Google is pulling the plug today on a feature that many users have relied on for years without ever having to think about it. Starting August 10, 2026, the Google Drive desktop app will stop automatically backing up photos and videos to Google Photos, and anyone still depending on that setup needs to switch things over before new files stop syncing.
What Google Has Said?
Google has framed the move as part of an effort to streamline its backup tools and push dedicated photo management entirely onto the Photos app. The company has confirmed that Drive for desktop will no longer support Google Photos backup from today onward, and has pointed users toward Google Photos itself to keep their folders backing up going forward.
What Actually Changes?
Until now, Drive’s desktop app let users pick a folder on their computer and have it automatically sync into Google Photos, no manual uploads needed. From today, that bridge between the two apps is gone. Folders that were set up this way will simply stop sending new photos and videos across once the cutoff passes. Drive itself isn’t going anywhere, and neither is Photos; it’s specifically this one automatic link between them that’s being switched off. Anything already backed up through it stays exactly where it is and won’t be touched.
How To Keep Backups Running?
Google is pointing users to two options inside Google Photos itself. One is setting up continuous folder backup directly through the “+” button and selecting “Back up folders,” essentially recreating what the Drive app used to do. The other is manually importing photos already sitting in Drive folders into Photos.
One catch worth noting: backups set up this way through the Google Photos website only run while that site is actually open in a browser, unlike the old system, which worked automatically in the background.
Who Needs To Act?
Anyone backing up photos straight from their phone won’t notice a thing, since that process is untouched. But if a computer folder, say from a camera or scanner, has been your main backup route through Drive’s desktop app, it’s worth setting up the new system today. Nothing already saved will disappear, but new files will stop backing up until you do.
Khushi Patel is a Senior Sub Editor at NewsX, covering automotive, technology, Lifestyle, entertainment, and mainstream news. She previously worked as a Copy Editor at Times Network and has written automotive editorial content, including comparison pieces, for TimesDrive.
