Google Takeout Transfer Adds Google Photos for Education — What Schools Need to Know

TL;DR (for busy admins): Google Takeout Transfer can now copy Google Photos (photos, videos, and albums) from a school-issued Google account to a personal Google account—alongside Drive + Gmail. This is available now, but it’s OFF by default and must be enabled at the OU level.

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What’s new

Google Takeout Transfer has been the “graduation / exit ramp” for moving Google Drive and Gmail content out of an EDU account. As of May 1, 2026, Google is expanding Takeout Transfer to include Google Photos for Education users—so people can copy their Photos library (including albums) to a personal Google account.

Source: Google Workspace Updates (May 1, 2026) — https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2026/05/google-takeout-transfer-now-supports.html

Why this matters for K–12 (the “so what?”)

This solves two predictable end-of-year problems districts see every spring:

• “I’m graduating and I’m going to lose my Photos.” Students (and staff) often store personal memories and school projects in Photos.
• Storage pressure doesn’t magically disappear. Photos can be large, and districts need clear, supported workflows for helping users take personal media with them before accounts are disabled.

Bottom line: this gives districts a cleaner way to support people leaving the organization while reducing last-minute help desk tickets and “DIY export” workarounds.

What students and staff need to know

1) Where to do the transfer

Go to:

• https://takeout.google.com/transfer

You should see an option to include Photos during the copy/transfer flow.

2) The most common failure point: personal storage

To complete the copy, users must have enough storage in their personal Google account (Google One). If the personal account is full, the transfer can fail or stop.

What admins need to know (important)

It’s OFF by default (OU-level control)

Google indicates this feature is off by default and can be enabled at the OU level.

Practical recommendation:

• Turn it on for a Graduating Students / Leaving Users OU (rather than domain-wide).
• Enable it for a defined transfer window (e.g., last 2–3 weeks of school) if that matches your policy.

This is a big signal: Photos admin tools are coming

Google also shared that later this year they’ll introduce admin console tools for:

• Photos management visibility (who migrated)
• Bulk deletion to help manage Photos content and free pooled storage

A simple rollout plan (district-friendly)

1. Decide the policy: who can transfer Photos (graduates only, all students, staff leaving)?
2. Enable at the OU level (start small).
3. Communicate early (senior checklist + staff exit workflow).
4. Give users one “do this first” checklist: personal storage, time, Wi‑Fi.
5. Set expectations: transfers can take time; this copies data and does not replace account deprovisioning procedures.

Copy/paste communication blurb (email to seniors/families)

Subject: Save your Google Drive/Gmail/Photos before graduation

If you’re graduating or leaving the district, you can now use Google Takeout Transfer to copy your school Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos (including albums) to a personal Google account.

Go to https://takeout.google.com/transfer and follow the steps.

Before you start:

• Make sure your personal Google account has enough storage (Google One).
• Plan for the copy to take some time (especially if you have lots of photos/videos).
• Use a strong Wi‑Fi connection.

FAQ

Can users transfer albums too?

Yes—Google states photos, videos, and albums are included.

Does this delete anything from the school account?

This process is described as a copy/transfer to a personal account. Districts should still follow their normal account deprovisioning and storage cleanup procedures.

Should we turn it on?

For most districts, OU-level enablement for graduating/leaving users is a strong default—paired with clear communication and a simple checklist.

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Key takeaways

• Takeout Transfer now supports Google Photos for Education users (photos, videos, albums).
• It’s OFF by default and must be enabled by admins at the OU level.
• Personal Google account storage is the #1 thing that will block successful transfers.
• Google is signaling more EDU Photos management tools are coming later this year.