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Starting in July 2019, Google Photos and Google Drive are no longer synced. That's great.

I still have a Google Photos folder in my Drive, and I understand that's expected. But I can't find any reference that will tell me it's 100% safe to remove this folder without affecting Google Photos.

Can anyone find such a reference, so I can go ahead and delete it?

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    Was just about to ask the same thing. This should be made perfectly clear by Google, it's the #1 question people will ask!
    – Gabriel
    Commented Jul 23, 2019 at 23:37
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    They write you won't get new content from Photos, but they don't mention if changed from Google Drive will affect Google Photos.
    – noamtm
    Commented Jul 24, 2019 at 6:23
  • @noamtm today, I moved the year folders out of the Google Photos folder and deleted the Google Photos folder. Please remember to vote on the answers and accept your favourite answer.
    – ahorn
    Commented Nov 12, 2019 at 9:40

2 Answers 2

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Yes, it is safe. You can delete Google Photos folder from Drive.

From Google Photos Help:

Not sure what settings you have?

Confirm if you used the Google Photos folder in Google Drive

Check if you use the Google Photos folder

  1. On your computer, go to drive.google.com.
  2. Check if you have a “Google Photos" folder in My Drive.

If you have a “Google Photos” folder with subfolders for years and months, you used to sync your Google Photos library to Google Drive.

What you need to know

  • Any photos and videos you have in Drive will remain.

  • After these changes go into effect starting July 10, 2019, any changes you make in Drive will only apply to Drive. Any changes you make in Photos will only apply to Photos.

    • For example, if you delete or edit a photo or folder in Google Drive, the change will not happen in Google Photos.
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    I saw that, but I also know deadlines tend to move, and I was afraid that maybe the July 10th deadline might have moved.
    – noamtm
    Commented Jul 24, 2019 at 13:31
  • Has anyone here tried it and saw there was no effect?
    – noamtm
    Commented Jul 24, 2019 at 13:32
  • webapps.stackexchange.com/a/104535/87130
    – serenesat
    Commented Jul 24, 2019 at 17:50
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When the folder was synced, it has always been safe to delete the entire folder. The official Google Drive help article on this is not there anymore, but it used to describe how photos will only be deleted if the individual files are deleted. (They managed it this way out of caution.) Here is an old support thread that supports this.

With the folder unsynced, logically, you will be deleting the copy of those photos which are in Drive.

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