How to find and export your Google Photos data

Where Google Photos shows how much you have.

Sign in to the Google Admin console with the Storage administrator role and open Menu > Storage.
Point to the storage bar to see how much Drive, Gmail and Google Photos each use, and note the Google Photos figure.
Use the list of users ranked by storage to see which accounts hold the most. Changes can take up to 24 hours to appear.

Plan and role. You need the Storage administrator role or equivalent privileges in Google Workspace. Google Photos is an additional Google service, so users only have Photos content if it is turned on for them.

What to report on the Polyshares intake.

Report Google Photos in GB. The intake also asks how many years the company has used it and how many seats it has.

Report the Google Photos storage figure in GB. Years in use is the year the company started using Photos, or the year of the oldest photos in the libraries. Seats are the users who actually store photos, which the ranked user list helps identify.

Export the full history.

Confirm Takeout is allowed in the Admin console under Menu > Data > Data import & export > Google Takeout. This needs the Service Settings administrator privilege.
Each user signs in to Google Takeout, selects Google Photos, and picks ZIP or TGZ with an archive size between 1 GB and 50 GB.
Choose delivery by email link or to Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or Box, then download every part before the link expires.

Takeout exports photos and videos in their original format, and metadata that is not stored in the file itself goes into separate JSON files. Exports larger than the chosen archive size are split into several parts. Processing can take from a few minutes to a few days, links expire after about 7 days, and each archive can be downloaded up to 5 times. Takeout runs per user, so an organization exports account by account.

The intake only needs the size, so you do not have to run an export to fill it in. You also do not need to clean or scrub an export. Polyshares handles anonymization before anything moves.

Why Google Photos data has value for AI training.

Company Photos libraries usually hold site, product and event photos taken on phones, with capture dates and often location in the file metadata. Matched to the job, order or project they document, those images show real conditions over time.

What stays private.

Only the accounts you choose need to be exported, so users with personal content in their libraries can be left out.

We anonymize identifying details before anything moves. Polyshares does that work, so your team does not have to scrub records first.

Your company keeps ownership of its data. The license is bounded to defined material and a defined use.

Polyshares is the buyer and pays your company directly. There is no fee or commission, and Polyshares reviews the record before it makes any offer.

Common questions about Google Photos data.

Is Google Photos part of Google Workspace?

Google Photos is an additional Google service that admins turn on or off under Apps, Additional Google services. Its storage counts toward the organization's pooled storage along with Drive and Gmail.

Does Takeout keep the original photo quality?

Yes. Takeout downloads photos and videos in their original format, and extra metadata that is not in the file arrives in separate JSON files.

How long does a Google Photos Takeout export take?

From a few minutes to a few days depending on size. Google emails a link when it is ready, and the link expires after about 7 days.

Source: Review storage use across your organization, How to download your Google data, Turn on or off additional Google services. Checked September 2026.

Put your numbers on the intake.

List your systems, their sizes and your headcount in one intake. Polyshares reviews the record and prices it. There is no fee or commission to your company.

Check your data

How to find and export your Google Photos data.