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Google Pixel • Slow or full • 10–20 minutes

Back up your phone and photos — Google Pixel

Back up before you need it. A backup saves your photos, contacts, messages, and settings, so a lost or broken phone doesn't mean lost memories. Back up on Wi-Fi, since backups are large.

  1. Check for a software update

    Go to Settings, then System, then Software update. If one is available, install it first.

  2. Turn on Google One backup

    Settings, then System, then Backup, turn on Backup by Google One, then tap Back Up Now. This covers app data, contacts, call history, settings, and texts.

  3. Back up photos

    Open Google Photos, tap your profile picture, then Photos settings, then Backup, turn on Backup. Original quality uses your Google storage as-is; Storage saver uses less space. Free Google storage is 15 GB shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos.

  4. Check it worked

    Settings, then System, then Backup shows the last backup time, and Google Photos shows whether backup is complete.

  5. Extra copy

    Connect the phone to a computer with a cable, set the USB option to File Transfer, and copy the DCIM (photos) folder to the computer.

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