing your files, which may take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, depending on the volume of photos and videos involved.

You will receive an email notification upon completion of the export. Open the email from Google Takeout to retrieve your files.

Click the Download button to initiate the download of your exported files.

Make sure to save all ZIP files in a designated folder on your computer. Then, extract all files into one centralized folder.

Now, open CMD, navigate to the folder containing “immich-go”, and execute the following command:

immich-go.exe upload from-google-photos --path "C:\path\to\Takeout\Google Photos" --api-key YOUR_API_KEY --server-url http://your-immich-server:2283

Update the path, API key, and server URL accordingly with your actual information.

Finally, review the uploaded data by accessing the Immich web dashboard.

Ensure that your albums have been imported accurately, the photos reflect the correct dates and locations, and check for duplicates. Confirm also that any RAW and JPEG pairs have been appropriately merged.

Once achieved, your migration process is complete!

Final Thoughts

Transitioning your photos from Google Photos to Immich offers a straightforward method to reclaim ownership of your cherished digital memories. Import your Takeout and upload your images using Immich-Go to ensure all metadata is retained, duplicates are avoided, and your library remains organized. Following migration, you can leverage Immich’s features— such as custom albums, map views, and face detection—without the hassles of cloud storage or subscription fees.

Besides Immich, consider exploring other alternatives to Google Photos, allowing you to select the option that best aligns with your requirements.

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