How to Organize Photos in Google Photos: Quick Guide to Albums

Everything you need to know about organizing Google Photos

Written by Kyle Smith

Last Updated: March 6, 2023 References Tested

Creating an Album

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Adding Photos to an Album

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Rearranging Photos in an Album

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Removing Photos from an Album

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Deleting an Album

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Rearranging Photos by Date and Time

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Expert Q&A

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Tips

This wikiHow guide will show you how to organize photos in Google Photos. You can use albums to keep your photos organized in Google Photos. Albums are like containers for your photos — you can sort them into albums based on any criteria you choose. You can add, edit, or remove photos from an album at any time. Learn how to create and manage albums in Google Photos, as well as how to rearrange the order of photos outside of their albums.

Things You Should Know

Create an album by going to the Library tab (mobile app) or the album section of the website.
Rearrange photos in an album by dragging them to new positions or sorting them by date.
Remove photos in an album by selecting "Edit Album" and clicking the "X" on photos.

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:

Creating an Album

1
Open the Google Photos app or visit http://photos.google.com. To keep your photos and videos organized, try sorting them into albums. You can do this using the Google Photos app or in a web browser.
2
Create a new album. The steps are a little different depending on your device:
- Mobile:
  - Tap Library in the bottom menu bar.
  - Tap New album.
  - Type in a title for your album and click Select photo. You’ll see a grid of your photos.
- Web:
  - Click Albums in the left menu, then click Create album in the top right.
  - Type in a title for your album and click Add photos. You’ll see a grid of your photos.
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3
Click or tap the circle to select a photo. This will add the photo to the album. You can select as many photos as you’d like.
- See Adding Photos to an Album to learn how to add additional photos later.
4
Click Done (computer) or Add (mobile). This will create the album and take you to it.
5
Click or tap the text tool (TT) to write a description. It’s at the top right corner of the screen. Like an album title, nobody will see the description except you.^{[1]
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- On mobile, tap the ⋯ button then select Edit album to access the text tool.
6
Click or tap the check mark to save. This is in the top left of the Google Photos website or app. Your album is now live!
- To view a list of all of your albums next time you sign in, click or tap the Albums icon (in the Library tab of the app, and on the left menu of the website). The icon looks like a square with a bookmark at its upper-right edge.
- Next, check out how to download images from Google Photos to your computer.

Method 2

Method 2 of 6:

Adding Photos to an Album

1
Open Google Photos. You’ll be able to use this method with both the mobile app and http://photos.google.com.^{[2]
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Click or tap the Albums icon. It’s in the Library tab of the app, and on the left menu of the website. The icon looks like a square with a bookmark at its upper-right edge. A list of your albums will appear.
- If you don’t see any albums, you’ll need to create one first.
3
Click or tap an album to modify it. The album’s current contents will appear.
4
Click or tap the Add Photo icon. It’s at the top right area of the screen (website) or directly above the photos grid (mobile). It looks like a photo with a plus sign. Now you’ll see a list of your photos (outside the album), all containing circles at their upper left corners.^{[3]
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5
Click or tap to select a photo. When you select a photo, the circle at its upper left corner will turn into a check mark. All photos with check marks will be added to the album. You can select as many photos as you’d like.
6
Click or tap Done (website) or Add (app). It’s at the top right corner of the screen. The photos you selected are now added to your album.
- Did you know you can order photo prints from Google Photos? It’s a helpful feature for getting physical copies of any image!

Method 3

Method 3 of 6:

Rearranging Photos in an Album

1
Open Google Photos. You can easily rearrange the photos inside of your album using the mobile app or at http://photos.google.com.
- To rearrange photos that aren’t in an album, see Rearranging Photos by Date and Time.
2
Click or tap the Albums icon. It’s in the Library tab of the app, and on the left menu of the website. The icon looks like a square with a bookmark at its upper-right edge. A list of your albums will appear.
3
Select an album to manage. The contents of the album will appear.
4
Click or tap the ⁝ menu. It’s at the top right corner of both the website and the mobile app.
5
Select “Edit Album.” The album is now in edit mode, indicated by the editing symbols at the top right corner of the screen.
6
Drag a photo to move it. You can drag it as far up or down as you wish. When you’ve found a good spot for the photo, let go of the mouse (or lift your finger from the screen) to drop it there.^{[4]
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- You can drag as many photos as you wish, but you’ll have to drag them all individually.
7
Sort the photos (optional). You can sort the photo order in the album by date or by when you added them. To do so:
- Click or tap the sort button (two arrows) in the top right of the album in Edit Mode.
- Select a sorting option in the pop up menu.
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Click or tap the check mark to save. The photos are now in the order you selected.

