How to use Google Takeout Transfer to copy your Google Photos from your UMS-issued Google account to a personal Google account. This applies to students, faculty, and staff who are graduating or leaving the University of Maine System.
Instructions
Google Takeout Transfer allows you to copy your Google Photos content — including photos, videos, and albums you own — from your UMS-issued Google account to a personal Google account.
Before you begin
- You will need an active personal Google account (e.g., a Gmail address) to transfer content to.
- You must have sufficient available storage in your personal Google account before starting. Check your personal account storage at one.google.com/storage.
- Review your Google Photos library and remove any content you do not want to transfer before starting.
- Your Google Photos will be deleted as part of the UMS account de-provisioning process. Transfer your photos before your account is deactivated. For information on account deactivation timelines, see UMS User Account Management.
- You must be signed in to your UMS Google account to initiate the transfer. If you are signed in to multiple Google accounts in your browser, sign out of all accounts and sign back in to your UMS account only — or use a private/incognito window.
What is transferred
Using Google Takeout Transfer for Google Photos, the following content is copied from your UMS Google account to your personal Google account:
- Photos you own
- Videos you own
- Albums you own
INFO: Only photos, videos, and albums you own are transferred. Shared albums or content owned by others will not be included.
How to transfer your Google Photos
- Sign in to your UMS Google account in your browser. If you are signed in to multiple accounts, sign out of all accounts first and sign back in to your UMS account only.
- In a separate browser tab or on a separate device, sign in to your personal Google account.
- From your UMS account, go to takeout.google.com/transfer.
- Enter the email address of your personal Google account and select Send code.
- Check your personal Google account's Gmail inbox for a verification email from Google. Open the email and select Get confirmation code. A new tab will open with the code.
- Return to the Takeout Transfer tab in your UMS account, enter the confirmation code, and select Verify.
- Toggle on Google Photos and (optional) ensure Drive and Gmail are toggled off.
- Select Start Transfer to begin the process.
INFO: The transfer process can take anywhere from a few hours to a week depending on the size of your library. You do not need to keep the browser window open. You will receive a confirmation email to your personal Gmail account when the transfer is complete. You can also check transfer status at
takeout.google.com/transfer by selecting
Manage transfer history.
After the transfer
- Sign in to your personal Google account and verify that your photos have been copied correctly before taking any other action.
Official resources
Source: Google Workspace Updates: Google Takeout Transfer now supports Google Photos for Education users — Google Workspace Updates Blog, May 1, 2026
Environment
- Google Workspace for Education (Education Fundamentals, Standard, and Plus)
- University of Maine System Google accounts
- Applies to: Students, Faculty, and Staff who are graduating or separating from UMS
- Destination: Personal Google / Gmail accounts
- Platform: Any modern web browser (Chrome recommended)
- Operating Systems: Windows, Mac
WARNING: You must have sufficient available storage in your personal Google account before starting a transfer. If your personal account does not have enough free storage, the transfer will fail. A failed transfer can result in duplicate files in your personal account. If this occurs, delete all copied content from your personal account and restart the transfer.
DANGER: Do not delete any photos from your UMS Google account or your personal Google account while a transfer is in progress. Always verify your transferred content is complete before deleting anything from either account.