Migrate from Google Photos

Transfer all your photos and videos from Google Photos to PixelUnion

Want to switch from Google Photos to PixelUnion? Good news: it’s very easy to bring your entire photo and video archive with you. On this page, we’ll explain step by step how to export all your media from Google Photos and import it into PixelUnion.

There are two ways to do this:

• Method 1 – Quick and easy:
  This method is easier, but you risk that some dates and album structures may not be transferred perfectly.

• Method 2 – A bit more technical, but more accurate:
  This approach requires a few more steps, but it preserves dates and albums. We’ll explain exactly how it works.

Method 1: Simple import

Step 1: Export your photos from Google Photos (via Google Takeout)

1. Go to Google Takeout.
2. Click ‘Deselect all’.
3. Scroll down and check only Google Photos.
4. Click ‘All photo albums included’ (optional) to select specific albums.
5. Click Next step.
6. Choose:
   • Export frequency: one export
   • File type: .zip
   • File size: for example 10 GB
7. Click Create export.

🔔 Note: The export may take some time, depending on the number of photos. You’ll get an email when it’s ready.

Step 2: Download your export

• You’ll receive an email when the export is ready.
• Download the .zip file(s).

Step 3: Prepare your photos for PixelUnion

• Unzip the .zip files on your computer.
• Navigate to the Google Photos/ folder, where you’ll usually find your photos by year or album.

Step 4: Upload to PixelUnion

• Go to your PixelUnion domain in your browser. Your domain is your server address, which always ends in .pixelunion.eu.
• Log in and click Upload.
• Select the photos or folders you want.

Method 2: Import with dates and albums (recommended)

This method uses Immich Go to upload your Takeout files while keeping metadata like album names and photo dates.

Immich Go is a tool that lets you easily import photos and videos from Google Takeout into PixelUnion, keeping important metadata like original dates and album names. This way, your photos stay organized and your memories appear in the right place and order in PixelUnion.

Here’s how to use this tool:

Step 1: Export your photos with Google Takeout

Follow step 1 from method 1. Download the Google Takeout zip files, but you don’t need to unzip them.

Step 2: Download and set up Immich Go

Immich Go isn’t a program with a normal installer. It’s a standalone file you put on your computer and can use directly, without installation. In this step, we’ll set it up.

1. Go to the Immich Go releases page.

2. Download the right version for your operating system (Windows, Mac, or Linux).

   Choose the file that matches your computer:

   • For Windows, choose the .exe file
   • For Mac, choose the file with darwin in the name
   • For Linux, choose the file with linux in the name

3. Unzip the .zip file.

4. Put the immich-go file in a new folder.

5. Add your Takeout .zip files to that same folder.

Step 3: Connect your domain and API key

1. Go to your PixelUnion domain.
2. Click your profile at the top right and choose Account settings.
3. Go to API Key.
4. Click New API key, give it a name, and copy the generated key.

Step 4: Run a command in the terminal

1. Open a terminal in the folder where immich-go and your Takeout files are.
   • Windows: right-click the folder → “Open in terminal”
   • macOS: Open the Terminal app (find it via Spotlight or in Applications > Utilities). Type cd followed by a space, drag the folder with immich-go into the terminal window, and press Enter.
2. Paste the following command in the terminal, replacing the server and API key with your own PixelUnion server address and API key. Please note this will pause the Immich jobs, and thumbnails will only show once the initial upload is completed and the jobs are started:
   • Windows

     ./immich-go.exe --server=https://<user.name>.pixelunion.eu/ --api-key=APIKEY --pause-immich-jobs=true --on-errors=continue --client-timeout=60m upload from-google-photos takeout-*.zip
     

   • macOS

     ./immich-go --server=https://<user.name>.pixelunion.eu/ --api-key=APIKEY --pause-immich-jobs=true --on-errors=continue --client-timeout=60m upload from-google-photos takeout-*.zip
     

3. The tool will automatically upload all your photos, with albums and dates, to PixelUnion.

Need help?

If you encounter problems, this often solves the issue:

• Work in smaller batches For example, upload 1 Takeout zip (or a few at a time) instead of everything at once. Example: takeout-*-001.zip to takeout-*-003.zip, and then the next set.

• Check if everything is in the same folder Make sure immich-go (or immich-go.exe) and your takeout-*.zip files are in one and the same folder, and that your terminal is also opened in that folder.

• Check your command carefully Note:

  • Your server URL is your PixelUnion domain and ends with .pixelunion.eu
  • Use --server=https://<yourname>.pixelunion.eu (without extra spaces/typos)
  • Use the correct --api-key (copied from Account settings → API Key) and ensure there is no space between = and the API Key.

• Use the correct file on Windows On Windows, you usually use ./immich-go.exe (not ./immich-go).

If you still encounter problems during the migration process, we are here for you! When contacting our support team, please include the following:

1. A screenshot of the error message or problem you are encountering
2. The logs from immich-go - Immich Go automatically creates a log file at the start of each run in the same folder where you executed the command. The log file is named immich-go YYYY-MM-DD HH-MM-SS.log (e.g. immich-go 2024-01-15 14-30-45.log). Look for files with this name pattern in that folder. If you can’t find a log file, you can also copy the output from your terminal window where you ran the immich-go command.
3. Command that you enter in the terminal (replace your API Key for security.)

You can reach our support team via the Contact Us page. We will contact you as soon as possible to resolve any issues.