How to Share an Album in Google Photos

Tap each step to follow along in order.

  1. Open an album you want to share (or create one)

    Open an existing album, or select some photos and choose "Add to album -> New album" to make one.

  2. Click the share icon inside the album

    Click the share icon near the top of the album screen.

  3. Choose how to share it

    Invite specific people by email, or click "Create link" to generate a link you can send anywhere.

  4. Decide whether to allow collaborators to add photos

    Turning this setting on lets anyone you invite add their own photos to the same album.

  5. Why this is useful

    Instead of sending trip or event photos to everyone individually, a shared album lets every attendee's photos land in one place that the whole group can look through together.

Tired of sending trip photos to everyone one by one?

Instead of sending photos from a trip or a gathering to each person individually, a shared album lets everyone's photos from the event land in one place that the whole group can browse together.

A shared album keeps growing after the event is over

One nice side effect of a shared album is that people who could not upload their photos right away can keep adding them later. You get a notification whenever someone adds a new photo, so there is no rush -- everyone's shots eventually end up in the same place.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make sure only people who have the link can view it?

A link generated with "Create link" can only be opened by someone who actually has that link -- it will not turn up in search results. Just send it directly to the people you want to see it.

How do I stop sharing the album?

Turn off link sharing in the album's share settings, or remove a specific person from the list -- either way, they lose access from that point on.