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You can bring photos into Gumnut even when they are stored only in Google Photos or Apple iCloud Photos. Export a copy, download the files, then upload them to your Gumnut library. This guide covers an export and import, rather than continuous synchronization with your Google or Apple account. For ongoing phone backup, use the Immich mobile app. On iOS, Immich can also download iCloud originals during backup.

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Before you start

  • Sign in to the Google or Apple account that holds the photos.
  • Have enough local storage for the downloaded media and extracted archives.
  • Create a Gumnut account and choose a library you own or can upload to as a Collaborator.

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Choose an export route

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Export from Google Photos

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Google Takeout

  1. Open Google Takeout and sign in.
  2. Choose Deselect all, then select Google Photos. Review which albums or data are included.
  3. Select Next step, choose a one-time export, and choose your delivery method, archive format, and maximum archive size.
  4. Create the export. When it is ready, download every archive part.
Keep the accompanying JSON files. Google preserves original embedded metadata, including capture timestamps, in the media files; additional information from Google Photos can be exported separately in JSON. See Google’s export instructions and metadata notes.

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Download selected Google Photos

For a smaller selection, open Google Photos on your computer, select photos or videos, then choose More → Download. See Google’s download instructions.

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Export from Apple Photos or iCloud

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Download iCloud photos in your browser

  1. Sign in at iCloud.com/photos.
  2. Select the photos or videos you want, up to 1,000 at a time.
  3. Open More Download Options and choose Unmodified Originals to keep the format in which each item was captured or imported.
  4. Download the selection and repeat for further batches.
See Apple’s iCloud download instructions.

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Export from Photos on Mac

  1. For iCloud photos, open Photos → Settings → iCloud and choose Download Originals to this Mac.
  2. Once the originals are available, select the items in Photos.
  3. Choose File → Export → Export Unmodified Original.
  4. To also export assigned IPTC information and keywords, select Export IPTC as XMP. Choose a destination and export.
Unmodified originals do not include your later edits. To keep the edited appearance too, export those versions using the regular Export Photos option. Keep any XMP companion files with the originals. See Apple’s Mac export instructions.

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Export from an iPhone or iPad

Select photos or videos in the Photos app, then tap Share → Export Unmodified Originals. Choose a destination in Files, such as local storage or an external drive, and tap Save. See Apple’s iPhone and iPad instructions.

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Request a copy from Apple

Sign in to Apple’s Data & Privacy page, choose the option to get a copy of your data, and select iCloud Photos from the available categories. Follow the prompts and download the archive when ready. This requests downloadable files. Apple’s separate Transfer a copy service transfers supported content to another service, such as Google Photos; it is not a direct transfer into Gumnut. See Apple’s data and privacy overview.

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Upload the exported files to Gumnut

  1. Extract downloaded archives before using the web uploader. Keep the export’s folder structure and companion metadata files.
  2. In the Gumnut web app, select the destination library. Start with a small selection so you can check the result.
  3. On the Photos page, open Photos actions (the three-dot menu), then choose Upload to … for files or Upload folder for an extracted folder. An empty library also shows upload buttons directly. Folder uploads include nested folders.
  4. Let the upload finish and allow time for background processing.
  5. Check representative photos and videos: do they open, have the expected capture dates, and show location where the exported file contains it? Continue with the remaining files once the sample looks right.
Check the supported formats before a large import. For example, camera RAW files need to be exported to a supported format such as JPEG, HEIC, or TIFF. Uploading original and edited versions can create separate assets because their file contents differ; exact-file deduplication only reuses identical files in the same library.
The web uploader does not apply Google Takeout JSON or Apple XMP sidecar metadata to your photos. It reads metadata embedded in the uploaded media; information stored only in companion files will not be restored by a folder upload. Exported folder names also do not automatically recreate your source albums in Gumnut.

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Advanced imports with immich-go

If you use command-line tools, see Gumnut’s immich-go connection guide. Use https://immich.gumnut.ai as the server URL and create a Gumnut API key using the View, add, and edit preset in the Gumnut web app. For Google Takeout, follow immich-go’s upload from-google-photos instructions; the connection guide’s from-folder example is for ordinary media folders. When the Library setting appears under Settings → Immich, choose your destination before importing. This is separate from the library you are browsing in the web app. If you own a library and have no saved choice, Immich defaults to the oldest one you own; the setting is hidden for a single owned library with no shared libraries or saved choice. A key limited to selected libraries requires an explicit Immich destination covered by that key, rather than Default. If the setting is hidden, use the browser upload route instead of a selected-library key import. Check a sample import for the metadata you need: Gumnut’s compatibility layer does not provide every feature of a standard Immich server.

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Understand dates and location

A downloaded file can have a new filesystem timestamp while its embedded capture date remains unchanged. Compare the photo’s capture metadata, rather than the file’s download date. Location is a separate field: a photo can retain dates and camera information without GPS coordinates. The camera may never have recorded location, or it may have been omitted when the photo was shared. If location is missing after import, first check whether it exists in the exported file. Exporting cannot recover information absent from that source. Apple documents controls for omitting location during sharing.

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iCloud backup through Immich on iOS

If you use an iPhone or iPad with iCloud Photos, you may not need a desktop export. After connecting Immich to Gumnut, check Settings → Immich in the Gumnut web app. If the Library setting appears, choose the destination before enabling backup. Otherwise, your one owned library is used automatically. Immich temporarily downloads iCloud originals for selected backup albums, uploads them, then clears its temporary copies. This can use additional network data and temporary device storage. It is an iOS backup path; selecting albums in Immich on Android does not download a cloud-only Google Photos or iCloud library. Use an export route above for those files. See Immich’s iCloud backup documentation.