How to send photos from Lightroom Classic to Google Photos
Quick Answer
Lightroom Classic has no built-in Google Photos export. You have three options: export to a folder and upload manually in a browser, use a free export-only plugin, or use a Publish Service plugin that maps a collection to a Google Photos album and re-uploads only what changed.
Two limits apply to every method, because they come from Google, not the tool: uploads count against your 15 GB account storage, and nothing can delete photos from Google Photos (the API does not allow it).
There is no "Export to Google Photos" button in Lightroom Classic. Lightroom on the web has one, but Classic does not, so you need either a manual upload or a plugin. I built the Google Photos plugin for Classic, which means I have read Google's Photos Library API documentation more than any person should. Here are the three real ways to do this, what each is good for, and the API limits that quietly shape all of them.
Why isn't there a built-in Lightroom Classic to Google Photos export?
Adobe ships Publish connectors for a handful of services and leaves the rest to plugins. Google Photos is one it never built into Classic. The cloud-based Lightroom (the web and mobile app) did get a Google Photos export, which confuses people - but if you shoot raw and edit in Lightroom Classic on a desktop, that does not help you. You need a plugin, or you upload by hand.
The three ways to get Lightroom photos into Google Photos
| Method | How it works | Keeps in sync? | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual export and upload | Export to a folder, upload in a browser | No - you re-upload everything | Free |
| Export-only plugin | Plugin pushes selected photos, no memory of what it sent | No | Free / donationware |
| Publish Service plugin | A collection maps to an album, re-uploads only changes | Yes | One-time |
Manual export + upload
Fine for one-offs. Re-uploads everything every time, with nothing tracking what you already sent.
Free export plugin
Sends selected photos on export. No change-tracking, so it has no memory of what it pushed before.
Publish Service plugin
Re-uploads only what changed and keeps the album in sync with your collection, so you avoid duplicates.
Method 1 - manual export and upload (free, fine for one-offs)
The no-plugin route:
- Select your photos and go to File > Export. Export JPEGs to a folder on your drive.
- Open photos.google.com in a browser, signed into the right account.
- Click Upload, choose Computer, and select your exported folder.
This is fine for a one-time dump. The downside is there is no link between Lightroom and Google Photos. Re-edit a photo next month and you have to find it, re-export it, and re-upload it by hand - and it is easy to upload a duplicate because nothing is tracking what you already sent.
Method 2 - a free export plugin
Jeffrey Friedl's "Export to Google Photos" is the long-running free option. It works back to Lightroom 6, the same download runs on Mac and Windows, and it is distributed as donationware (some functionality is reduced after six weeks unless you register). It is export-only, so like the manual method it does not track state across uploads. If you just need to push photos to Google Photos now and then, it does the job. (New to plugins? Here is how to install a Lightroom Classic plugin.)
Method 3 - a Publish Service (re-uploads only what changed)
This is the option that fits a catalog you keep working in. Lightroom's Publish Services track each photo's state - New, Modified, or Published - and push only what changed since the last time. Instead of re-uploading a whole album to fix two edits, you publish and only those two photos move.
The Google Photos plugin I build is a Publish Service: a Published Collection maps one-to-one to a Google Photos album, and republishing sends only new or modified photos, so you do not get duplicates. It is a one-time $9.99 purchase with no subscription, and because it is pure Lua it runs on both Mac and Windows. You add it through the Plug-in Manager like any plugin.
The Google Photos API limits that affect every method
This is the part worth knowing before you commit to a workflow, because these are Google's rules and they constrain every tool equally:
- A tool can only touch albums it created. The Photos Library API does not let any app add photos to albums you made yourself in the Google Photos app. Plugins create and manage their own albums.
- Nothing can delete from Google Photos. The API has no delete. No plugin can remove a photo for you. The workaround good plugins use (mine included) is to move photos you removed from a collection into a "To Delete" album, so you can find and clear them in one place by hand.
- Uploads count against your storage. Since June 2021 there is no free unlimited tier. Everything you send counts against your 15 GB shared Google quota. You choose Original quality or the smaller Storage saver quality at upload time.
None of these are dealbreakers. They are just the shape of what is possible, and any guide that promises two-way sync or remote deletion is describing something the API does not actually allow.
Which method should you use?
- A one-time dump of a finished shoot: manual export and upload. No plugin needed.
- Occasional pushes, no budget: the free export plugin.
- A living catalog you keep editing and want mirrored to albums: a Publish Service plugin, so you only ever send what changed.
Frequently asked questions
Does Lightroom Classic have a built-in Google Photos export?
No. Lightroom on the web has one, but Lightroom Classic does not. You either upload manually in a browser or use a plugin.
Do photos uploaded to Google Photos count against storage?
Yes. Since June 2021 there is no free unlimited tier, so uploads count against your 15 GB shared Google quota. You can pick Original or the smaller Storage saver quality.
Can a plugin delete photos from Google Photos?
No. The Photos Library API does not allow deleting. Good plugins move removed photos into a "To Delete" album so you can clear them by hand.
Will uploading create duplicates?
Manual uploads can, because nothing tracks what you already sent. A Publish Service plugin tracks each photo's state and re-uploads only new or modified photos.
Does the Google Photos plugin work on Windows?
Yes. The Lightroom Tools Google Photos plugin is pure Lua, so it runs on both Mac and Windows.
Want a Lightroom collection that mirrors itself to a Google Photos album and only re-uploads what changed? The Google Photos plugin for Lightroom Classic does exactly that. One-time $9.99, Mac and Windows, no subscription.
Get the Google Photos plugin - $9.99