How to add photos to google images

Adding images to your document can make it more visually appealing. Google Docs uses Google Search to find and provide images for you to choose from, so it's likely you'll find one that matches your needs. If you have a picture of your own that you want to use, you can upload an image.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to upload, search for, and insert images. You'll also learn how to edit the size and position of an image.

Watch the video below to learn more about inserting images.

To upload an image:

1. Place the insertion point in the document where you want to insert the image.
2. Click Insert > Image > Upload from computer.
   
3. Select the image you'd like to use and then click Open.

Searching for images

When you search for an image in Google Docs, it's important to know that almost all of the images Google finds will belong to someone else. Google tries to filter the results to only show free Creative Commons images, but it is important to go to the source of an image to check the copyright license. For more information on how to use images found on the Internet, read our lesson on Copyright and Fair Use.

To search for an image:

1. Place the insertion point in the document where you want to insert the image.
2. Click Insert > Image > Search the web.
   
3. A search pane will appear on the right side of the window. Type the desired search term, then press Enter.
   
4. Review the search results. Select the desired image, then click Insert.
   
5. The image will appear in the document.

To delete an image, select it and press the Backspace or Delete key on your keyboard.

Other options for inserting images

Google Docs offers several additional options for inserting images. If you have the URL of an image or collection of images stored in online albums or in your Google Drive, you can easily access and insert these pictures as well. Always remember to check the copyright license of an image before placing it in your document.

• By URL: This option is useful if you have the URL of a particular image. When the URL is entered correctly, a preview of the image will appear. Click Select to insert the image into your document.
  
• Your photos: Selecting Photos gives you access to your Google account profile images. If you use Google Photos to organize your photos, any albums you have created there will also be visible in the dialog box. Click an album to open it and select an image.
  
• Google Drive: If you have images stored in your Google Drive account, clicking Google Drive will give you access to these images. You have the option of sorting pictures to show all of the images in your Google Drive, only those shared with you, or only your most recently uploaded images.
  

Editing images

Sometimes when you insert an image or a picture from a file, you may find that you will need to change the position of the image or resize it to make it look well placed in your document.

To edit the position of an image:

You may notice that it is difficult to change the position of the image to another location in the document. This is because of the text wrapping settings on the image. You'll need to change the text wrapping setting if you want to move the image freely, or if you just want the text to wrap around the image in a more natural way. The positioning options are:

It's important to know how to upload to Google Photos, especially if you take lots of photos on your phone. After all, you don't want to lose all your precious pictures if your device is lost, stolen or broken.

The Google Photos app should back up all your photos and videos automatically, but it doesn't always happen. Perhaps your phone is set to only upload content when you're connected to Wi-Fi, or the app isn't syncing the right folders.

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Fortunately, it's very easy to upload to Google Photos manually, both on your mobile device and on your desktop computer. You can also ensure that the service automatically backs up photos and videos in future, and at the quality of your choice.

In this guide we'll explain the easiest ways to upload to Google Photos wherever you are.

How to upload to Google Photos: From your phone

Provided you have “Back up & sync” switched on, the Google Photos app on your Android or iOS phone or tablet should automatically upload your photos and videos to the cloud. But you can also upload them manually. Here’s how. 

1. Open the Google Photos app on your phone or tablet and select a photo or video that you want to upload.

Tap the cloud icon in the top-right corner of the app. You should see a message at the bottom of the screen that says “Uploading.”

2. If you don’t see the cloud icon, tap the three-line button in the top-right corner of the app. Choose “Back up now” to upload the photo or video to Google Photos. 

3. To ensure that your photos and videos upload to Google Photos automatically, tap your profile picture in the top-right corner of the app and select “Photos settings.”

Switch on “Back up & sync” if it’s turned off. If you’re worried about exceeding your monthly data usage limit, tap “Mobile data usage” at the bottom of the screen and set a daily limit for backups, from 5MB to Unlimited.

4. Google Photos will automatically upload the contents of your Camera folder, but you can make it back up other folders, too. Tap “Back up device folders” and choose which folders you want to sync, such as Screenshots and WhatsApp Images.

5. To set Google Photos to only upload your photos and videos when you’re connected to Wi-Fi, switch off “Back up & sync,” then go back to your account screen and tap “Turn on backup.” 

6. Switch off the option “Back up over mobile data when there’s no Wi-Fi.” 

To improve the quality of your uploads, change from the default of “Storage saver” (which reduces their quality but uses less of your storage limit) to “Original quality.” Tap Confirm to save these changes. 

How to upload to Google Photos: From your desktop 

You can upload individual photos and videos, or whole batches of them, to Google Photos from your desktop. Here are the easiest ways to do so through your web browser and by using “Backup and sync.” 

1. Visit the Google Photos website (opens in new tab)in your browser. Click the Upload button in the top-right corner of the Photos page and choose Computer. 

When the Open box opens, select the photo or video you want to upload and click Open. To upload multiple files, either hold down Ctrl while you click them, or select them with your mouse.

2. Alternatively, you can simply drag and drop photos and videos from your desktop into Google Photos in your browser. You’ll see a pop-up confirming that items have been uploaded in the bottom-left corner of the window. 

To add photos and videos to a specific album, you can either select an album when you upload them, or click Albums and select an album there. Click the "Add photos" button in the top-right corner and choose “Select from computer.”

3. You can also import photos and videos from Google Drive by choosing that option in the Upload menu. This will open a Google Drive window where you can select the files to upload to Google Photos.

4. To save you having to upload photos and videos to Google Drive manually, select “Download Backup and sync” in the Upload menu and download the free app to your PC or Mac.

5. Once downloaded, install and open the “Backup and sync” app. Click “Get Started”, then choose “Sign in with your browser.” 

Click Allow to grant the app access to your Google account. 

6. Back in the "Backup and sync" app, select “Back up photos and videos,” then click Next. Choose the folders on your computer that you want to automatically back up to and sync with Google Photos. 

Specify whether to keep photos and videos at their original size, or choose “Storage saver” to reduce their resolution and save space.

Finally, click Start to begin uploading the contents of the selected folders to Google Photos. This will happen automatically in future when you add new items to these folders.

For more Google Photos tips and tricks cheek out our guides on how to hide photos and videos in Google Photos, how to blur the background in Google Photos and how to upload to Google Photos.

How do I upload photos to Google Images?

How do I upload a picture from my phone to Google Images?