With Google Photos’ free unlimited storage policy ending on June 1, 2021, it was only a matter of time before we saw Google make a few changes and integrate Photos much tighter into its workspace suite. Starting today, users will be able to save photos received as Gmail attachments directly to Google Photos. Where is this option and how can you access it? All this coming up ahead.
Prior to this update, users had the ‘Download’ and ‘Add to Drive’ options for their Gmail photo attachments. But if one wanted to save them to the Google Photos library, users had to go through the cumbersome process of downloading each photo and then uploading it to Google Photos. But now, you will also see a ‘Save to Photos’ button when hovering over your Gmail photo attachments that will let you short circuit the process.
How to save an image file from Gmail to Google Photos
Before we begin, do note that this option works only with JPEG files for now, and is only available for Gmail’s web interface. Here’s how you can save to Google Photos from Gmail:
Open the email with the photo attachment and move your cursor to the picture preview. You should see the new Save to Photos button next to the ‘Add to Drive’ button. Click on it to save it instantly to your Google Photos library.
Alternatively, you can click on the photo to expand it, and click on ‘More options’ (three vertical dots) at the top right corner. Then select Save to Photos.
The Gmail photo attachment is now saved straight to Google Photos.
This feature is currently being rolled out, so don’t fret if you don’t see it yet. The feature might take up to 15 days for the feature to become visible to everyone. And yes, it will be available to all, regardless of whether they are Google Workspace customers, G Suite customers, or just regular Joes and Janes with a personal Google account.
