Send all those photos and videos you’ve posted on Facebook to Google Photos, Dropbox, and other services.
Is your Facebook account a photographic trip down memory lane? Did you frequently end a night out in the late aughts by uploading hundreds of photos to the social network? Perhaps you’d like to wipe these questionable snaps from your Facebook account while preserving them in a more private location. Lucky for you, a built-in Facebook tool helps you easily transfer photos and videos to any of five external services: Google Photos, Dropbox, Koofr, Photobucket, and Backblaze B2. By housing your files in one of these services, you can view them on any device and download them to your computer or mobile phone. And if you ever delete your Facebook account, those photos and videos are still available on the service of your choice. Let’s look at your options. Transfer to Google Photos To use Google Photos ( iOS and Android), you’ll need a Google Account. Most Android devices should already have the app downloaded. Whether you’re in the app or on the web, Google Photos allows you to view images by photos and albums, or by ones suggested for you. Open Google Photos to see what photos and videos are already stored there. Transferring your photos and videos works the same from the Facebook website and app, though the initial steps to access the feature differ. On the web, click the down arrow in the upper right and select Settings & Privacy and then Settings. From the app, click the hamburger icon and go to Settings & Privacy > Settings. At the Settings screen, go to Your Facebook Information ( Your Information in the mobile app) and select Transfer a Copy of Your Information. Enter your Facebook password at the next screen and click Continue. Under Common Destinations, choose Google Photos as the destination. Open Choose what to transfer and choose what media should be included in the transfer. You can select only photos, only videos, only specific date ranges, or only specific albums or videos. After making your selections, click Next. Click Connect to pick the Google Account you wish to use, then sign in if prompted. The first time you do this, you’ll have to grant Facebook access to your Google Photos library. Click Continue. You’re then taken back to Facebook and asked to confirm the transfer. Click Confirm Transfer to initiate the transfer. You may be prompted to retype your Facebook password. The transfer of your photos or videos kicks off. At the same time, you’ll receive an email confirming the transfer. If you wish to stop the transfer for any reason, click the Stop button. Otherwise, just hang tight and let it continue. After the process finishes, a notification appears in Facebook, and you’ll receive an email confirming the transfer. Open your Google Photos page and go to the Albums section. You should now see several new albums for the imported Facebook photos, including Timeline photos, mobile uploads, and profile pictures.
