Google Photos has quietly become one of the most powerful photo apps on the planet, and most people are only using about 10% of what it can do. Sure, the days of unlimited free storage are long gone (RIP), but what you get in return is a seriously capable AI-powered photo manager that can edit, organize, search, and share your memories better than almost anything else out there.
Whether you’re hoping to finally get your photo library under control, try out some of the new AI editing tools, or just stop losing pictures to the storage limit, these 16 tips should help you get a lot more out of Google Photos in 2026. Let’s dig in.
Heads up on storage: Google Photos no longer offers unlimited free storage. You get 15 GB free, shared across Google Photos, Gmail, and Google Drive. If you need more, you’ll need a Google One plan (starting at 100 GB). Keep this in mind as you work through these tips. A few of them are specifically designed to help you use that 15 GB wisely.
1. Create Collages and Animations
Google occasionally auto-generates collages and animations from your photos, but you don’t have to wait around for that to happen. You can make them yourself anytime from the Create tab in Google Photos.
Here’s what you can create:
- Collages: Pick a handful of photos and Google will automatically arrange them into a single combined image.
- Animations: Turn a series of photos into an animated GIF, great for burst shots or sequences.
To get there, tap Create at the bottom of the app. You’ll see the creation options, including Collage, Animation, and Highlight video, right there.
2. Create AI-Powered Highlight Videos
This one’s a step up from basic collages, and honestly one of the most fun things Google Photos can do right now. Highlight videos use AI to automatically pick your best clips and photos, stitch them together, add music, and spit out something that actually looks good.
Even better, there are now AI-powered templates that give you shot suggestions and auto-edit everything into a themed, social-ready video. It’s surprisingly impressive for something that takes about 30 seconds to set up.
- Tap Create at the bottom of the app.
- Tap Highlight video.
- Browse the templates and tap Use template for a guided experience, then pick the photos and videos you want to include.
- Google will auto-build the video. From there you can rearrange clips, trim segments, and swap the music.
- Tap Save when you’re happy with it.
3. Search Smarter (Including by Emoji)
Google Photos has some genuinely impressive search capabilities that most people never touch. You can search by people, places, objects, activities, and even specific dates. Just type what you’re looking for into the search bar.
Some search ideas to try:
- “birthday cake”, finds photos with cakes
- “beach 2023”, narrows by location and time
- “dog on couch”, yes, it really works
- 🎂 or 🐶, searching by emoji works in the mobile app too
On some devices, you’ll also see an Ask button powered by Google’s Gemini AI. You can ask it natural questions like “When was our last beach trip?” and it’ll dig through your library to find the answer. It’s still rolling out, so you may not have it yet, but it’s worth checking.
4. Label People and Pets for Easy Search
Google Photos uses face recognition to group photos of the same person or pet together, but it works even better once you put names to faces. This feature is called Face Groups, and you need to turn it on first.
- Tap your profile photo in the top-right corner.
- Tap Photos settings > Privacy.
- Toggle Face Groups on.
Once it’s on, tap Collections at the bottom and open People & pets. Tap any unlabeled face and add their name. After that, you can search “Mom” or “Jake” and pull up every photo of them instantly.
It can take a little while for Google to scan and group all your photos, especially if you have a large library. Give it some time.
5. Try the New AI Editing Tools
Google Photos got a major editor redesign recently, and the new AI tools are genuinely worth playing with. Here’s what’s available now (availability varies by device and region; Pixel phones tend to get these first):
- AI Enhance: A one-tap smart edit that bundles multiple adjustments, including exposure, sharpening, and color, into a single improvement. Think of it as “make this photo look better” in one tap.
- Magic Editor: Lets you tap on a subject and move, resize, or remove it. It also fills in the background intelligently so the result looks natural.
- Reimagine: A generative AI tool where you type a text prompt to change the background or objects in a photo (e.g., “replace the cloudy sky with a sunset”). Similar to Photoshop’s Generative Fill.
- Auto Frame: Suggests different crop and framing options, and can even use generative AI to extend the edges of a photo if you want a wider shot.
To access these tools:
- Open any photo and tap Edit.
- Look for the Suggestions tab at the top of the editor. That’s where AI Enhance and other smart edits live.
- For Magic Editor, look for the dedicated Magic Editor button in the editor toolbar.
- Tap and brush over the subject or area you want to change.
- When you’re done, tap Save copy. Your original is always preserved.
