Guide2026-06-10

How to Transfer iCloud Photos to Google Photos Without Losing Quality

Step-by-step guide to moving your entire iCloud Photo Library to Google Photos on Mac, keeping full resolution originals intact.

If you've been storing photos in iCloud and want to switch to Google Photos, the biggest fear is losing quality. Will your originals survive the transfer? Will HEIC files convert correctly? Will videos come through at full resolution?

The good news: yes to all of the above — if you do it the right way.

This guide covers exactly how to transfer your iCloud Photo Library to Google Photos on a Mac, keeping every photo at its original quality.

Why Quality Gets Lost (And How to Avoid It)

Quality loss during a transfer usually happens for one of three reasons:

Downloading optimised thumbnails instead of originals. If your Mac has "Optimise Mac Storage" turned on, iCloud only keeps low-resolution previews locally. Exporting these gives you compressed versions, not your full originals.

Using the wrong export tool. Some methods export through Apple's JPEG conversion pipeline, which re-compresses your photos. The original HEIC file gets converted and you lose data.

Uploading compressed versions to Google Photos. If Google Photos is set to "Storage saver" quality, it re-compresses everything on the way in.

Here's how to avoid each problem.

What You Need

A Mac with your iCloud Photo Library signed in

Enough free space on your Mac or an external drive (check your iCloud library size in Settings)

A Google account with enough Google Photos storage

[Migrate Moments for Mac](/download) — handles the export and upload automatically

Step 1: Make Sure iCloud Has Your Originals

Before anything else, check that your originals are actually in iCloud. Open Photos → Preferences → iCloud and confirm "iCloud Photos" is turned on and the status shows "Updated" or "Uploading".

If you see photos that were added to your library from a backup but were never fully uploaded, wait until the sync completes.

Step 2: Enable Optimise Mac Storage

This sounds counterintuitive, but turning on "Optimise Mac Storage" actually helps. It tells Photos to download full-resolution originals on demand as you export them, rather than trying to work only with what's already on your Mac.

Go to Photos → Settings → iCloud → tick "Optimise Mac Storage".

This lets Migrate Moments download photos from iCloud in chunks without needing to fit your entire library on your Mac at once.

Step 3: Export Using Migrate Moments

Open Migrate Moments and connect your Google Photos account under Destination → Google Photos.

Set your archive age cutoff — anything older than your chosen date will be exported. If you want everything, set it to the maximum.

Click "Export to Google Photos". Migrate Moments will:

Identify all eligible photos and videos in your library

Download originals from iCloud in chunks (managing your Mac's available storage automatically)

Export using the original file format — HEIC stays HEIC, RAW stays RAW, MOV stays MOV

Upload directly to Google Photos via the API

Crucially, it does not re-compress or convert your files. What goes into Google Photos is identical to what came out of iCloud.

Step 4: Set Google Photos to Original Quality

When you first use Google Photos, make sure it's set to store originals. Go to google.com/photos → Settings → Upload size → Original quality.

If you have a Google One storage plan, this is covered. If you're on the free 15GB tier, you'll need to either upgrade or be selective about what you transfer.

Step 5: Verify Before You Delete Anything

Once the transfer completes, spend time verifying before you remove anything from iCloud:

Spot-check photos from different years — open a few on your phone in Google Photos and zoom in

Check that videos play at full quality

Verify your oldest photos are present (search by year)

Compare total photo counts between iCloud and Google Photos

Google Photos sometimes shows a higher count than iCloud because it counts edits as separate items. Don't be alarmed by a slightly higher number on the Google side.

Common Questions

Will HEIC files be converted to JPEG?

Not by Migrate Moments. It uploads HEIC files natively. Google Photos can display HEIC files correctly. If you want JPEG for compatibility, that's a separate conversion step.

What about Live Photos?

Live Photos export as two files — the JPEG and the MOV. Google Photos will recognise and display them as Motion Photos automatically.

Can I transfer just some photos, not everything?

Yes — Migrate Moments lets you filter by age, media type, and whether photos are in albums. You can transfer just photos older than 3 years, for example.

What if the transfer stops partway through?

Migrate Moments tracks which files have been uploaded in a local database. If you re-run the export, it skips files already in Google Photos and picks up where it left off.