How to Share a Google Photos Album

Google Photos is arguably the most powerful photo management platform available, primarily because of its seamless sharing capabilities. Instead of trying to email 50 massive image files from a family vacation, or forcing your relatives to download a third-party app, you can create a single Shared Album. You can generate a private link, text it to anyone, and they can instantly view the high-resolution photos in their web browser.

Furthermore, Google Photos allows for collaborative albums. You can grant your friends permission to upload their own photos to the same album, creating a massive, centralized collection of memories from an event.

Step 1: Create the Album

Before you can share anything, you must group the specific photos together into an album. If you already have an album created, skip to Step 2.

1. Open the Google Photos app on your phone (or go to photos.google.com on a computer).
2. Long-press on the first photo you want to share to select it, then tap all the other photos you want to include.
3. Tap the + (Add to) icon at the top of the screen.
4. Select Shared album from the menu.
5. Type a name for the album (e.g., “Hawaii Vacation 2024”).

Step 2: Share the Album (Generating a Link)

Now that the album exists, you need to invite people to view it. The easiest and most universal method is to generate a sharable link.

1. Open the album you want to share.
2. Tap the Share button (usually located in the top right corner or immediately below the album title).
3. A menu will slide up. Do not click on the suggested Google contacts. Instead, look for the option labeled Share link or Create link (often accompanied by a chainlink icon). Tap it.
4. A confirmation box will appear, warning you that anyone with this link can view the photos. Tap Create link.
5. The link is now copied to your device’s clipboard. You can paste this link into a text message, an email, or a WhatsApp chat.

When the recipient clicks the link, the album will open instantly in their browser. They do not need a Google account to simply view the photos.

Step 3: Managing Permissions (Can they add their own photos?)

By default, when you share a link, the album becomes collaborative. Anyone who clicks the link (and is logged into a Google account) will see a button allowing them to add their own photos to your album. If this is a professional portfolio or a curated album, you likely want to stop them from doing this.

1. Open the shared album in Google Photos.
2. Tap the three vertical dots (the menu icon) in the top right corner.
3. Select Options.
4. You will see a toggle switch labeled Collaborate (or “Let others add their photos”). Toggle this switch to the OFF position.

Now, the album is strictly “View-Only.” Your friends can look at the photos, but they cannot alter the album or upload their own images.

How to Stop Sharing

If you accidentally shared an album with the wrong group chat, or if the event is over and you want to lock the photos back down to private, you can instantly break the link.

1. Open the album and tap the three vertical dots > Options.
2. At the top of the menu, you will see a master toggle switch labeled Link sharing.
3. Toggle this switch to the OFF position.
4. A warning will pop up stating that all existing links will be broken and all collaborators will be kicked out. Tap Delete link to confirm.

The album is now completely private again. Anyone who clicks the old text message link will receive a “404 Error: Album not found” message.