Google Photos – Can It Access Photos Saved in Google Drive?

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Is it possible to upload photos to Google Drive (not the /Google Photos folder) and still view them through Google Photos?

I'm asking this because of the following: Usually I have two sources of photos, those taken with my smartphone, which get uploaded instantly to Google Photos, and photos from other cameras or friends' cameras, which I upload manually to Google Drive.

I could upload the latter to Google Photos, but in that case they will be sorted into /Google Photos/YEAR/MONTH which is not very useful (I'd rather prefer my original structure, as these photos are "occasion-related", e.g. /Other Photos/YEAR/Summer-Vacation-France). It is possible to upload them to Google Drive in my desired folder structure, but then I won't be able to view them in Google Photos.

In any case I want to use Google Photos as a web photo management software for ALL my photos, as it is very comfortable to have everything readily available when not having access to my computer (besides that, I sync Google Drive and thereby also Google Photos with my Mac, and use the local files for my desktop photo library).

Any sugggestions are appreciated!

Best Answer

Yes, Google Photos can access photos saved in Google Drive. The Google Drive search view in Google Photos displays photos by date, not by the Google Drive folder structure.

From How Google Drive works with Google Photos - Photos Help

View your Google Drive photos & videos in Google Photos

In Google Photos, you can do things like create collages and GIFs, edit your photos, make movies, and share with people you care about.

You'll see your Google Drive photos and videos in the "Photos" section of the Google Photos app, but you can also see just your Google Drive photos & videos using the Google Photos app.

...

Computer

  1. Go to photos.google.com/search.
  2. At the bottom right, click Google Drive.

SEE MY DRIVE PHOTOS

Note: If you edit a photo in Google Photos, those edits don't show in the Drive version of the photo. To have the edited photo appear in your Drive folder, download the edited photo in Google Photos and upload it to your Drive folder.

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