Move a Large Google Photos Library to Synology NAS
Move a large Google Photos library to Synology NAS. Plan Takeout downloads, preserve dates and albums, and compare manual migration with PhotoDrain.
Eugene Gavrilov
11 min read- NAS & storage
A photo library grows quietly. Phone backups, family videos, scanned prints and camera imports eventually turn into hundreds of gigabytes or several terabytes. Google Photos makes that collection easy to browse. Moving it somewhere else means rebuilding more than a folder of pictures.
You need the files, their capture dates, the information added inside Google Photos, and a usable way to find everything afterwards. A successful download is the beginning of that job.
You can prepare and import the files yourself, or use PhotoDrain to handle metadata, duplicates and albums on the NAS. Both routes start with Google Takeout.
At a glance
- A complete migration includes the files, their dates and descriptions, and album membership.
- Download every part of one Takeout export and keep the JSON files.
- Allow space for the export, the imported library and temporary processing.
- Manual migration gives you control over each step; PhotoDrain automates archive reading, metadata matching, duplicate handling and album creation.
- Keep the cloud originals while you establish the NAS library and an independent backup.
Will Google increase storage prices?
Google has already raised Google One prices in some markets. Its February 2025 notice lists 18 countries and regions, including Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico and Turkey. Further increases are a risk to plan for, but these sources establish neither a worldwide increase nor a future date or percentage.
There are three reasons to avoid treating today's bill as a permanent price:
- Allowances can change. Google ended unlimited free High quality uploads for new photos and videos on June 1, 2021, while previously eligible uploads remained exempt. Its announcement linked the change to growing storage demand.
- Infrastructure costs are rising. Alphabet's 2025 annual report forecasts higher infrastructure investment and operating costs as it develops and serves AI products. That is company-wide cost pressure; it does not prove that AI caused a Google One price rise.
- A growing library can push you into a higher tier. Photos, Drive and Gmail share storage. Your bill can rise because you need more capacity even when the price of each tier stays the same.
A usable copy elsewhere gives you time to choose. It is easier to plan a migration before a renewal notice or full-storage warning forces the decision.
Why a large archive is difficult to move
The transfer has several stages
A large migration includes Google's export preparation, downloading all parts, moving them to the NAS, reading or extracting archives, preparing metadata, writing the destination files, and indexing in Synology Photos. Those stages can overlap, but each consumes time and resources.
For a 1 TB export, the ideal download time is:
| Sustained download speed | Transfer time |
|---|---|
| 100 Mbps | About 22 hours |
| 20 Mbps | About 111 hours — 4.6 days |
These estimates use decimal units: bytes × eight ÷ connection speed. They cover the download only, excluding export preparation, interruptions, retries and NAS processing.
A wired connection helps with the computer-to-NAS stage. It cannot accelerate Google's export preparation or make thumbnails appear instantly.
Downloaded files and photo dates are different things
A new filesystem timestamp does not mean the camera date has disappeared. Google explains that embedded timestamps can remain in the media while additional information added in its service is exported into secondary JSON files.
That distinction matters. Some pictures already have good embedded metadata. Others depend on the Takeout sidecar for a corrected date, description or location. Copying everything into a photo folder does not automatically apply that JSON information to the media.
Albums are relationships, not just directories
A picture can belong to several albums. Export folders may therefore contain repeated copies of the same media. Keeping every copy wastes space; deleting everything with a repeated filename can destroy different photos that happen to share a name.
Exact duplicate detection needs to compare content. Rebuilding albums also needs to preserve which surviving item belongs to which album. Renaming folders alone does not reproduce that relationship inside Synology Photos.
A mixed library needs more than one metadata recipe
A decade of backups can contain JPEG, HEIC, RAW, screenshots, old AVI clips, newer MP4 files, Live Photos and Motion Photos. A command that works for a JPEG does not necessarily work for an old video container or a RAW variant.
Live Photos add paired components; Motion Photos may carry motion inside the image file. A migration has to preserve those structures. Import support, metadata-writing support and playback support in Synology Photos are separate questions.
Plan capacity before starting
Use the export's actual size as your starting point. The storage reported by Google One is a billing quota, not a reliable estimate of an extracted Takeout library. Older exempt uploads, repeated album copies and export packaging can make those figures differ.
Keep room for the untouched export, the imported library, processing space and Synology Photos thumbnails. A manual workflow may also need an extracted working copy and ExifTool backups. There is no universal multiplier that fits every archive. PhotoDrain shows its own storage estimate before import.
If you are buying a NAS, include disks, usable capacity after RAID, a separate backup, electricity and future disk replacement in the comparison. A NAS can give you control over a growing archive, but a second copy and ongoing maintenance still cost money. RAID helps availability when a disk fails; it is not an independent backup.
Google Photos✓Choose your migration route
| Task | Manual migration | PhotoDrain |
|---|---|---|
| Get the library out of Google | Request and download Takeout | Request and download Takeout |
| Read the export | Extract a working copy | Read archives directly on the NAS, or use an extracted export |
| Restore metadata | Match sidecars and run format-specific tools | Match JSON and restore supported fields automatically |
| Handle duplicates and albums | Compare content and rebuild album membership | Combine exact duplicates and create albums according to your options |
| Deal with exceptions | Inspect and resolve them yourself | Follow the application's report and available recovery actions |
| Cost to consider | Your time, NAS storage and backup | An application license, NAS storage and backup |
Start both routes with one complete Takeout export
- Open Google Takeout and choose Deselect all.
- Select Google Photos and keep all relevant photo albums included.
- Choose Export once, ZIP and Send download link via email.
- Create the export. The first email confirms the request; a separate email arrives when the download is ready.
- Download every archive part from that export.
