You have decided to move your photos off Google and onto Ente, the open-source app that encrypts your library end to end. The good news is that your own photos and albums migrate cleanly, because Ente can read the metadata that Google Takeout exports and rebuild your albums with the right dates. The honest catch is shared albums. Google’s collaborative shared albums do not export reliably, and the ones other people own barely export at all, so there is no button that moves them across intact. This guide walks through the migration on Android the way it truly works, including how to handle the shared albums so you do not lose the photos that matter, and how to rebuild the sharing once you land in Ente.
Two ideas make the whole thing go smoothly. First, keep Google Photos in place until you have checked everything arrived in Ente. Second, treat your own library and your shared albums as two separate jobs, because they behave differently in a migration.
What transfers cleanly, and what does not
Your personal library is the easy part. When you export with Google Takeout, each photo comes with a small metadata file, and Ente reads those files to restore the original dates and rebuild the albums you made, so your own collection lands in good shape. Shared albums are the hard part. A shared album you own may or may not appear in your Takeout, and when it does the folder can be split or incomplete, while a shared album someone else owns will not export at all unless you had already saved those photos into your own library. Google also does not preserve the shared album’s name or structure in the export, so it cannot be rebuilt automatically. Knowing this up front is what saves you from a nasty surprise later.
Before you start, keep Google Photos in place
Do not delete anything or turn off Google backup yet. The safest migration keeps your Google Photos library untouched until every photo and album has been confirmed inside Ente, so you always have the original to fall back on. Treat this as a copy, not a move: you are duplicating your photos into Ente first, and only later deciding what to do with the Google copy. If anything goes wrong midway, an intact Google Photos library means you have lost nothing. This one habit prevents the worst outcome, which is deleting the source before the destination is verified.
Step 1: Export your library with Google Takeout
Start on a computer, since the import runs there. Go to Google Takeout, deselect everything, then choose only Google Photos and create the export. Google prepares a set of zip files, and a large library can be split across several parts, so download every part, not just the first. Keep the metadata files that come inside the export, because those are what let Ente restore your dates and albums later. Depending on your library size, the export can take a while to prepare, so start it and come back when Google emails you that it is ready.
Step 2: Download the shared albums you care about, one by one
This is the step that protects your shared memories. Because Takeout is unreliable for shared albums, open each shared album that matters in Google Photos and download it directly, which reliably keeps that album’s name and its full contents together. Pay special attention to albums other people own and share with you, since those will not appear in your Takeout at all unless you had saved the photos to your own account. If a friend or family member owns an album you want to keep, either save its photos into your library before you export, or ask them to send you the ones you want. Handle these before you move on, so nothing is left behind.
Step 3: Import into Ente with the desktop app
Install the Ente desktop app and sign in to your Ente account, then use its Google Photos import to bring in your Takeout export. Point it at the unzipped Takeout folder, and Ente reads the metadata files to set the correct capture dates and recreate the albums you had. Import your manually downloaded shared albums the same way, each as its own album. Because Ente encrypts everything end to end, the upload can take time on a large library, so leave it running on a stable connection. Once it finishes, your photos are on your phone through the Android app as well, synced from the same encrypted account.
Step 4: Rebuild your shared albums inside Ente
Now recreate the sharing, since it did not come across. Ente lets you share an album with other people who have Ente accounts, protected by the same end-to-end encryption, and it also offers public links when you want to share with someone who is not on Ente. For a family album where everyone adds photos, each person needs an Ente account, and you invite them to the shared album so they can view or contribute. For simple viewing, a public link with an optional password or expiry is quicker. It is a manual rebuild rather than a transfer, but it puts your shared albums back together on a private footing.
Step 5: Verify everything, then decide about Google
Before you touch the Google copy, confirm the migration. Compare your photo counts and spot-check that your albums, including the rebuilt shared ones, are complete and dated correctly in Ente on both the desktop and the Android app. Look closely at the shared albums, since those are the most likely to have gaps. Only once you are satisfied everything is present and correct should you decide what to do with Google Photos, whether that is keeping it as a backup for a while or winding it down. Give it a week or two of using Ente day to day before you remove anything from Google.
A quick caution: this involves your only copy of irreplaceable photos, so protect against data loss. Keep your Google Photos library intact until you have fully verified the import in Ente, download every part of a multi-part Takeout export, and do not disable Google backup or delete originals until you are certain everything transferred. When in doubt, keep both copies until you are sure.
What To Know
- Your own Google Photos library migrates well, because Ente reads the Takeout metadata to restore dates and rebuild your albums.
- Shared albums do not export reliably; ones you own may be incomplete, and ones others own will not export unless you saved the photos.
- Download each shared album you care about directly from Google Photos before exporting, to keep its name and contents together.
- Import the Takeout with Ente’s desktop app, then rebuild sharing in Ente using Ente accounts or public links.
- Keep Google Photos untouched until you have verified every photo and album, including shared ones, inside Ente.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Google Photos migrate to Ente with albums intact?
Your own albums do come across in good shape. When you export with Google Takeout, each photo includes a metadata file, and Ente’s desktop importer reads those to set the right dates and rebuild the albums you created. What does not migrate cleanly is shared albums, which Takeout exports unreliably or not at all. So expect your personal library and its albums to transfer well, and plan to handle any shared albums as a separate, more manual step.
Why don’t my shared albums transfer to Ente?
Because Google Takeout does not reliably include them. A shared album you own might appear in the export, but it can be split or missing photos, and its name and structure are not preserved, so it cannot be rebuilt automatically. A shared album someone else owns will not export at all unless you had already saved those photos into your own library. The fix is to download each shared album directly from Google Photos before you export, then rebuild the sharing in Ente afterward.
How do I move a shared album from Google Photos to Ente?
Handle it by hand. Open the shared album in Google Photos and download it directly, which keeps its name and full contents together, then import that folder into Ente as its own album. If the album belongs to someone else, save its photos to your library first or ask the owner to share the files. Once the photos are in Ente, recreate the sharing there by inviting the other people, who each need an Ente account, or by generating a public link.
Can I share photos with family after moving to Ente?
Yes. Ente lets you share an album with other Ente users under the same end-to-end encryption, so a family album where everyone contributes works once each person has an account and you invite them. For people who are not on Ente, or for simple viewing, you can create a public link, optionally protected with a password or an expiry date. It is a manual setup rather than an automatic carryover, but it restores collaborative and shared albums on a private footing.
Should I delete Google Photos after switching to Ente?
Not until you have verified everything. Keep your Google Photos library in place, compare photo counts, and check that your albums, especially the shared ones, are complete and correctly dated in Ente on both desktop and Android. Only after you are confident nothing is missing should you decide about Google, and even then keeping it as a backup for a while is sensible. Never delete the source before you are certain the destination has a complete, working copy.
What To Do Next
Work in order: keep Google Photos untouched, export your library with Takeout, download shared albums by hand, import into Ente on the desktop, rebuild sharing, and verify before you change anything on Google. For a wider look at your options, see our guide to Google Photos alternatives for family shared albums, and the technology section has more on moving your data on your own terms.
