Share photos & videos

You can share photos, videos, albums, and highlight videos with any of your contacts, even if they don't use the Google Photos app.

Before you get started

Download and install the Google Photos app.

Create a shared album

On your mobile device, open the Google Photos app .
Sign in to your Google Account.
At the bottom, tap Photos.
Select photos or videos for the album.
At the top, tap Add .
Tap Shared album.
Enter an album title.
When the album is complete, tap Share.
Select who to share your album with.

Important:

You can share directly to anyone with a Google Account if they're in your contacts or by search using their email address or phone number. For everyone else, you can create a link to share.
When you share a link to your album, anyone with the link can view the photos and add to the album. Learn how sharing controls give your photos more privacy.
If you share an album that automatically adds photos of face groups, anyone with access to the album can view photos as they're added.

Send a link or share to other apps

On your mobile device, open the Google Photos app .
Sign in to your Google Account.
Select a photo, album, or video.
Tap Share .
Under “Share to apps,” select another app to share to. Swipe left to find more apps.
To create and share a link, tap Create link.

Anyone that has the shared link will be able to view the album. Learn how to change your sharing options.

Learn about what happens when you share photos & videos

What happens when you share

When you send to a contact in Google Photos:
- Contacts you’ve shared with get an in-app notification and a push notification from the app. The shared item or items appear in their Updates page.
- When you share a new album or conversation with them, they’ll also receive an email notification.
- Their account "Profile picture" or "Initial" is added to the album or conversation and will appear faded until they view the album or conversation.
- When they view the album or conversation, their account "Profile picture" or "Initial" will appear in the activity view next to the latest photos, comments, or likes they have viewed.
- If they join a shared album or like, comment, or add photos in a shared album or conversation, their profile image changes to their account "Profile picture" or "Initial."
When you add photos or videos to albums or conversations, your account "Profile picture" or "Initial" will appear next to the latest photos you added.
If you share a video captured fully or partially in slow motion, others may be able to view any part of the video at a slower speed in their own player.
If you edit a photo that you previously shared via link sharing, people may be able to temporarily view the unedited version through the original link.

What happens when someone shares with you

Important: If you think someone is spamming you, or violating other abuse policies, you can block or report them. Learn more about our abuse policies.

If your contact can’t share their media, you can help them find and connect with you.

When someone shares an album or conversation with you, you will receive an email.
If you already use Google Photos, you’ll also receive an in-app notification and a push notification and the share appears in your Updates page.
When you view the album or conversation, your account "Profile picture" or "Initial" in the album will light up and appear next to the latest photos, comments, or likes you have viewed.
If you join a shared album or like, comment, or add photos in a shared album or conversation, your account "Profile picture" or "Initial" will appear next to the action you took.
If someone edits a photo after they've shared the link with you, the original link sharing may not immediately update to the new version of the photo.

Learn how to leave albums and conversations.

Save photos & videos shared with you

When you save a photo or video that has been shared with you, you receive a copy of it in your library. Any edits to the original shared photo after it has been saved will not apply to your saved copy. Saved photos and videos count toward your quota except for certain partner sharing instances. Learn more about partner sharing.

To find photos or videos in your device gallery app, you must download them. Learn how to download photos or videos.

To save photos and videos shared with you in a conversation:

In the conversation, scroll to the photo or video that you want to save.
Below the photo or video, tap Save .

Share photos & videos in a conversation

Important: To share an item from a locked folder, remove it first from the locked folder. Learn more about Locked Folder.

You can share directly to anyone with a Google Account if they're in your contacts or by searching their email address or phone number. For everyone else, you can create a link to share.

If your contact’s phone number isn’t associated with their Google Account, you can help them find and connect with you. If your contact doesn’t have a Google Account, you can send them a link or share using another app instead.

To share with other people in a conversation:

On your mobile device, open the Google Photos app .
Sign in to your Google Account.
Select a photo, album, or video.
Tap Share .
Under "Send in Google Photos," select people to share with.
- To share with one person, tap their name.
- To find someone specific, tap Search . Enter their name, phone number, or email address.
- To share with more than one person, select multiple people.
- (Optional) Add a message to go with your shared media.
- Google makes suggestions based on your interactions. Learn more about suggestions.
To share, tap Send. This will create an ongoing conversation thread where you and the people you have shared with can add additional photos, videos, comments, and likes over time.

Tips:

There is a 20,000 photo limit on conversations.
To hide a suggested sharing contact, press and hold their profile photo and tap Hide suggestion. To find them again to share something with them later, tap Search , enter their name, and tap Show hidden suggestions.

You can also automatically share your entire library with someone.

Manage, review, or leave your conversations & albums

Find links, memories & conversation you’ve shared

On your mobile device, open the Google Photos app .
At the top, tap your account Profile picture or Initial Photos settings.
Tap Sharing Manage sharing activity.
Check your shared links, shared memories, and conversations.

Find albums you’ve shared

On your mobile device, open the Google Photos app .
At the bottom, tap Collections Albums.
- To find the albums you want, switch between “All,” “Shared with me,” and “My albums.”

Review an album