Google Photos → Dropbox
Restore original capture dates, unpack split archives, land a browsable library in Dropbox.
How to move Google Photos to Dropbox
Free tier to try it · one-time pass for a full migration · no subscription
Dropbox is a great destination if you want your photos in the same place as the rest of your files, synced across every device. But since Google closed the Photos API to third-party apps in March 2025, no service can simply sync your library across. Every real migration starts with a Google Takeout export, which leaves you with unwieldy ZIPs and photos whose dates have been scrambled. PhotoBridge handles all of it end to end.
Google Takeout dumps the real capture date into a separate .json file, so exported photos show the export date instead. PhotoBridge reads those sidecars and writes the original date back into each photo's EXIF — your library stays in order.
Every photo and video is moved byte-for-byte. We never re-encode, downscale, or strip metadata — what lands at your destination is exactly what Google had.
Already-moved files are detected and skipped, so you can run it again safely. A migration survives interruptions and picks up where it left off — even a multi-hundred-GB library.
How it works
Select Google Photos in Takeout and prefer ~2 GB or 10 GB parts, not 50 GB. Deliver it straight to Dropbox with Takeout’s “Add to Dropbox” option, or to Google Drive; if you already downloaded it, upload the parts from your computer. The in-app guide shows you how.
Authorize Dropbox in one click. PhotoBridge writes only to the folder you choose.
We unpack each archive, restore original dates from the sidecars, and upload to Dropbox, neatly organized by date.
No need to keep the page open. We email you a full report when your migration completes.
For a raw backup, yes — Takeout can push the export server-to-server into Dropbox, and it’s free. What arrives is a shelf of zip archives, not a photo library: dates still sit in sidecar .json files, and Dropbox’s Photos view can’t see inside the zips. If you want a browsable library with correct dates, you still need an unpack + sidecar merge (DIY) or PhotoBridge.
Yes. Once Dropbox is connected, choose “In my Dropbox” as the source. PhotoBridge reads Takeout zip archives already in your Dropbox (Takeout’s “Add to Dropbox” folder, or zips you added yourself), unpacks the parts, and restores original dates into a browsable library. Google Drive still works as a source too. The zips by themselves are not a photo library: dates sit in sidecar .json files, and Dropbox’s Photos view can’t see inside them.
Prefer ~2 GB or 10 GB parts, not 50 GB. Jumbo archives fail more often during generation and delivery, and a failed part means re-running the whole export. PhotoBridge also checks that your Dropbox has enough free space for the unpacked library before it starts.
Yes, that is the whole point. Send your Google Takeout export straight to Dropbox with Takeout’s own “Add to Dropbox” option, or to Google Drive, and PhotoBridge streams the archives cloud-to-cloud into the Dropbox folder you choose: nothing passes through your home connection, and the split archives are unpacked on the way. Already downloaded the export? You can upload the zip parts from your computer instead.
Not anymore. Google removed third-party read access to Google Photos libraries on March 31, 2025, so no service can see your existing photos to sync them. Every full-library migration now starts with a Google Takeout export; PhotoBridge automates everything after that step.
Yes. PhotoBridge restores each photo's true capture date from its Google Takeout sidecar into the file's EXIF before uploading, so they're not all stamped with the export date.
No — every photo and video is copied byte-for-byte, with no re-compression or metadata loss.
Yes. Large, multi-part Takeout exports are exactly what PhotoBridge automates, and it resumes cleanly after any interruption.
PhotoBridge uses Dropbox's official OAuth, requests only the access it needs to write to your chosen folder, and can be disconnected at any time.
A free tier lets you try it, and a one-time Migration Pass covers a full migration. No recurring fees.
Moving somewhere else? PhotoBridge also moves Google Photos to OneDrive, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, and Wasabi.
Try it free on part of your library — dates restored, full quality, no duplicates.
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