How to move Google Photos to OneDrive (without duplicates)
Ask Google for a copy of your photos with Google Takeout (Google's own download tool), then add that copy to OneDrive, putting each photo's date back and leaving out anything OneDrive already has. If your OneDrive has no photos in it yet, Google's free "Transfer a copy" tool may be all you need; if it already holds some of the same photos, compare before you copy, or you'll end up with two of everything.
I'm David, and I'm building a tool for this job, so I did it with my own library first, in October 2026. Google had about 13,500 of my photos and videos. My OneDrive already had more than half of them, because my phone had been backing up to both. Here are the honest options, the steps, and what went wrong for me along the way.
Which way should I use to move Google Photos to OneDrive?
There are four ways people try. Here's how they compare.
| Way | Cost | Will the dates be right? | Photos already in OneDrive | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google's "Transfer a copy" | Free | Mostly. Dates stored inside each photo come across, says a Microsoft support answer. Dates you changed in Google Photos may not: Google says it doesn't move "manually edited" details, like comments. Albums and descriptions do move; the video part of motion photos doesn't (Google). | Not checked. Google warns that a second transfer "may have duplicates". | An empty OneDrive. Not for accounts from work or school (a Gmail account you set up yourself is fine). |
| Google Takeout, by hand | Free, but it takes your time | Only if you put them back yourself. Many dates sit in a separate small file beside each photo, and OneDrive doesn't read it. | You compare by hand | A small library, and you're happy working with files and folders |
| OneDrive's own "Import" | Free | Unclear | When it worked, it copied into a new "Imports" folder without checking what's already there. | Hard to say. Microsoft's own help page says both that you can import Google Photos on the OneDrive website and that importing from Google Photos "is not supported" right now (Microsoft). Don't count on it for a whole library. |
| MergeMyLibrary (my tool, not out yet) | Free report, then a one-time $19 to $49 (planned) | Yes: it writes the date and place into each photo it copies | Skipped: it copies only what OneDrive is missing | Photos in both clouds. Small test planned for early 2027. |
My rule of thumb: if your OneDrive is empty, try Google's free transfer first, on a small batch. If your photos are already in both places, find out what's already there before you copy anything.
Why can't I just connect Google Photos to OneDrive?
Because Google closed that door. Since 31 March 2025, outside apps can no longer read your whole Google Photos library (Google). The apps that used to "connect both accounts and copy everything" stopped working for Google Photos.
That leaves two ways out, both run by Google: its "Transfer a copy" tool, and Google Takeout, which makes a copy of your photos for you to download.
What do I need before I start?
- Room in OneDrive. At least the size of your Google Photos library, plus some spare. Microsoft 365 Personal comes with 1 TB (1,000 GB) of OneDrive and costs $99.99 a year in the US (Microsoft).
- If you're doing it by hand, room on your computer. Roughly twice the size of your library: once for the download, once for the opened copy (my estimate). Short of space? Work through one part at a time: open it, copy it to OneDrive, then delete it from your computer before the next.
- Time. An hour or two of your own for a small library. Days, on and off, for a big one (my estimate).
How do I move my photos to OneDrive by hand?
Ask Google for a copy of your photos.
Go to takeout.google.com and sign in to the Google account that has your photos. Click "Deselect all", then tick only Google Photos. Click "Next step".
Choose where Google sends the copy.
You'll see a list of choices under "Destination". Google's help page lists: a download link by email, Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive and Box (Google). Your list may not include OneDrive. Mine didn't. That's fine: see what to do when there's no "Add to OneDrive" option. For doing it by hand, the email link is simplest. If you pick Google Drive (your Google account's online storage), the copy counts toward your Google storage until you delete it. (If you'll use my tool later, choose Google Drive: that's where it will read your copy from.)
Pick the file type and size.
Choose "Export once". For file type, choose .zip: a zip file is a compressed bundle of files that most computers open with a double-click. For size, pick a large one so you get fewer parts (I chose 10 GB). Then click "Create export".
Wait for Google's email.
Google says most people get it the same day, though it can take from a few minutes to a few days (Google). Mine was ready the same day: how long Google Takeout takes.
Download every part.
A big library comes in many parts. Download all of them. Email links last about 7 days, and each part can be downloaded 5 times (Google). Count the parts in Google's email and check you have them all: one of mine was a huge video sent on its own, not inside a bundle.
Open every part into the same folder.
