Where Does Google Photos Store Pictures and Backups?
Google Photos keeps the library in your Google account with local copies and Locked Folder items in phone storage.
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Google Photos splits originals from views. Backed-up photos live in the account with trash as a safety net. The sandbox and gallery folders hold device copies, pending uploads, and cache.
Locked Folder breaks the pattern on purpose. Its contents stay on the device only, outside backup and sync. Lose the phone without another copy and those items are gone. Everything else survives reinstalls through the login.
Where Google Photos stores this, by platform
/data/data/com.google.android.apps.photos
Private sandbox for cache and pending uploads. Library is account-side. Free up space removes only backed-up device copies.
/var/mobile/Containers/Data/Application/<guid>/Documents
Sandboxed container with the same account library. Locked Folder stays device-only on every platform. Reinstalls restore everything except it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I free space without losing Google Photos?
Use Free up space in the app after backup completes. It removes device copies already backed up. Locked Folder items stay put, since they never backed up at all.
How do I move Google Photos to a new phone?
Log in and the library syncs from the account. Albums and sharing resume automatically. Locked Folder contents stay on the old phone and need manual moving.
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