How to Move Google Photos to iCloud Photos

By Josep Mampel Marques, updated November 11, 2026

The easiest way to move Google Photos to iCloud Photos is Google's own transfer: in Google Takeout, start an export from Google Photos, choose "Apple - iCloud Photos" as the destination, sign in to your Apple Account and allow access. Apple says it copies each file's metadata, including description and location, and takes from several hours to a few days. Use the Takeout download route instead when the transfer is not available to you or when you want the files themselves; then PhotoFixer puts the dates and places back before you import.

Route 1: the direct transfer (recommended)

Before you start, Apple asks you to:

Turn on iCloud Photos and iCloud Drive.
Make sure you have enough iCloud storage for the whole library.
Turn off Advanced Data Protection, since imports cannot run while it is on.

Go to Google Takeout and start an export from Google Photos. Google's help describes the same flow from your Google Account under Photos and Transfer data, where you can also deselect albums.
Under the destination, choose Apple - iCloud Photos and sign in to your Apple Account.
Tap or click Allow to let Google add photos and videos to iCloud.
Wait. Apple emails you when the transfer starts and when it is complete. You can check or cancel it on Apple's Data and Privacy page.
Open Photos and look for the album Import from Google. If something is missing, check iCloud Drive for a folder with the same name.

Your photos stay in Google Photos: it is a copy, not a move.

What the direct transfer keeps and leaves out

Kept	Not transferred
JPEG, HEIC, PNG, GIF, TIFF and BMP photos and most MP4 and MOV videos	Live Photos, Motion Photos and Memories (Apple). Google adds the video part of Motion Photos and Live Photos unless saved as video
File name, description, file type and location (Apple)	Manually edited metadata such as comments (Google's general list for transfers)
RAW and other files Photos cannot accept, placed in iCloud Drive	Locked Folder, trash, unsaved memories and creations, broken files (Google)

Apple and Google word the metadata point differently. If edited dates or captions matter to you, check a few edited photos after the transfer.

Route 2: Takeout files, fixed, then imported

Use this route when the direct transfer is not available (child or Managed Apple Accounts, Google work or school accounts, Advanced Protection), when you need to keep Advanced Data Protection on, or when you want a local copy of the library anyway.

Download your library. Export only Google Photos from Takeout as zip files. See how to download Google Photos with Takeout.
Fix the files. Open PhotoFixer, choose all the zip parts, pick the time zone where most photos were taken and press Fix my photos. JPEGs without EXIF get their date, location and description, videos get their creation date, and every file gets its capture time as the file date. Without this step, screenshots and other photos with no date inside would sort by the export day; see why Takeout dates are wrong.
Unzip the result. Choosing "By year and month" gives you one folder per month, which is easy to import in batches.
Import on a Mac. In Photos, choose File > Import, select the folder and click Review for Import. If the folder contains other folders whose organization you want to keep, select Keep Folder Organization, then click Import All New Photos. With iCloud Photos turned on, the library uploads to iCloud.
Or upload on the web. Without a Mac, go to icloud.com/photos, select Library, use the add photos button, choose the files and click Upload. Apple's page does not state a limit on how many files you can upload at once, so smaller batches are safer.

JPEG photos that already have EXIF keep their own data; if one lacks a location that Google Photos has, PhotoFixer adds just that field. HEIC files are copied as they are. See Takeout photos missing location.

Which route should you use?

You only want your photos in iCloud and the option is offered: the direct transfer. It is official, needs no downloads and keeps descriptions and locations.
The option is missing or blocked, or you want a backup on disk too: Takeout plus PhotoFixer, then import.
Do not combine both for the same photos, or you will end up with two copies of everything. More in Takeout duplicates explained.

FAQ

Where do the photos appear after the transfer to iCloud?

Apple says they appear in the Photos app in an album called Import from Google with the date of the transfer. Items iCloud Photos cannot accept, such as RAW files, go to an Import from Google folder in iCloud Drive.

Why don't I see the iCloud option in Google Takeout?

Apple says you only see it if the service is available for your account. It is not available for child accounts or Managed Apple Accounts, or while Advanced Data Protection is on. Google also excludes children's accounts, work or school accounts and accounts with Advanced Protection.

Will I get duplicates?

Apple says that after a storage error you can request another transfer without duplicates. Google warns that transferring again may create duplicates. Mixing routes, such as a direct transfer plus an import of Takeout files, will duplicate photos.