Create and Share Albums in Google Photos
Google Photos lets you create custom albums to organize your favorite photos — and share them with family so everyone can add their own photos.
4 min read · 5 steps · Checked April 2026
Step 1. Create a New Album
Open the Google Photos app. Tap "Library" at the bottom. Tap "Albums" → then tap the "+" button or "New album." Give the album a name, like "Summer Vacation 2026." Tap the photos you want to add (they get a blue check), then tap "Done" or the checkmark.
Quick Tip
To add photos to an album later: open any photo, tap the three-dot menu (⋯) → "Add to album" → select the album.
Step 2. Share an Album With Family
Open the album. Tap the share icon (person with a + sign, or the standard share arrow). Tap "Share album." You can share via a link (anyone with the link can view) or by entering specific email addresses or phone numbers. Toggle "Collaborate" on if you want recipients to be able to add photos.
Step 3. Let Family Add Photos to a Shared Album
When sharing, make sure "Collaborate" is turned on. Shared participants can then add their own photos to the album from their Google Photos. Their photos appear alongside yours in the album. Everyone who has access can see all contributed photos.
Step 4. Add Photos From the Camera Roll
To add existing photos to an album: go to your main photo library, tap "Select" (or long-press on a photo to start selecting). Tap all the photos you want to add. Tap the three-dot menu or share icon → "Add to album" → select the album name. Or, open the album → tap the "+" button to add more photos.
Step 5. Find Your Albums
Tap "Library" at the bottom of Google Photos. Your albums appear in the "Albums" section. Tap any album to open it. To find albums others shared with you, tap "Sharing" at the bottom of the Google Photos app — all shared albums appear there.
Quick Tip
Albums you create in Google Photos also appear at photos.google.com on any web browser — handy for viewing on a computer or sharing by copying the album link from a browser.
Google Photos makes it straightforward to organize your photos into albums — custom collections you can name, curate, and share with anyone. This is different from the automatic albums Google Photos creates (like "Best of 2024" or "Trip to Florida"). You build these yourself, exactly the way you want.
An album can be anything: vacation photos, a grandchild's birthday party, holiday gatherings over the years, or a collection of garden photos. You can add photos from your camera roll at any time. Albums don't create copies of your photos — they're just organized views of photos that still live in your main library.
Shared albums are a popular use for this feature: you create an album and share a link with family members. They can view all the photos, and if you allow it, they can also add their own photos to the album. This is great for family events where multiple people take photos — everyone can contribute to one shared collection.
Shared album participants need a Google account to add photos but don't need one just to view photos in a shared album. You can share a link that anyone can open in a browser without signing in.
Google Photos also lets you create "Partner Sharing" — an automatic, ongoing sharing arrangement where every photo you take is also shared with one other person. This is similar to iCloud Shared Photo Library but between two people rather than a family group.
Albums sync across all your devices — create one on your phone and it appears on your computer's Google Photos too.
Official sources
- Google Help Center — support.google.com
- Android Help — support.google.com
- Google Account help — support.google.com
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