Photo migration workflow
How to Move Google Photos to Synology Without Losing the Original Archive
Moving years of Google Photos into a Synology NAS is not difficult because the files are mysterious; it is difficult because a large cloud library contains many years of metadata, videos, duplicates, edits and albums that users expect to survive. Google Takeout gives you an export, not a finished Synology library. The safe path is to preserve the export, create a staging area, verify storage capacity, import deliberately, and only treat the migration as complete after Synology Photos and the backup system have both been tested.
Quick answer
Keep Google intact until the NAS copy and its backup are proven
Request a Google Takeout export, store the downloaded archives unchanged, extract into a staging area with enough free space, inspect metadata and duplicates, then ingest the verified files into the intended Synology Photos location. Do not delete the Google library merely because extraction finished. Complete the process only after mobile/remote viewing works and a second independent copy of the NAS photo library exists.
Live Amazon products
Current hardware for this workflow
This Sprint 9E catalogue is intentionally small: it surfaces current and previous Synology systems relevant to photo, backup and remote-access ownership decisions, while compatible third-party NAS drives can be read from Cloudzat Storage Price Intelligence in read-only mode. Hardware cards support the workflow; they do not replace the application and recovery guidance on each page.
Owner decision
A migration is successful only when the restored library is usable
Count files, sample dates and albums, test Live Photos and videos, inspect failed or duplicated imports, and restore a small set from backup. The goal is not to move bytes quickly; it is to create a library you can trust after the old service is gone.
Interactive owner tool
Google Takeout to Synology Migration Planner
Use this as a planning aid. It identifies missing reliability layers and the simplest likely direction, but it does not replace current Synology, Immich, Backblaze, Google or Tailscale documentation for the exact service and software version.
Owner reliability checklist
Four checks before trusting the new workflow
Protect the original data
A photo or backup application is not the final safety layer. Know where originals live and keep an independent copy outside the primary NAS.
Design remote access by user role
Family photo access, private administrator access and public sharing do not need the same exposure or credentials.
Document recovery secrets
Encryption keys, cloud credentials, tailnet access and DSM accounts should remain recoverable even when the original NAS is unavailable.
Test before deleting the old copy
Migration and backup jobs are complete only after representative files restore, metadata looks correct and the next administrator can follow the procedure.
Estimate both library size and temporary working space
Start by determining the current Google Photos footprint and how much of that library must move at full resolution. The final NAS needs enough free space for the imported originals plus future growth, but the migration workstation or NAS may also need temporary space for downloaded archives and extracted files at the same time.
A safe working estimate therefore includes the source export, extracted staging copy and destination copy until verification is complete. If the NAS is already close to full, expanding capacity before migration is less stressful than trying to clean duplicates while the storage pool is under pressure.
Request Takeout with the understanding that it is an export archive
Google documents Takeout as a way to export and download account data. Large exports can be split into multiple archive files. The export does not delete your data from Google, which is exactly what you want during a cautious migration.
Do not rename or discard the original downloaded archives immediately. Keep them read-only until the new library is stable. If later metadata work or a failed extraction forces you to repeat a step, the untouched Takeout package is your clean starting point rather than another download request.
Use a staging folder before the final Synology Photos location
Extracting directly into the permanent Photos directory can make every correction visible to indexing while you are still sorting archives. A staging folder lets you identify repeated folders, malformed filenames, sidecar JSON files and unexpected organization before Synology Photos starts building thumbnails and recognition data.
Once the staged material looks reasonable, move or copy the chosen originals into the final library location. This also gives you a clean boundary between untouched source material and the curated destination, which is useful when troubleshooting dates or duplicates.
Understand what the JSON sidecars mean
Google exports can include metadata sidecar files associated with photos and videos. Simply copying image files may preserve embedded EXIF data but can miss cloud-side information for assets whose dates, descriptions or edits were represented separately.
Before using a third-party metadata-merging workflow, test it on a small subset and retain originals. The migration goal is preservation, so any process that rewrites files should be reversible. Keep logs of changed assets instead of applying bulk transformations with no audit trail.
Duplicates are a policy decision, not just a scanner result
Years of phone upgrades, shared albums, downloads and re-uploads can create multiple files that look identical but differ in metadata, resolution or edits. Hash-based duplicate tools may find exact copies, while visual tools may group near-duplicates that are not truly interchangeable.
Decide whether the priority is preserving every version or producing one clean library. For an archival migration, it is usually safer to keep ambiguous variants during the first import and deduplicate later, after Synology Photos is working and the original Takeout set remains available.
Let indexing finish before judging the result
Synology Photos must generate thumbnails, examine metadata and, on supported systems, perform recognition work. A large initial import can therefore make the interface look incomplete or slower than expected for many hours.
Avoid launching multiple heavy NAS jobs during first indexing. Large Hyper Backup tasks, RAID scrubs, media indexing and photo recognition can compete for disks and CPU. Give the photo import a stable processing window before deciding the NAS is underpowered.
