Download All Your Photos and Videos with Immich Go

Immich Go is a powerful tool that allows you to download your entire PixelUnion photo and video library to your computer. This is especially useful when you want to:

• Create a local backup of your media
• Download your data before deleting your account
• Transfer your library to another service
• Keep an offline copy of your memories

What is Immich Go?

Immich Go is a command-line tool that connects to your PixelUnion instance and downloads all your photos and videos while preserving:

• Original file names
• Creation dates and metadata
• Album structures
• Video files

Step 1: Get Your API Key

Before you can use Immich Go, you need to generate an API key from your PixelUnion account:

1. Log in to your PixelUnion domain (e.g., https://yourname.pixelunion.eu)
2. Click on your profile icon in the top right corner
3. Select Account Settings
4. Navigate to API Keys
5. Click New API Key
6. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., “Download Tool”)
7. Copy the generated API key - you’ll need it in the next step

⚠️ Important: Keep your API key secure and don’t share it with anyone. You can revoke it later if needed.

Step 2: Download Immich Go

Immich Go is a standalone executable file that doesn’t require installation:

1. Go to the Immich Go releases page
2. Download the version for your operating system:
   • Windows: Download the .exe file
   • macOS: Download the file with darwin in the name
   • Linux: Download the file with linux in the name
3. Extract the downloaded .zip file
4. Place the immich-go executable in a folder where you want to download your photos (e.g., create a folder called “PixelUnion Backup”)

Step 3: Open a Terminal

You’ll need to run Immich Go from a terminal/command prompt:

• Windows: Right-click the folder where immich-go.exe is located → “Open in terminal” or “Open PowerShell window here”
• macOS: Open the Terminal app (found in Applications > Utilities), then type cd followed by a space, drag the folder with immich-go into the terminal window, and press Enter
• Linux: Open a terminal and navigate to the folder containing immich-go

Step 4: Run the Download Command

In the terminal, run the following command, replacing the placeholders with your information:

Windows:

./immich-go.exe archive from-immich --from-server=https://yourname.pixelunion.eu/ --from-api-key=YOUR_API_KEY --write-to-folder=./PixelUnion-Backup

macOS/Linux:

./immich-go archive from-immich --from-server=https://yourname.pixelunion.eu/ --from-api-key=YOUR_API_KEY --write-to-folder=./PixelUnion-Backup

Replace:

• yourname.pixelunion.eu with your actual PixelUnion domain
• YOUR_API_KEY with the API key you copied in Step 1
• ./PixelUnion-Backup with the path where you want to save your photos (you can use an absolute path like /Users/yourname/Downloads/PixelUnion-Backup or a relative path like ./PixelUnion-Backup)

What Happens Next?

Immich Go will:

1. Connect to your PixelUnion instance
2. Download all your photos and videos to the specified folder (--write-to-folder)
3. Preserve original file names and dates
4. Show progress as it downloads

The download may take some time depending on:

• The size of your library
• Your internet connection speed
• The number of files

Note: The --write-to-folder flag is required. Make sure to specify a folder path where you want your photos and videos to be saved.

Download Options

You can customize your download with additional options:

Download Only Photos (Skip Videos)

./immich-go archive from-immich --from-server=https://yourname.pixelunion.eu/ --from-api-key=YOUR_API_KEY --write-to-folder=./PixelUnion-Backup --from-include-type=IMAGE

Download Only Videos (Skip Photos)

./immich-go archive from-immich --from-server=https://yourname.pixelunion.eu/ --from-api-key=YOUR_API_KEY --write-to-folder=./PixelUnion-Backup --from-include-type=VIDEO

Download Only Favorite Photos

./immich-go archive from-immich --from-server=https://yourname.pixelunion.eu/ --from-api-key=YOUR_API_KEY --write-to-folder=./PixelUnion-Backup --from-favorite

Download Photos from Specific Albums

./immich-go archive from-immich --from-server=https://yourname.pixelunion.eu/ --from-api-key=YOUR_API_KEY --write-to-folder=./PixelUnion-Backup --from-albums="Album Name 1" --from-albums="Album Name 2"

Download Photos with Specific Tags

./immich-go archive from-immich --from-server=https://yourname.pixelunion.eu/ --from-api-key=YOUR_API_KEY --write-to-folder=./PixelUnion-Backup --from-tags="tag1" --from-tags="tag2"

Download Photos from a Date Range

./immich-go archive from-immich --from-server=https://yourname.pixelunion.eu/ --from-api-key=YOUR_API_KEY --write-to-folder=./PixelUnion-Backup --from-date-range="2024-01-01:2024-12-31"

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

• Make sure your PixelUnion domain is correct (include https:// and the trailing /)
• Verify your API key is correct and hasn’t been revoked
• Check your internet connection
• Make sure you’ve specified the --write-to-folder flag with a valid path

Download Interrupted

• Immich Go will resume from where it stopped if you run the command again
• It won’t re-download files that are already present

Large Libraries

• For very large libraries (thousands of files), the download may take several hours
• Make sure your computer doesn’t go to sleep during the download
• Consider running the download overnight

After Downloading

Once the download is complete:

• Your photos and videos will be in the folder you specified with --write-to-folder
• Files are organized with their original names and dates
• You can now safely back up these files or transfer them elsewhere

Need Help?

If you encounter issues using Immich Go:

• Check the Immich Go documentation
• Contact our support team for assistance