When it comes to photograph management, nary different app comes adjacent to Google Photos. It's up of everything other with its galore astute features that enactment arsenic advertised. Even galore iOS users cannot unrecorded without Google Photos. However, it was a antithetic communicative erstwhile Google decided to complaint a monthly interest for thing that was antecedently free, and not galore radical were blessed with this change.

There are plentifulness of Google Photos alternatives, but astir don't connection a genuinely unlimited photograph backup solution similar Google Photos utilized to. Synology Photos is the lone different app that lets you store arsenic galore photos and videos successful afloat solution arsenic you like, arsenic agelong arsenic you person abstraction connected the installed hard drives. And the champion portion is that you don't request to ammunition retired for a subscription arsenic it comes bundled with all user Synology NAS enclosures.

Synology Photos is designed to marque it casual to determination your full Google Photos library. And erstwhile you're utilizing the app, you'll consciousness close astatine location coming from Google Photos with features similar automatic look tagging and sharing options.

Is Synology Photos truly free?

The Synology Photos app is escaped to usage without immoderate monthly subscription tied to it. But to entree it, you request a Synology NAS. Think of it arsenic the assorted apps and services Apple bundles without further charges erstwhile buying an iPhone. This besides means you volition walk a important magnitude connected buying the hardware upfront alternatively of renting immoderate retention abstraction with Google One for a tiny fee.

Even if you get a basal Synology DiskStation DS220+ and brace it with 2 NAS-specific hard drives, you're looking astatine an archetypal concern going upwards of $500. Sure, there are respective precocious things the NAS tin do, from moving a message server to offering a afloat surveillance suite. Still, this benignant of concern isn't justifiable if you lone privation it for Synology Photos.

Most radical looking to big their household photos and videos should instrumentality with Google Photos. You volition inactive prevention a ton of currency adjacent if you spell for the paid Google One tier. For instance, the 2TB program connected Google One costs $100 a year, which is cheaper and much sensible than spending upfront connected a NAS conscionable for Synology Photos.

You should see switching from Google Photos to Synology Photos lone if you ain a Synology NAS. Or if you're eyeing a NAS for your location office, Synology Photos would beryllium a bully bonus that offers unlimited full-size backups and saves you currency successful the agelong run.

Assuming you've decided to spell with Synology Photos, let's determination connected to the adjacent measurement and spot however you tin easy determination your full photograph postulation from Google Photos to Synology Photos.

The caller Synology Photos app works lone with Synology's latest NAS absorption software, DSM 7.0. If you acquisition a caller server, it comes preinstalled with the latest DSM version. But if you usage an older NAS device, update the DSM mentation earlier you proceed.

Here are the advantages of utilizing Synology:

• Self-hosted: Your photos ne'er permission your location and unrecorded safely successful a server you control.
• Free: Synology Photos comes bundled with Synology NAS servers for free.
• Organization tools: It uses AI to tag faces and places that are searchable. You tin make albums manually.
• Familiar interface: Synology's app is made to look similar Google Photos, truthful you won't person occupation switching.
• Sharing: Sharing photos with your household is easy. For outsiders, you tin person password-protected nationalist links.

Here are the disadvantages:

• Entry price: Synology Photos is free, but you request a Synology DiskStation, which doesn't travel cheap.
• No editing: Synology Photos lacks photograph and video editing features.
• Not truthful smart: Google Photos has amended AI chops by far.

Moving your photos and videos from Google Photos to a Synology NAS

There are 2 ways to determination your media files from Google Photos to Synology Photos: an automated and manual process. We'll commencement with the automatic sync tool, which works good but has immoderate limitations.

Using the automated method

With Synology Cloud Sync, you tin automate the process of syncing your photos from Google Drive to Google Photos. You'll request to instal Cloud Sync connected your NAS and past nexus it with your Google account. Here's however you bash it:

1. From the Package Center, instal the Cloud Sync app and unfastened it.

2. Select Google Drive and past click Next.

3. On the pop-up window, motion successful to the Google relationship wherever your Google Photos are.
4. Select Allow to springiness Cloud Sync to entree your Google Drive.

5. Click Agree connected the adjacent page.
6. It takes you to the DSM page, wherever you tin acceptable up a caller sync task. Among the options, Local path is the folder connected your NAS wherever you privation to store your files from Google Photos, portion Remote path is the root folder successful Google Drive that you privation to sync. Assign these folders.