Keep the parts from that export together and retain the JSON files. Do not mix several export runs into one working folder. Google's Takeout help explains the export options and notes that changes made during export preparation may be absent. Plan a later pass for new photos rather than assuming the export includes everything added afterwards.
Route 1: prepare and import the archive manually
This route is useful if you are comfortable with command-line tools and want to control each transformation. The free Google Photos to Synology NAS guide contains the step-by-step instructions and an ExifTool recipe.
- Prepare Synology Photos. Install it through DSM Package Center. Enable user home service and open Personal Space with the account that will own the library. Its photo folder is
home/Photos. - Extract into a working folder. Keep the original archives unchanged. Preserve media and JSON filenames and their relationship. Work outside the indexed photo directory until the files are ready.
- Restore missing metadata. Start with a small representative copy, then use the free guide's ExifTool instructions to fill supported missing fields. The recipe fills missing fields in the image formats it lists. Videos, albums, Live Photos and Motion Photos need separate handling. Shortened and numbered sidecar names can require additional matching work.
- Resolve duplicates and special cases. Compare file content before removing repeated media. Preserve album membership separately. Handle videos, RAW variants, Live Photos and Motion Photos according to their format rather than applying an image command to everything.
- Copy prepared media to the NAS. Use SMB or another suitable transfer method to put the result under the destination user's
home/Photos. Retain sidecars and tool backups in the working area instead of adding them to the photo library. - Allow indexing and rebuild albums. After Synology Photos has indexed the import, inspect representative dates and locations, play videos, and recreate albums using the exported information as a reference.
The hard part at scale is repeating these steps consistently across an archive and knowing which exceptions remain. Manual migration gives you control, but you also own the matching, exception handling and verification.
Route 2: migrate on the NAS with PhotoDrain
PhotoDrain automates archive reading, metadata matching, exact duplicate handling and album creation. It still needs the Takeout export; it does not bypass Google's export preparation or the time required to download it.
PhotoDrain is a paid application. The workflow is:
- Install the applications. Install Synology Photos, then follow the PhotoDrain installation guide to install the SPK through DSM Package Center. Sign in as the DSM user whose Personal Space should receive the library.
- Copy the export to that user's home. For example, use
home/Google Takeout, outsidehome/Photos. Put every export part there. PhotoDrain can read ZIP and TAR.GZ/TGZ archives directly, or use an already extracted export. - Choose the source folder. Open PhotoDrain, select the Takeout folder and let its source scan finish. Continue to the destination options.
- Choose what to restore. Set capture-date and metadata options, album merging, edited versions and additional Google creations. Exact duplicates within the Takeout are combined; the optional library comparison also checks the user's existing Personal Space and earlier imports.
- Review and start. Select Start Import and activate a PhotoDrain license if prompted. The application performs source, destination and storage checks before accepting the job.
- Let the import finish. PhotoDrain reads the archive parts together, restores supported metadata and imports into the signed-in user's Personal Space. Pause and Resume are available. Keep the DSM session available and PhotoDrain open for the final comparison, recognition and album stages.
- Open the resulting library. Imported files go under
home/Photos/GooglePhotosTakeoutin year folders. Takeout albums become Synology Photos albums. The application reports duplicates, warnings and items needing attention, with recovery actions where available.
PhotoDrain performs the migration checks as part of this workflow. Follow its result and any offered retry action; use its diagnostic logs when contacting support. The original Takeout archives remain unchanged.
What format support means
PhotoDrain restores the metadata each format can safely accept:
- Images: common image formats, HEIC/HEIF/HIF, AVIF and camera RAW files. RAW remains RAW.
- MP4/MOV-family video: supported metadata is restored without re-encoding.
- AVI, WMV and MKV: native capture-date handling.
- Read-only formats, including MTS/M2TS: original media is imported with a filesystem-date fallback and a report entry.
- Live Photos and Motion Photos: paired or embedded motion is preserved, with application checks before album finalization.
Import support does not add a new codec to Synology Photos. An imported file can still require extra preview generation or an external viewer. Check Synology Photos specifications for the destination viewer’s supported formats and preview requirements.
Make the next year's photos easier to manage
- Choose where new photos go. A one-time export does not set up ongoing phone backup. Configure the Synology Photos mobile application if the NAS will become your main library.
- Back up the NAS independently. RAID does not replace a separate backup.
- Keep Google Photos available during the transition. Exporting does not delete the cloud originals, and canceling a subscription does not migrate them.
- Review your remaining Google storage before reducing the plan. Count Photos, Drive and Gmail, and account for the consequences of being over quota.
The useful deadline is the one you choose while you still have room and time. Start with the free manual guide if you want to prepare the files yourself, or use the PhotoDrain workflow above to automate the migration work on your NAS.
Frequently asked questions
Does downloading Takeout delete my Google Photos library?
No. Exporting creates a copy. Keep the cloud library available while you move to the NAS and establish an independent backup.
Why do some downloaded files have new dates?
A filesystem timestamp can change during download even when the embedded capture date remains intact. Extra information added in Google Photos can also be stored in a separate JSON file. Those are different dates and need different handling.
Do I need to extract every archive before using PhotoDrain?
No. PhotoDrain can read ZIP and TAR.GZ/TGZ parts directly on the NAS. Keep every part from the same export together, outside the destination photo folder.
Can I delete files that have the same name?
A repeated name does not prove that two files are identical. Compare content and preserve album membership before removing duplicates. PhotoDrain handles exact duplicates according to the import options described above.
Will every imported format play in Synology Photos?
Import support and viewer support are separate. A file can be preserved on the NAS while still needing additional preview generation or an external viewer. Check Synology's format specifications for the destination library.