Method 4

Method 4 of 6:

Removing Photos from an Album

1
Open Google Photos. You can remove a photo from an album (without deleting it) using the mobile app or at http://photos.google.com.
- If you’ve archived photos on Google Photos, you can access them separately to delete them.
2
Click or tap the Albums icon. It’s in the Library tab of the app, and on the left menu of the website. The icon looks like a square with a bookmark at its upper-right edge. A list of your albums will appear.
3
Select an album to manage. The contents of the album will appear.
4
Remove the photos from the album. You’ll still be able to find it in the main photos list in Google Photos. To remove photos:
- Tap the ⁝ menu. It’s at the top right corner of the website or app.
- Select Edit Album. The album is now in edit mode, indicated by the editing symbols at the top right corner of the screen.
- Tap the X button to remove a photo from the album. On the website, you’ll need to hover over the photo to see the X.

Method 5

Method 5 of 6:

Deleting an Album

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Open the Google Photos app or visit http://photos.google.com. If you no longer have use for an album, you can safely delete it without deleting the photos inside. Start by launching the app on your mobile device or visiting Google Photos in a web browser.^{[5]
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2
Click or tap the Albums icon. It’s in the Library tab of the app, and on the left menu of the website. The icon looks like a square with a bookmark at its upper-right edge. A list of your albums will appear.
3
Select an album to manage. The contents of the album will appear.
4
Click or tap the ⁝ menu. It’s at the top right corner of both the website and the mobile app.
5
Select Delete Album. A confirmation pop-up will appear, reminding you that deleting an album is permanent. Remember: the photos inside the album will not be deleted — just their container.
6
Click or tap Delete (website) or Delete album (app). The album will now be removed from the album list.

Method 6

Method 6 of 6:

Rearranging Photos by Date and Time

1
Open http://photos.google.com in a web browser. When you access your photos, you’ve surely noticed that they appear in order by date and time. You can rearrange the order of these photos by changing their dates and times. You’ll need access to a computer.^{[6]
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- To rearrange the photos in an album instead, see Rearranging Photos in an Album.
- If you’re not already signed in to Google Photos, do so now.
2
Hold the mouse cursor over a photo. A selection circle will appear at the photo’s top left corner.
3
Click the circle to select the photo. A check mark will fill the circle.
- You can select multiple photos to change all to the same date and time. Just click the circles on each photo you want to edit.
4
Click the ⁝ icon at the upper right corner. A brief menu will appear.
5
Select Edit Date & Time. Now you’ll see the “Edit date & time” window pop up. The photo’s current date and time information is visible on this window.
6
Replace the current date and time with a new one. To move the photo closer to the top of the list, make the date later than the current one. To move the photo downward, make the date earlier.
7
Click Save. Your photos will now be reordered based on the edited time and date.

Expert Q&A

Question

My photos in Photos on my old phone were grouped by month.Now on my new phone phone they are grouped by day. I like them by month. Please help.

Kyle Smith
wikiHow Technology Writer
Kyle Smith is a wikiHow Technology Writer, learning and sharing information about the latest technology. He has presented his research at multiple engineering conferences and is the writer and editor of hundreds of online electronics repair guides. Kyle received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Kyle Smith

wikiHow Technology Writer

Expert Answer

To group your photos by month, go to the "Photos" tab in the Google Photos app. Then, press the screen with two fingers and pinch them toward each other. This will "zoom out" the photo list into grouping by month.
Question

My album got too large. Is there a way to split an album into two albums? For example: pics from Day 1 and a second album wih pics from Day 2.

Kyle Smith
wikiHow Technology Writer
Kyle Smith is a wikiHow Technology Writer, learning and sharing information about the latest technology. He has presented his research at multiple engineering conferences and is the writer and editor of hundreds of online electronics repair guides. Kyle received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Kyle Smith

wikiHow Technology Writer

Expert Answer

There isn't a feature to split an album directly, but you can make a new album and add photos from the first album. When making the new album, search for photos by the first album's name. Then, select the photos you want to place in the second album. You'll need to delete the photos in the first album after creating the second album.
Question

can I create google albums for someone else to download photos into a specific album

Kyle Smith
wikiHow Technology Writer
Kyle Smith is a wikiHow Technology Writer, learning and sharing information about the latest technology. He has presented his research at multiple engineering conferences and is the writer and editor of hundreds of online electronics repair guides. Kyle received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Kyle Smith

wikiHow Technology Writer

Expert Answer

You can create a shared album for others to add photos to. In the mobile app, go to the "Sharing" tab and tap "Create shared album". Then, you'll be able to invite people to the album, allowing them to view and add photos.