Double-click each zip file and put everything into one folder. You'll see your photos in folders by year and by album. Next to most photos is a small file ending in .json. That's Google's note with the photo's date and place. Don't delete these yet.
Put the dates back.
OneDrive doesn't read Google's notes (Microsoft Q&A). If you skip this step, photos whose date is only in the note will show the day you copied them. Free tools can write the date from the note into each photo, but you have to type commands; paid apps are easier. Both are compared here: why Google Takeout photos show the wrong date, and how to fix it.
Take out the repeats.
Google puts a photo in its year folder and again in every album it's in. Photos you edited in Google Photos come out twice: the original, plus an edited copy. Decide what you want to keep. Before you delete an album folder, check that every photo in it is also in a year folder.
Compare with what's already in OneDrive.
If your phone backed up to OneDrive as well as Google, a lot of this copy may already be there. This is the hard part. Comparing thousands of photos by hand isn't realistic, and it's the main reason I'm building my tool. At the very least, don't drop the folder on top of your phone's photos in OneDrive, so you can sort out doubles later.
Copy everything into a new folder in OneDrive.
For example, a folder called "From Google Photos" inside your Pictures folder. Let it finish uploading.
Check before you delete anything.
Use the checklist below.
What goes wrong most often?
- Wrong dates. Photos show the day you copied them. It's the biggest worry I see in people's questions about this move. The fix is step 7.
- Two of everything. Photos already in OneDrive arrive again. Album photos and edited copies double up too. Even Google keeps some shots twice: my copy had 118 extra copies of photos Google had saved twice.
- Missing pieces. A part you didn't download, or a big video sent on its own. Count the parts.
- Running out of space. In Google Drive, if you send the copy there, and in OneDrive when it arrives.
- Deleting too soon. Nothing here needs you to delete anything from Google Photos. Don't, until you've checked.
How do I know nothing was lost before I cancel Google One?
Work through this list before you delete anything from Google, or stop paying for it.
- Count before. Note how many photos and videos are in OneDrive before you start.
- Count the copy. Note how many photos and videos are in Google's copy (not the .json notes). Expect more than your real number, because of album repeats and edited copies.
- Count after. The increase in OneDrive should match what you meant to add.
- Spot-check 10 photos from different years. Include an edited photo, one from an album, a video and an old photo. Check each one opens, looks full size, and shows the right date.
- Keep Google for a few weeks. Use OneDrive normally. Delete from Google, or cancel, only when you're sure.
Before you cancel Google One: if you're still using more than Google's free storage when your plan ends, Google stops backing up your photos, and your Gmail can be affected. If you stay over for 2 years or more, Google may delete your content, after at least 3 months' notice (Google). That's a long way off, but it's worth knowing: cancel only once you've moved, checked and cleared what you no longer need.
Where does MergeMyLibrary fit?
I'm building MergeMyLibrary to do steps 5 to 10 for you. You still ask Google for the copy (send it to Google Drive). Then you sign in with Microsoft, tick your copy in a window from Google, and get a free report: roughly how many of your photos OneDrive already has. If you go ahead, you pay once and press Merge. It copies only what's missing, with each photo's date and place, and rebuilds your albums. Nothing to install, and nothing to download to your computer.
Five rules it never breaks: it looks but doesn't touch until you press Merge; it only adds, never deletes; every copy is checked; you get a full list and 30 days of undo; and your photos pass through our computers on the way to OneDrive but are never stored there.
It isn't on sale yet. I'm aiming for a small test in early 2027. It's independent, and not made by Google or Microsoft.
Questions people ask
Will my photos keep their dates in OneDrive?
Photos that carry their date inside the file keep it. Photos whose date is only in Google's .json note will show the wrong date unless you write it back in (step 7).
Will my albums come across?
Google's transfer moves albums, Google says. With Takeout by hand, you get album folders, not OneDrive albums. MergeMyLibrary rebuilds them as OneDrive albums.
Does moving my photos delete them from Google Photos?
No. Takeout and Google's transfer both make a copy. Your photos stay in Google Photos until you delete them.
How long does it take?
Google's copy: usually the same day. Downloading and uploading by hand depends on your internet speed and can take days for a big library. My merge of 3,856 files took about 6 hours. The finished tool will do that work on its own computers, so you won't need to keep yours switched on.
Last checked by David Jackson. Spotted something out of date? Email dave@mergemylibrary.com.