Note: Some AI features are rolling out gradually and may not yet be available on all devices or in all countries. If you don’t see them yet, check that your Google Photos app is up to date.
6. Compare Before and After While Editing
When you’re editing a photo and want to check how far you’ve come from the original, you don’t need to undo everything. Just tap and hold the photo while you’re in the editor. It’ll show you the unedited original for as long as you hold it. Let go and you’re back to your edited version.
This works in the mobile app (tap and hold) and on the web version (click and hold). It’s a small thing, but really handy when you’re not sure if you’ve gone too far with the edits.
7. Add Background Blur to Any Photo
The Portrait Blur feature intelligently blurs the background of a photo to give it that professional, DSLR-style look. It works especially well on photos of people, but you can apply it to other photos too.
To use it, open a photo, tap Edit, and look for Blur in the editing tools. You can adjust the intensity of the blur with a slider.
8. Hide Location Information When Sharing
When you take a photo, your phone quietly embeds location data into the file, including the GPS coordinates of exactly where you were standing. That’s great for your own memories, but maybe not something you want to share when you send a photo to someone else.
To stop location being saved at the source, open your phone’s Camera app settings and turn off its location setting (the exact name varies by manufacturer).
For shared albums, you can also hide locations: open the album, tap Share > Options, and turn off Share photo locations, then tap Done.
9. Download All Your Photos with Google Takeout
Want a full backup of everything in your Google Photos library? Google makes this pretty painless with a tool called Google Takeout. It packages up all your photos (and any other Google data you want) into a downloadable archive.
Head to takeout.google.com, select Google Photos, and follow the prompts. Depending on how many photos you have, it could take a while to prepare. Google will email you when the download is ready. Check out our full guide on how to download all your Google Photos for the step-by-step walkthrough.
10. Digitize Old Printed Photos with PhotoScan
Got a box of old printed photos you’ve been meaning to digitize? Don’t just take a picture of them with your phone. You’ll end up with glare and distortion. Google’s PhotoScan app is specifically designed for this. It scans the photo from multiple angles and stitches them together to produce a clean, glare-free digital version.
Download it for Android or iPhone and start preserving those memories before they fade any further.
11. Google Photos Works Great on iPhone Too
If you’re on an iPhone, Google Photos is absolutely worth having, even if you already use iCloud Photos. It gives you a second backup of everything, plus access to all the AI editing and search features that Apple’s Photos app doesn’t offer. The iOS app is free and works really well.
Download it from the App Store here. Just note that some AI features (like Magic Editor and Reimagine) may arrive on iOS a little later than on Android.
12. Cast Your Photos to Your TV
Next time you want to show off vacation photos to the whole family, you don’t have to crowd around a phone screen. If you have a Chromecast or a Chromecast-enabled TV, you can cast your Google Photos directly to the big screen.
In the Google Photos app on Android, tap the Cast icon (it looks like a small screen with a Wi-Fi symbol in the corner) and select your TV. You can then browse and present your photos from your phone while everyone watches on the TV. Much better than passing your phone around the room.
13. Free Up Space Without Deleting Everything
Running low on your 15 GB? Before you start deleting photos you actually want to keep, check out the Manage storage section. It’s one of the fastest ways to reclaim space without losing anything important.
- Tap your profile photo in the top-right corner.
- Tap Manage storage.
- Google will show you categories like large videos, blurry photos, and screenshots, the stuff that’s eating your storage but probably isn’t worth keeping.
- Select what you want to delete and tap Delete.
You can also change your Backup quality to save space going forward. Go to your profile photo > Photos settings > Backup > and under Backup quality, switch to Storage saver. Your photos will be very slightly compressed, but the difference is barely noticeable, and it can make a big dent in your storage usage.
14. Share Albums (Now with QR Codes)
Google Photos has always had solid sharing options, but there’s a newer trick that’s really handy for events: sharing albums via QR code. Instead of hunting down everyone’s phone number or email, you just display a QR code and anyone who scans it can view (or even contribute to) the shared album.
Here’s how to share an album:
- Open the album you want to share.
- Tap the Share icon.
- Choose Create link to share a URL, or tap Show QR code if you see that option, then display it on your phone or print it out for an event.
One important thing to know: albums in Google Photos are more like labels than folders. Adding a photo to an album doesn’t move it out of your main library. It stays in both places. So don’t panic when you add something to an album and it still shows up in your main feed. That’s normal.
