# Google Drive desktop photo backup discontinuation > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/google-drive-desktop-photo-backup-discontinuation > Updated: 2026-08-10T14:16:05.000Z. Sources: 23. Developments: 2. Google has discontinued the automatic photo and video backup feature provided by the Google Drive for desktop application. Effective August 10, 2026, the integration that allowed Windows and Mac users to sync local computer folders directly to Google Photos has been severed. While standard file synchronization within Google Drive remains operational, the direct bridge for media backups has been removed. Existing media already stored in Google Photos remains safe and will not be deleted. To manage backups moving forward, users must utilize the web version of Google Photos to select specific directories. Unlike the previous background desktop service, this web-based method requires the browser tab or the Google Photos Web App to remain open for the upload process to complete. Users are advised to avoid syncing the same folders with both Google Drive and Google Photos simultaneously to prevent duplicate uploads. Mobile users can continue to use the Google Photos app for automatic backup functionality. ## Timeline ### 2026-08-10: Google Drive ends automatic photo backup to Google Photos Google Drive for desktop no longer automatically syncs photo folders to Google Photos. Users must now manually select folders via the Google Photos website to ensure new images are backed up. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/google-drive-ends-automatic-photo-backup-to-google-photos ### 2026-08-08: Google Drive ends automatic photo backups to Google Photos Google has ended automatic photo backups from the Google Drive desktop app to Google Photos. Users must now use the Google Photos web interface to manually or semi-automatically back up local computer folders. 18 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/google-drive-to-end-automatic-photo-backups-to-google-photos --- Cite as: Google Drive desktop photo backup discontinuation. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/google-drive-desktop-photo-backup-discontinuation