Android · Storage & Backup
Auto-back up photos and videos
Google Photos backup automatically uploads your camera roll to your Google Account, so photos and videos survive a lost, broken, or replaced phone and stay accessible across all your devices.
How to open Google Photos Backup
- Open the Google Photos app and tap your profile photo.
- Tap Photos settings > Back up & sync.
- Turn on Back up & sync and choose a backup quality.
- Set whether backup can use mobile data, or restrict it to Wi-Fi only.
What you should know
- Backup quality options include Storage saver (compressed) and Original quality (full resolution, counted against your Google storage).
- You can choose to back up over Wi-Fi only or also allow it on mobile data.
- Specific folders (like screenshots or a messaging app's media folder) can be included or excluded individually.
- A backup status indicator in the app shows whether everything is fully synced or still uploading.
Original-quality backups count against your Google Account storage quota, and running out of space will pause backup until you free up room or upgrade your plan.
Why it matters
Phones get lost, stolen, or damaged far more often than people expect, and unbacked-up photos are one of the most painful, unrecoverable losses when that happens.
Best practices
- Confirm backup status shows fully synced (not just 'backing up') before deleting any photos from the device to save space.
- Choose Wi-Fi-only backup if you have a limited mobile data plan, and let it catch up whenever you're on Wi-Fi.
- Review excluded folders occasionally to make sure a folder you care about wasn't accidentally left out.
Common problems and fixes
- Backup is stuck at 'Waiting for Wi-Fi' even though Wi-Fi is connected.
- Check the backup settings to confirm mobile data isn't required, or temporarily allow mobile data backup to clear the queue.
- Google Account storage is full and backup has paused.
- Free up space by managing storage in Google Photos, delete large items no longer needed, or upgrade to a paid Google One plan.
Tips and tricks
- Use the 'Free up space' option inside Google Photos to safely remove only photos already confirmed backed up, in a single tap.
Frequently asked questions
Does backing up delete photos from my phone?
No, backup just uploads a copy to your Google Account — photos stay on your device until you manually free up space by removing already-backed-up items.
Can I back up videos as well as photos?
Yes, video backup works the same way as photo backup and follows the same quality and network settings.
Related settings
- Backup & RestoreAndroid can automatically back up app data, call history, contacts, device settings, and photos to your Google Account, making it easy to restore everything on a new or reset device.
- Storage & CleanupStorage settings show a breakdown of what's using space on your device — apps, photos, videos, and cached data — and offer one-tap tools to clear space safely.
- Files by GoogleFiles by Google is Android's built-in file manager, letting you browse, search, and organize files on your device, plus a Clean tool that surfaces junk files, duplicate photos, and unused apps you can remove in a couple of taps.
More Storage & Backup guides for Android
- SD Card StorageSD card storage settings let you choose how a microSD card is used — as portable storage for easily removable files, or formatted as internal storage that extends the phone's built-in space (adoptable storage).
- Free Up Space ToolThe Free Up Space tool scans the device for large files, unused apps, duplicate downloads, and old screenshots, then suggests safe items to delete to reclaim storage.
- Cached Data ManagementLets you view and clear the temporary cache files each app stores for faster loading, either per app or across all apps at once, without deleting saved account data or settings.
- Download ManagerThe built-in Download Manager (accessible via the Files app or browser downloads) lists files downloaded from browsers, email, and other apps, letting you open, share, or delete them from one place.
- Google Drive Storage ManagementControls which folders and files sync to Google Drive, shows how much of your Google storage quota is used, and lets you free space by removing large or duplicate cloud files.
- Switch & Transfer Data from Old PhoneGuides you through transferring contacts, photos, apps, messages, and settings from an old Android or iPhone to a new device, using a cable, Wi-Fi, or cloud backup.