15. Order Physical Prints and Photo Books
Digital photos are great, but there’s something special about having a physical print you can actually hold. Google Photos makes it easy to order prints, photo books, and canvas prints directly from the app.
- On the desktop site: Click Print store in the left sidebar to browse options and build a photo book.
- In the mobile app: Open a photo, tap the three-dot menu, and select Order photo.
Photo books make genuinely great gifts, especially for parents or grandparents who’d love something they can flip through on the coffee table.
16. Use Locked Folder for Sensitive Photos
If you have photos you’d rather keep private, away from Memories, shared albums, and prying eyes, the Locked Folder is exactly what it sounds like. Photos you move there are hidden from the rest of Google Photos and protected by your device’s screen lock (PIN, fingerprint, or face unlock).
To set it up:
- Tap Collections at the bottom, then tap Locked.
- Tap Set up Locked Folder and follow the on-screen steps to unlock with your screen lock.
- To move a photo into it, select the photo, tap Add to at the bottom, choose Move to Locked Folder, and tap Move.
One important caveat: Locked Folder backup is optional. If you leave it off, those photos exist only on your device, so losing your phone or uninstalling Google Photos means losing them. To protect them, go to Photos settings > Backup > Back up Locked Folder and turn it on (backed-up items count toward your storage).
iPhone users: Locked Folder works on iOS 15 and later too, set up the same way from Collections > Locked.
Bonus: Make Sure Backup Is Actually Turned On
This one sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people assume their photos are backing up when they’re not. It’s worth double-checking.
- Tap your profile photo.
- Tap Photos settings > Backup.
- Make sure the Backup toggle is On.
- While you’re there, choose whether to back up over mobile data or Wi-Fi only (Wi-Fi only is usually the smarter choice to avoid burning through your data plan).
If backup is on but photos still aren’t uploading, check that Google Photos has permission to access your photos and run in the background, and make sure your Google account storage isn’t full.
Tips and Troubleshooting
Common Issues
Problem: “Why is my storage filling up so fast?”
Remember, your 15 GB is shared across Google Photos, Gmail, and Google Drive. It’s not just photos eating into it. Head to Manage storage in Google Photos to see exactly what’s taking up space, and consider cleaning out old Gmail attachments and Drive files too.
Problem: “My photos aren’t backing up”
Check these things in order: (1) Is the Backup toggle actually on? (2) Are you connected to Wi-Fi if you have Wi-Fi-only backup enabled? (3) Is your Google account storage full? (4) Does Google Photos have background app permissions on your phone?
Problem: “I don’t have Magic Editor or Reimagine”
These AI features are rolling out gradually, and Pixel phones tend to get them first. Make sure your Google Photos app is fully updated, then give it some time. They should reach most Android devices eventually; iOS may take a bit longer.
Problem: “My family photos aren’t showing up in Memories or face groups”
Face Groups is probably turned off. Go to Photos settings > Privacy > Face Groups and toggle it on. It may take a while to scan and group all your existing photos.
Problem: “I added a photo to an album but it’s still in my main feed”
That’s how it’s supposed to work! Albums in Google Photos are labels, not folders. Your photo lives in the main library and is also tagged to the album. There’s no way to “move” a photo out of the main feed into an album only, but you can use the Archive feature (three-dot menu > Archive) to hide a photo from the main feed while keeping it accessible in albums and search.
Pro Tips
- Use Archive instead of deleting: Archiving hides a photo from your main feed but keeps it in your library, albums, and search. Perfect for screenshots and receipts you want to keep but not see every day.
- Search on the web too: The full AI search works at photos.google.com in any browser. You don’t have to use the app.
- Check for the “Ask” feature: Some accounts now have a Gemini-powered “Ask” button in search. If you see it, try asking something like “show me photos from our trip to the mountains.” It’s pretty good.
- Keep an eye on Google One deals: If you’re consistently bumping up against 15 GB, the 100 GB Google One plan is reasonably priced and also adds benefits to other Google apps.
Wrapping Up
Google Photos has come a long way. The AI editing tools alone are worth exploring if you haven’t already. From one-tap AI enhancements to generative background changes, it’s doing things that would’ve required desktop software just a few years ago. The organizational features like Face Groups, smart search, and Locked Folder make it a solid choice for managing your entire photo library, not just backing it up.
Start with the tips that solve your biggest pain point, whether that’s storage, organization, or just finding old photos faster, and work your way through the rest. You’ll probably end up using Google Photos a lot more than you expected.