Google Photos & Google Drive Difference In Detail
Google Photos and Google Drive are used to store pictures and videos. Both are part of Google Cloud Storage services. But some may be confused between these two to store their images. Here, I am going to explain the comparison of Google Photos vs Google Drive and how you can manage your pictures in the Google Cloud Platform.
Google Photos Vs Google Drive – Key Comparison
| Functions | Google Photos | Google Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Main Purpose | Google Photos stores, organizes, and manages photos and videos. | Google Drive stores and manages all files, including docs, images, videos, PDFs, etc. |
| Support File Types | It only supports photo and video files, such as JPEG, PNG, MP4, MOV, RAW files, and more. | Google Drive stores a variety of file types, including PNG, JPG, MP4, PDF, ZIP, audio files, etc. |
| Backup Solution | Google Photos provides an automatic photo and video backup from mobile. | To backup or sync your file, you have to manually upload it or use Google Drive for Desktop. |
| Organizations Features | Provide Albums, face grouping, places, objects, and AI-based categorization. | Use folders, shared drives, and manual file features to organize your files. |
| Storage Usage | All the photos and videos are counted in Google storage. | All the files are stored in the same Google storage. |
| Integration | Google Photos integrates with Android, Google Lens, and the Photos app. | It is connected with Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Workspace apps. |
Although Google Photos and Google Drive both store your pictures and videos in the cloud. But Google Photos is specifically designed to manage photos and automatic backup. Whereas Google Drive is a general file storage platform. To understand, many other features are different from each other. So, I will also explain to you below.
Difference Between Google Photos & Google Drive: Additional Features
- Edit Settings
Google Photos is equipped with some basic editing features, like crop and rotate. An option to create collages and apply filters is also enabled. Google Photos also gives an option for a video editor. A user can create animations and videos from Google Photos itself. Here, the difference between Google Photos and Google Drive is that any such feature is not included in Google Drive. - File Scanning
If Google Drive is installed on the smartphone, any third-party applications to scan photos, files, and documents are not required. An inbuilt ability to do the same is present. Google Photos can also help users to scan photos, but for that, a user has to download the PhotoScan app from Google. - Google Lens
One of the cool features of Google Photos is Google Lens. It is a picture search engine for phones, which is automated by machine learning and artificial intelligence. When a user taps the lens button provided in Google Photos, it recognizes the element in the image and displays necessary information regarding it. Some other amazing functionalities are recognizing addresses and contact numbers in pictures. When comparing Google Photos vs Google Drive, no such feature is provided by Google Drive. - Image Sharing Options
Both services enable users to share files and collaborate. However, there are some differences. In Google Drive, users can share files with multiple people. On the other hand, in Google Photos, a user can continuously share photos with a single person. A partner account is to be added to begin the sharing process with a group of people.
So, here are the complete differences between Google Drive and Google Photos. Both are very useful, but it depends on the situation. Let’s see which program is suitable for certain scenarios.
Recommendations to Use Google Photos and Google Drive
From the above detailed comparison of Google Photos vs Google Drive. You learn the key difference between them. Now, if you are confused about when you should use them. Then, this section will clear it.
Choose Google Photos:
If your main focus is to store the photos and videos. You are using a mobile to manage your photos, want to do quick editing, and share with your partner. Then use Google Photos. It is best for individuals, families, casual users, and anyone who wants to manage only their media files.
Choose Google Drive When:
You need to store different types of image and video files, and want to connect to other Google apps. You need to manage the images for the professional users and easily share them with others. In all these cases, Google Drive is perfect for you as it helps students, professionals, teams, and users to manage multiple diverse file formats.
How to Manage Images & Videos in Google Photos & Google Drive?
For storing images and videos, Google Photos and Google Drive can be helpful. However, the problem arises when storing media files in both platforms. In Google Photos, it automatically organizes the pictures using albums, dates, and AI-based recognition. But the Google Drive needs a folder-based system to manage your files. Due to the different structure, many users are confused about how to organize their images. Below are some tips that can help you manage your files.
In Google Photos, media is managed by these options
- Backup photos and videos automatically from mobile devices. But make sure you enable the backup option.
- Use albums and categories to organize your media files.
- If you want to search for a particular picture using AI-based recognition like people, places, objects, etc.
- You can also edit the images with built-in photo editing tools.
But if you want more traditional folder management, Google Drive is great for you. Many organizations use Google Drive to organize their files.
Google Drive is a cloud file storage platform where you can manage all types of files, including photos and videos. Here
- You can create custom folders to save images and videos,
- Share your files and folders with your team members.
- Because it is a cloud platform, you can access your files from any device.
- And download your media files to your local desktop.
Technically, Google Drive is a folder-based management system, so you cannot use it for advanced photo management functions like automatic photo categorization or smart search.
What if you want to manage your images or files from another Google account? Many IT admins have to manage the data of all user accounts, including images and videos. In that case, you need to move the data for the organization. To do that, I have a perfect method for you.
Bonus Tip: A Way to Move Images or Video Files from Another Account
Directly transferring your photos is not possible. First, save your images in Google Drive. Then, use the SysTools Google Drive Migrator Tool to move your images. It is a professional software recommended by many experts. This utility allows you to move any type of file in your Google Drive, including images and videos, to your destination account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can you please tell me if the photos saved in Google Photos are public or private?
Ans. The photos saved in Google Photos are completely safe and private. However, if you want, you can share it with other users, or you can also do so as per your choice, and it still remains private.
Q. Does Google Photos change the picture quality?
Ans. Yes, photos are compressed to save space. Any photo larger than 16 MP will be resized to 16 MP.
Q. Do Google Drive and Google Photos have shared space?
Ans. Yes, Google offers a total of 15 GB free space, which is shared between Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos.
Q. Will deleting photos from Google Drive delete them from Google Photos?
Ans. Yes, deleting the photos from the Google Photos folder in Google Drive will delete them in the Photos app.
Summary
This article explained the comparison of Google Photos vs Google Drive. Here, I discussed the difference in key features. Along with this, I also suggest recommendations about when Photos and Drive should be used. If you want to move your images, I also share a bonus tip that can help you move Google Photos to Google Drive. Additionally, I also provide tips to manage images and videos in both Google Photos and Google Drive.