Validate dates across old cameras, phones and edited files
The most visible migration failure is a timeline full of images dated by copy time rather than capture time. Sample photos from several years, devices and editing workflows, including videos and screenshots, before declaring the import successful.
If a subset has incorrect dates, isolate it and determine whether the problem came from missing embedded metadata, sidecar handling or the import tool. Fixing a small class of files is much easier before the entire family starts reorganizing albums around the wrong timeline.
Albums do not always map one-to-one between platforms
Google Photos albums are service-level organization, while Synology Photos can organize through folders, albums and metadata. A migration that preserves all original files can still require rebuilding some cloud-specific album relationships.
Prioritize the irreplaceable content first: originals, timestamps and meaningful descriptions. Album recreation is usually easier than recovering a missing original. For important project or event albums, record their membership before migration so you have a reference if automation does not reproduce them exactly.
Test the mobile experience after the historical archive is imported
Once the old library is present, configure Synology Photos mobile backup for new photos. The goal is to establish a clean handoff: historical Google content is now on the NAS, while new iPhone or Android captures flow directly into the private library.
Check destination space, upload status and remote access from cellular data. A migration that works only while everyone is on home Wi-Fi has not yet replaced the cloud workflow the household relied on.
Create the second copy before deleting the old cloud library
The imported NAS library is still vulnerable to local failure. Hyper Backup can protect folders and package data to supported destinations, including another Synology, external storage or S3-compatible cloud targets.
Run at least one complete backup after the import and restore a sample set. Only after that restore succeeds should you consider reducing or deleting the old Google copy. This sequence prevents the migration itself from becoming the moment when redundancy disappears.
Archive the migration evidence
Keep a simple record of Takeout request date, export size, archive count, staging location, import date, approximate file count, major corrections and backup completion. That sounds bureaucratic until you need to explain why one year contains more files than another.
For a family archive, even a text file stored beside the untouched Takeout export is enough. It gives future you a map of what happened and prevents another administrator from mistaking staging files for the canonical library.
Finish by changing the workflow, not just the storage location
A successful migration ends with new habits: phone backup points to Synology, remote access is tested, new family accounts are working, and the offsite backup runs automatically. If new photos still accumulate primarily in Google, the project has only created another copy rather than changed the system.
Keep Google for as long as needed during the transition. Once the Synology workflow is routine and recovery has been tested, you can make a deliberate decision about retaining, downsizing or removing the cloud copy instead of acting under migration pressure.
Questions people ask
Google Photos to Synology migration questions
Does Google Takeout delete my Google Photos?
No. Google states that downloading your data does not delete it from its servers. That makes Takeout suitable for a staged migration.
Should I extract Takeout directly into Synology Photos?
A staging folder is safer for large libraries because it lets you inspect archive structure, duplicates and metadata before the final directory is indexed.
What are Google Takeout JSON files?
They are sidecar metadata files that may contain information associated with exported assets. Do not delete them until you know whether your migration workflow needs them.
How much free space do I need?
Plan for the final library plus temporary downloaded and extracted copies during migration, as well as future growth and normal NAS free-space headroom.
Will Synology Photos keep my albums?
Original files can be preserved, but cloud-specific album organization may require separate handling or recreation. Verify important albums instead of assuming a perfect one-to-one mapping.
How do I prevent duplicate photos?
Preserve the source first, then use exact-hash or carefully reviewed duplicate workflows. Do not bulk-delete near-duplicates before confirming which version has the best metadata and resolution.
Why are imported dates wrong?
Some assets may rely on sidecar metadata or have incomplete embedded timestamps. Test a subset from different years and devices before correcting files in bulk.
Should I delete Google Photos after import?
Not immediately. First verify the Synology library, establish new mobile backup, create an independent backup and successfully restore sample files.
Can I use Immich instead of Synology Photos for the import?
Yes. Immich documentation points Takeout users toward immich-go. The same preservation principle applies: keep untouched source archives until the destination and backups are verified.
What should I back up after migration?
Protect the original photo/video folders and the relevant application data. Keep at least one copy outside the NAS so a local disaster does not remove the new archive.
Official references and methodology
Verify the exact service, data path and recovery plan
This workflow treats Google Takeout as preservation media rather than a direct application-to-application transfer. Recommendations prioritize keeping an untouched export, staging before indexing, validating metadata and establishing a second copy before any deletion in Google.
- Google Photos data export help
- Synology Photos DSM 7.4 specifications
- Synology Photos iOS backup guide
- Immich CLI and Google Takeout note
- Hyper Backup DSM 7.4 specifications
As an Amazon Associate, Cloudzat may earn from qualifying purchases. Prices, NAS models, DSM behavior, application versions and service documentation can change. Verify the exact Synology model and the current Synology, Immich, Backblaze, Google or Tailscale documentation before changing a production photo, backup or remote-access workflow.