HomeFixesHow to Fix Issue with Google Photos Messing up your Old Backup...

How to Fix Issue with Google Photos Messing up your Old Backup Images

Author

Updated On

Reading Time

Backing up your images and pictures will ensure that you still have access to them many years later. For Android users, using Google Photos is a sure way to back up their images. Google Photos automatically sync your videos and images, upload them to the cloud storage, and you can access it anytime on any device.

Unfortunately, there has been a problem with Google Photos messing up and corrupting old backed up pictures, according to many users. Artifacts seem to appear on their old photos synced and stored in their Google Photos account. These artifacts make the images looked like water-damaged or torn. Water stains appear on their photos, as well as dots, deep cracks, or lines that messed up precious old captures.

How-to-Troubleshoot-Fix-Google-Photos-Messing-Up-Old-Back-up-Images
Image credit: Scott Miller 8444

Backed-up images affected by the issue usually date as far back as over five years ago or around 2014. But, there are cases where images dated 2002 also have artifacts present on them. However, these issues do not seem to appear on the original uploads.

According to some users, downloading the photos can worsen the artifacts, whether downloading them from Google Photos directly or through Google Takeout. In addition, the artifacts appear on Google Photos if you open them on any platform.

How to Troubleshoot & Fix Google Photos Messing Up Old Back-up Images

Fortunately, Google has become aware of the Google Photos corrupted images issue and has started to roll out a fix. Here is Google’s statement: “We’re aware of the issue and are rolling out a fix. The original photos are not impacted.”

We may never know when Google will release the rollout to fix the problem with Google Photos for all users. All we can do is wait for Google to provide a solution on how to resolve the issue.

As of now, some users suggest the following methods to troubleshoot the Google Photos synced back-up old images error and apply these solutions as a workaround.

Method #1 – Clear the Google Photos Cache

  • Look for the Google Photos app icon on your device.
  • Press and hold the icon to see the i button.
  • Select the i button to open the app info page.
  • Go to Storage.
  • Tap Clear Cache.
  • Another way is to navigate to the Settings menu.
  • Head over to Apps.
  • Look for Google Photos.
  • Select Storage.
  • Tap Clear Cache.

Method #2 – Download the Original Image on Google Photos

Note that this method only applies to edited images. You can then download its original photo or access the Download Original button.

  • Open Google Photos.
  • Look for the edited image you want to download.
  • Select the image.
  • Tap the Download Original button.

Method #3 – Use Google Takeout to Download a Clean and Original Version of your Images

  • Go to https://takeout.google.com/.
  • Login to your Google account.
  • Navigate to Google Photos.
  • Select the photos you want to download.
  • Once done, click Create Export.

Do you have other ways to resolve the problem with Google Photos backup images riddled with artifact errors? We love to hear from you, so please drop us a comment below.

Windows Dispatch is a website supported by its readers & community. Some pages may contain affiliate links which may allow us to earn a little money when you buy through them.

Eddie Mendoza Jr
Eddie Mendoza Jr
Eddie has a degree in Information Technology with a natural inclination towards troubleshooting devices. With more than 10 years of blogging experience in different niches, he has found it most satisfying when writing easy-to-follow guides and simplified articles related to computers, smart TVs, mobile devices and Internet-based services.

Further Readings

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Recent Articles

Trending