From the Enchanta journal
Make a photo book from Google Photos
Use Google's Print store when photo books are available for your country. To work with another book maker, download the photos you want or use Google Takeout for a larger export. Choose one trip, one year or one person before exporting.
Start with your route
Compare the routes, then use the selection checklist to prepare your photos. After Takeout, use the export metadata check before handing files to a book maker.
| Your task | Route | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Order through Google | Print store | Availability and delivery country |
| Give another book maker a small selection | Selected download | Accepted file types |
| Keep a larger local archive to edit | Google Takeout | Included data and space on your computer |
Print through Google
- Sign in at Google Photos. Open Print store → Photobooks → Make a photo book.
- Choose at least 20 photos. Above 140, some photos share a page in a collage. Select Done to save the draft.
- Review the order, crops, captions and low-resolution warnings before paying. Check your country's product and shipping information.
Google's creation instructions say an unedited draft expires after 90 days. See its product and shipping information and editing instructions for the current options in your country.
Download a small selection
- On a computer, select the photo you need in Google Photos. Choose More → Download.
- Check that the file opens. Repeat for the chosen photos, then collect them in a folder for the book maker.
- Check capture dates in media metadata if the file dates look new. Keep your archive intact.
Google's download instructions cover an individual photo or video. The operating system can give the downloaded file a new timestamp; the photo's metadata is available through file details.
Export a larger archive
- Open Google Takeout. Select Google Photos and remove unrelated products. Check any available data-selection controls.
- Choose a one-time export, delivery method, archive format and size. Create the export and wait for the completion notice.
- Download and extract every archive part. Open sample photos before selecting the book's contents.
Google's export instructions explain the scope and delivery options. Large exports can span several archives and take minutes to days to prepare. Exporting does not delete the server copies. Route instructions checked September 29, 2026.
Check dates and notes after Takeout
A download can give the file a new timestamp while its original timestamp remains embedded in the photo or video. Google exports added information such as comments in a secondary JSON file. Keep the untouched archive and its companion files while you prepare a selection for the book.
| Where the information lives | What to check |
|---|---|
| File-system date | If the folder shows the download date, inspect the capture date in the photo's metadata before putting the book in order. |
| Embedded media metadata | Open a sample photo in your intended book maker. Check the date it displays against the date you expect. |
| Companion JSON file | Keep any notes you want in the book. Check whether your book maker accepts those notes; if needed, copy them into your caption plan. |
These are preparation checks, separate from Google's export requirements. See Google's metadata explanation, checked October 8, 2026. A sample check cannot confirm an entire archive or an automatic JSON import.
Your selection checklist
Copy these fields into your notes before you start. They are planning prompts, separate from Google's requirements.
| Field | Your notes |
|---|---|
| Subject | |
| Dates covered | |
| Missing photos to collect | |
| Route chosen | |
| Destination book maker | |
| Files opened and checked | |
| Capture dates checked | |
| Repeated moments to review | |
| Final crop and caption check |
Estimate the book's photo count from the length and layout you have in mind. The calculator does not examine your photos.
Choose a subject within the library
Google says it stores over 9 trillion photos and videos for more than 1.5 billion monthly users. Google also says more than 370 million people search their photos each month. Those counts show how much is kept and how many people search; they do not tell us how often anyone returns to look at a photo.
The numbers above, with their sources and dates, are on the camera roll numbers page, checked September 18, 2026. For help finding a subject in your own library, read what to do with thousands of photos in Google Photos.
Gather photos for that subject
Start from an album or a date range you can name. These subjects give the selection a boundary.
- A trip. One date range, usually already its own album. Most of a trip stays out of the book: how to turn a big trip into a printed travel book.
- A year. January to December of one year, which is the hardest of the four to cut and the most rewarding to finish: how to make a family photo book without feeling overwhelmed.
- A person. Google Photos will gather one face across every year you have: a photo book about one person.
- A season of life. A baby's first year, a move, a last summer somewhere. Rarely an album already, usually a date range you can name.
The run of near identical shots
Whatever comes out of a phone library, a large part of it is the same moment photographed several times. Three of the group, one with everyone's eyes open. Eleven of the same harbour. That repetition is the single biggest reason a pile resists being cut by hand: each shot is defensible on its own, and choosing between them is a decision you have to make hundreds of times in a row.
The way through it is to treat the burst as one moment and keep one frame from it, then decide whether the moment belongs in the book at all. Choosing between similar photos is about the first half of that, and what to do with the photos you cut is about the second.
How long the book turns out to be
The length follows from how many photos survive the cut and how densely the pages are laid out, not from how many were in the library to begin with. The photo book calculator works it out from the book you have in mind, and the size chart covers what shape it should be.
Questions people ask
Can you make a photo book from Google Photos?
Yes. Use Google's Print store where photo books are available for your country. For another book maker, download the photos you want or use Google Takeout for a larger export. Enchanta is in development; these routes can be used independently of it.
How do I get photos out of Google Photos?
On a computer, select a photo or video in Google Photos, then choose More and Download. For a larger archive, select Google Photos in Takeout and check the available data-selection controls before exporting. Downloading does not delete the copies held by Google.
How many photos does Google's photo book need?
Google asks you to select at least 20 photos. If you select more than 140, some photos are placed together in collages. Check the preview, crops and low-resolution warnings before ordering; availability varies by country.
Which photos should come out of the library?
Choose one trip, one year, one person or a season of life. Gather the photos for that subject, including any held on other devices, then compare repeated moments before deciding what stays.
How many photos do I need for a photo book?
For a book made elsewhere, estimate the count from its length and the number of photos you want on each page or spread. The photo book calculator is a planning estimate based on your inputs; it does not inspect or select your photos. Check the chosen book maker's requirements.
What if the photos are spread across Google Photos and a phone?
Collect the photos for your subject in one place. Capture dates from different devices may need checking, especially across time zones. A new file-system date after downloading does not necessarily mean the capture date in the photo's metadata has changed.
Turn your photos into a finished book.
Enchanta is in development. You can join the waitlist to hear when it is ready. Google's Print store and the export routes above can be used independently of Enchanta. Our planned Google Photos import uses Google's Photos Picker for the photos you choose. You decide what stays, what changes, and what becomes the printed book. Read the photo, AI and printing notice and security and privacy FAQ.
Join the founding waitlist