With recent changes to the Google Photos API, many third-party tools can no longer directly transfer photos from one Google Photos account to another. For users with a large number of photos and albums, the traditional upload-and-download method is extremely inefficient and nearly unmanageable.
So, is there a simpler and more efficient way to transfer large volumes of photos between Google Photos accounts? The answer is yes!
RiceDrive offers an innovative solution that bypasses these limitations and enables large-scale photo migration. Next, I will explain the detailed steps of this solution with text and illustrations.
Method 1: Use Google Built-in Sharing Feature
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Go to Google Photos and sign in with your original account.
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Click the gear icon ⚙️ (Settings) in the top right corner.
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Select Partner Sharing.
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Enter the email address of your second Google account.
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Grant access to all photos or a specific date range.
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Accept the invitation from your second Google Photos account.
✅ Pros: Easy, free, and directly supported by Google.
❌ Cons: This shares the library but does not create a true copy in the new account unless you manually save the photos.
Method 2: Use a Free Cloud Transfer Tool
RiceDrive is a free cloud management tool that allows you to transfer photos and files between Google accounts, without downloading or re-uploading. Perfect for large libraries.
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Go to Google Photos and sign in with your original account.
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Click the gear icon ⚙️ (Settings) in the top right corner.
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Select Export your data and Backup.
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Click All photo albums included to select the data you want to export.
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Click Next step. (Tip: if you want to export to Apple iCloud Photos, Flickr, Microsoft OneDrive, or SmugMug, click More info to learn more.)
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In Transfer to:, select Drive as the destination. (You can choose OneDrive, Dropbox, or Box; however, selecting Drive may allow for faster export.)
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Click Create export, then you will need to wait for several hours or even days.
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After exporting to your Google Drive, it will be a zip file. Extract zip files.
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Log in to RiceDrive and add your Google Drive and another Google Photos account.
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Click on Cloud ZIP and Create ZIP.
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Select the Takeout folder in Google Drive as the source, and choose the root directory of the other Google Photos account as the target.
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In the Settings filter, check "Exclude" and enter *.json, then click "Start up".
Final Thoughts
If you want to transfer photos to another Google Photos account, using Partner Sharing is the fastest and free method.
To transfer albums to another Google Photos account, you can also use the sharing feature, but you'll need to share each album one by one, which can be time-consuming.
Alternatively, using RiceDrive combined with Google Takeout allows you to transfer a large number of albums more easily—not only to another Google Photos account but also to other cloud drives such as Dropbox, Mega, or OneDrive. However, this method may take more time to complete.
Try It Now – Free & Secure
👉 Start your transfer with RiceDrive today and move your Google Drives between accounts in minutes—no downloads, no hassle.
