How to back up only some photos to Google Photos (not all of them)

5 November 2026 · jfjalburquerque

Google Photos backup has two positions: on, and it uploads every camera photo; off, and it uploads none. There's no middle ground for saying "this one yes, this one no". But there are ways to get there.

Option 1: turn backup off and upload by hand

Turn off backup under Photos settings → Backup. Your photos still show up in Google Photos, but only on the phone. When you want one in the cloud, long-press it, select the ones you want and tap Back up.

Good: full control, and free. Bad: you have to remember. If you forget one day and lose your phone, those photos go with it.

Option 2: decide by folder

Under Photos settings → Backup, in the device folders section, you can choose which folders are backed up: the camera yes, screenshots or WhatsApp images no.

Good: automatic. Bad: inside the camera folder it's still all or nothing. The shopping receipt and the photo of your kid live in the same folder.

Option 3: have your phone ask you for each photo

That's what Snapgate does — an app we built for exactly this. You turn off Google Photos backup for the camera folder and, from then on, every time you take a photo or video you get a notification with two buttons: Upload or Discard. You decide in the moment, while you still know why you took it, without opening any app.

• What you discard is not deleted: it stays on your phone.
• Review a burst all at once, full screen.
• Automatic rules: for example, screenshots never upload, or photos taken during work hours don't go to your personal account.
• Temporary modes: "upload everything during the trip" or "upload nothing this afternoon", and they switch off on their own.

Google is testing a backup of only the photos you mark as favourites, which may help some people. The difference is timing: with favourites you go back later and mark each photo; with Snapgate you decide when you take it, from the notification.