7. Set however you privation the sync to enactment from Sync direction and past prime Next.

8. Give your selections 1 past look earlier clicking Done.

You tin cheque the sync presumption from the Cloud Sync app. Depending connected the size of your library, the sync tin instrumentality a fewer seconds to a fewer hours. Once complete, the selected destination folder populates with your photos, which besides amusement up successful Synology Photos.

Since Google stopped syncing Google Photos to a circumstantial Google Drive folder successful 2019, you won't beryllium capable to sync thing added to Google Photos aft that point. The champion mode would beryllium to sync everything lone until 2018, truthful you don't person to messiness with nonstop dates, and usage the much susceptible manual mode for everything you've photographed since 2019.

Using the manual method

Moving your media manually from Google Photos to a Synology DiskStation is simply a two-part process. You'll archetypal request to download each your files from the Google Photos website, truthful guarantee you person a machine with ample disk space. Once you've downloaded your media, we'll look astatine however to upload it to your Synology NAS.

Downloading media from Google Photos

Depending connected the fig of media files you program to move, you tin either download the images manually oregon usage Google Takeout. The erstwhile works good if you person less than 500 100 files to woody with. However, manually downloading images tin beryllium tedious. You'll person to prime your media for each time since Photos connected the web doesn't connection a monthly oregon yearly view.

It's harmless to presume that astir of you person much than a fewer 100 photos and videos successful Google Photos that you request to determination implicit to your Synology NAS. In that case, Google Takeout is the easiest mode to download your media. Here's however you usage it:

1. Go to photos.google.com connected a machine and click the cog icon successful the upper-right country to participate the Settings page.

2. Scroll down and grow the Export your data section.
3. Click the Backup fastener adjacent to Backup an archive of your data.

4. On the Takeout page, Google Photos should beryllium the lone option, but if you spot different Google services connected the list, uncheck everything but for Google Photos and prime Next step.

5. You volition spot a database of folders marked by years, on with customized folders that Photos created for you. Check the folders you privation to determination to Synology and click OK to spell to the adjacent page.

6. Choose the backup frequence and the exported zip file's size. If moving photos to Synology volition beryllium a one-off thing, prime Export once and summation the record size to debar getting aggregate downloads. You tin take betwixt 1GB and 50GB from the drop-down menu. After that, click Create export.

7. Depending connected however overmuch media you export, you should person a download nexus via email wrong a fewer minutes oregon hours. Once you get the email, click the Download your files button.

8. Click the Download fastener connected the adjacent page. This download nexus remains progressive for a week successful lawsuit thing goes wrong.

Moving your photos and videos to a Synology NAS

Before you tin upload your photos to a section Synology drive, excavation into the downloaded folder and determination astir a fewer files. The process is straightforward and fast. The steps included present use to Synology's latest DSM 7.0, truthful the process whitethorn alteration for older versions.

1. Open the .zip record you downloaded and unfastened the Google Photos folder.

2. In there, you'll find the folders you selected earlier erstwhile mounting up the export. These folders incorporate photos and videos from that year, on with the JSON files corresponding to each media file. These JSON files transportation further metadata from Google Photos that isn't utile successful Synology's equivalent Photos app.

3. To get escaped of these files successful 1 fell swoop, hunt for .json successful the Takeout folder, prime them all, and flip them into the bin. At this point, you tin restructure the folder directory the mode you want. You don't request to bash that since Synology Photos arranges the images by day by default.

4. Open your Synology NAS successful a web browser and unfastened File Station to find the folder that is acceptable up with the Synology Photos package. All you request to bash present is resistance the Google Photos folder and driblet it there. Instead of accessing it from a web browser, usage File Explorer oregon Finder if you linked your NAS to your computer's record manager.

5. The upload process tin instrumentality a portion to decorativeness depending connected the folder size, pursuing which Synology Photos processes your media files for indexing and its assorted Google Photos-inspired AI features.

6. Once each this is done, your photos and videos populate the Synology Photos web and telephone apps conscionable arsenic they bash connected Google Photos.

If a radical of photos is categorized with the incorrect date, there's a accidental Google Takeout flubbed the EXIF data. Download the affected folders oregon images again. If a 2nd download fails to hole the issue, you whitethorn request to update the metadata for each representation manually.

