How to sync your Gallery to the cloud with a Google Account
Samsung Gallery Cloud Sync with Google is a two-way synchronization service jointly provided by Samsung Gallery and Google Photos. By linking a Google account, photos and videos added, edited, or deleted in Gallery are reflected in Google Photos as well as in the Gallery apps of all devices connected to the same account, allowing you to maintain the same photos and videos across multiple devices. All synced media is stored in your Google Account storage and can be viewed directly in Google Photos.
Note:
- This feature is available on One UI 9.0 or higher, with support coming to earlier versions over time. Availability may vary by device, country, carrier, or software version.
- In accordance with Google's terms of service, this service is not available in some countries.
Link your Google account
You can initiate account linking directly through the Gallery app settings or via the tip card that may show up inside the app.
Step 1. Open the Gallery app > Tap Menu.
Step 2. Tap Settings.
Step 3. Tap Sync photos and videos.
* If you are not already signed in to your Samsung account, follow the on-screen prompts to log in and grant the necessary permissions. Once signed in, tap Sync photos and videos again to complete linking your Google account.
Step 4. Turn on Sync with Google > Tap Continue.
Step 5. Review your linked Google storage status. You can return to this screen to check the service usage and linking status.
Step 6. Syncing will begin. You can view the status at the top of your Gallery.
Upon setup, only the Camera album will upload by default. You can change which albums to upload by navigating to Gallery > Menu > Settings > Sync photos and videos > Albums to sync, and selecting your desired albums.
Note: Paths may vary depending on the device and app version.
Verify connection
Once linking is complete, a sync button will appear and be turned on under the Sync photos and videos menu in the Gallery app settings.
Additionally, you can verify that the link was completed via the path below:
Step 1. Open Settings > Tap your Samsung account.
Step 2. Tap Profile info.
Step 3. Tap Linked accounts.
Step 4. Confirm your linked account.
Note:
- When using multiple devices, photos and videos in Gallery are synced across Samsung devices signed in to the same Samsung account, with that account linked to the same Google Account on each device.
- If the device is not connected to a network, Gallery sync will not reflect changes to the cloud. If synced photos are edited, deleted, or added while disconnected, they will automatically sync to the cloud once the network is reconnected.
- When sync is turned off, photos and videos previously synced remain safe in your Google Account storage. However, cloud-only items will no longer appear in the Gallery app (they are hidden, not deleted). Creating, editing, or deleting items will not update in Google Account storage while sync is turned off.
Unlink your Google account
If you want to use a different account, you must disconnect the existing linked Google account before linking with a different one.
Step 1. Open Settings > Tap your Samsung account > Tap Profile info.
Step 2. Tap Linked accounts.
Step 3. Tap the More options icon (the three vertical dots) > Tap Unlink.
Step 4. Tap Unlink again to confirm.
Note:
- Disconnecting the account means cloud-state photos and videos (without local originals) will no longer be visible in the Samsung Gallery app.
- Existing photos and videos can still be viewed in the Google Photos app or website, and re-linking the account will allow you to view the same content in the Gallery app once again.
File size & format limits: Photos up to 200 MB and videos up to 20 GB can be uploaded. Supported photo formats include AVIF, BMP, GIF, HEIC, ICO, JPG, PNG, TIFF, WEBP, and select RAW files. Supported video formats include 3GP, 3G2, ASF, AVI, DIVX, M2T, M2TS, M4V, MKV, MMV, MOD, MOV, MP4, MPG, MTS, TOD, and WMV.
Note: File formats and sizes may change according to Google upload policies.
SD cards: Sync functionality is not provided for SD cards, as they are external storage. To sync photos and videos stored on an SD card, move them to internal storage and select them under Albums to sync.
Secure Folder: If you move photos and videos that exist on the current device and are synced to the cloud into the Secure Folder, the local files move to the Secure Folder while the synced originals remain in Google Account storage and continue to display in the Gallery app.
Conversely, cloud-only photos and videos that do not have original files on the current device cannot be moved directly to the Secure Folder. In this case, you must download the original files to the device before moving them.
Delete or restore items
Deleting a synced photo in Gallery or Google Photos removes it from both places and moves it to the Trash for 30 days.
Step 1. Open the Gallery app > Tap Menu.
Step 2. Tap Trash.
Step 3. Select items > Tap Restore.
Note: Deleting items inside the Gallery Trash permanently removes the original files from Google Account storage.
Manage and expand storage
You can use Samsung Gallery sync with the 15GB of free cloud storage included with every Google account, without subscribing to a paid Google storage plan. If additional storage space is needed, you can subscribe to a Google One plan. Existing Google One subscribers can log in with their Google account and continue using their current plan.
To free up space in your Google Account storage, use Google One's storage management feature to delete unnecessary files. However, please note that deleting synced photos within the Google Photos app will also delete them from your Samsung device and Gallery app.
Step 1. Open the Gallery app > Tap Menu > Tap Settings.
Step 2. Tap Sync photos and videos.
Step 3. Tap Clean up space to manage unnecessary files and free up Google Account storage, or tap Get more storage to add more storage.
Note: Downgrading or canceling your Google One storage plan will not result in the immediate deletion of previously stored data. However, certain Google services may be restricted (e.g., sending and receiving emails in Gmail), and if left unattended for more than 2 years, data may be deleted.
Samsung Gallery Cloud Sync is a separate service from Google Photos backup, and you do not need to install the Google Photos app to use Gallery sync.
If you use the same Google account for both services, Samsung Gallery sync and Google Photos backup share the same Google Account storage space.
If you are already backing up photos and videos with Google Photos, photos and videos previously backed up to Google Photos will remain as they are, and following integration, photos and videos in Gallery will automatically sync to Google Photos.
Photos already uploaded via the backup feature will not appear as duplicates. Even if you use both Google Photos backup and Gallery sync together, identical photos will not be uploaded twice.
However, if you used storage-saver quality in Google Photos while using both features, photos stored in Google storage through Gallery sync will still be saved in original quality.
Note: Only photos and videos synced through Gallery after turning on the sync service will be displayed in Samsung Gallery. Photos and videos stored in Google Account storage prior to this will remain in storage, but will not automatically appear in Samsung Gallery.
Terms & Policies
Gallery sync requires a Google account link prior to use. Photos and videos synced through the service are saved in Google Account storage and are protected under Google Account storage's privacy and security measures. Policies apply according to specific categories as follows:
Items where Samsung Gallery policies apply:
- Data displayed in the Gallery app
- The feature that syncs data from the Gallery app to Google storage
Items where Google Terms & Policies apply:
- Management and deletion of stored data
- Handling of long-term unused data
- Data stored within Google Account storage
- Purchase of paid storage space
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