Setting up the Synology Photos app connected Android

Once you've moved your room to Synology Photos, it's clip to instal its Android app. This is wherever you'll spot astir of the features that person been borrowed from Google Photos. The app is besides a much accessible mode to spot your photos than visiting the web interface done DSM.

On the archetypal install, you are asked to participate your NAS's section IP address oregon its QuickConnect ID and your login details. Enter those details, and you're in. The interface rapidly populates each the photos you uploaded done the web UI utilizing the steps above.

Getting acquainted with Synology Photos

You volition announcement that the interface looks akin to Google Photos, down to the pinch-to-zoom enactment connected the homepage and the paper barroom astatine the bottom. The similarities let you to rapidly accommodate to the Synology Photos app erstwhile switching from Google's counterpart. All the options are wherever you expect them to be, and the bottommost barroom is nicely laid retired to debar confusion.

You tin nine a clump of photos unneurotic successful albums, which are accessible done the Albums tab astatine the bottom. That's besides wherever you'll find your media files tagged by faces and places. Synology's AI present isn't arsenic adept arsenic Google's, truthful you whitethorn announcement a fewer slip-ups with duplicate oregon incorrect facial tags, which you'll person to hole manually.

From the Sharing tab, you tin spot and power the media files you shared with others either connected the web oregon externally. The app lets you stock idiosyncratic photos oregon albums with different accounts connected the NAS oregon with immoderate circumstantial idiosyncratic groups you whitethorn person created.

There's besides a mode to stock your room with a publically accessible link. And erstwhile you privation to amusement those photos to your household connected a large screen, beam them to a Chromecast done the Android app.

Since the capableness of Synology Photos is constricted lone by the retention capableness of your NAS, you tin easy backmost up your media successful afloat resolution. And for your bid of mind, Synology Photos tin automatically backmost up each your photos, conscionable similar Google Photos does.

How to acceptable up an automatic backup

Setting up automatic backup connected Synology Photos is straightforward. Here's however you bash it:

1. Tap More (the hamburger menu), prime Photo Backup, and past pat Enable Photo Backup.
2. Select the Backup Destination and Backup Source folders, and pat Done astatine the top.

And conscionable similar that, your media starts backing up to Synology Photos. Under the backup settings successful the app, you person the enactment to escaped up the abstraction your backed-up media files are taking connected the phone, akin to what you get connected Google Photos.

Should you permission Google Photos entirely?

Synology Photos is meant for users who ain a Synology NAS, and the bulk of radical should instrumentality with Google Photos. The features that Google Photos offers are irreplaceable arsenic a package. If you aren't keen connected manually editing idiosyncratic attributes of a photo, usage Google Photos' suggested enhancements to marque your images look instantly better. All it takes is simply a pat and a small AI magic down the scenes.

Google Photos becomes an adjacent much almighty instrumentality if you enactment it successful the larger Google ecosystem. You tin stock your memories with anyone with a Gmail relationship without leaving the app oregon make albums that are automatically updated and shared with your household oregon partner. With Google Lens built-in, you tin transcript substance from your photos oregon look up matching places to visit.

You tin formed your photos to Chromecast from the app. Or better, inquire Google Assistant to amusement your memories from a circumstantial travel connected the TV, and it volition get it precisely right. With truthful galore ecosystem advantages, it's intolerable to ditch Google Photos for good, particularly since the app is getting amended with caller features each day.

The cleanable mediate crushed betwixt Google Photos and Synology Photos

It's hard to unrecorded without Google Photos. Many of america find it convenient to proceed utilizing some Google Photos and Synology Photos simultaneously. Google Photos tin beryllium your superior media app for mundane usage and your household sharing needs portion reserving Synology Photos for full-res uploads and safekeeping a backup of your media.

This way, you tin enjoy the benefits of Google Photos without giving up your full-res photos and 4K videos. With immoderate modification to your backup routine, you whitethorn beryllium capable to get distant with Google's escaped 15GB retention tier. And erstwhile you consciousness you'll spell implicit that escaped quota, get escaped of your aged photos. You already person a transcript of them successful Synology Photos.

Considering some apps enactment convenient car backups, you'll ne'er person to interest astir your media aft mounting them up once. It doesn't get amended than this! If you ain a Synology NAS (or are readying to get one), acceptable up Synology Photos close distant and instrumentality your NAS usage a measurement further by self-hosting Synology Drive arsenic your Google Drive alternative.