Why Aren’t All My Photos Showing in My Backup?

If you’re missing some photos from your backup — don’t worry!

This is super common, and the good news is: nothing is broken.

The reason is usually because some of your photos are stored in Google Photos (Google’s cloud storage) — not directly on your phone.

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Why Does This Happen?

Most Android devices automatically upload your photos to Google Photos to save storage space on your phone.

→ When this happens, the photo lives online (in the cloud) — not physically on your phone.

Important:
USB backup drives like Clickfree can only back up photos and videos that are stored directly on your device — not in Google’s cloud.

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How To Check If Your Photos Are Stored in Google Photos (Cloud Only)

Step 1 — Open Google Photos

Look for this app on your phone:

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Step 2 — Find a Photo That’s Missing From Your Backup

Tap to open it.

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Step 3 — Look for the Cloud Icon

Check the top right corner:

• If you see a cloud icon like this: ☁️ or ☁️ with a line through it
  →That means the photo is only stored in Google Photos — not saved directly on your phone.

• No cloud icon?
  →The photo is stored on your device and will be backed up.

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How To Download Cloud Photos To Your Device (So They Get Backed Up)

1. Open the photo in Google Photos

2. Tap the 3-dot menu (top right)

3. Select Download

This will save the photo directly to your phone’s storage.

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What To Do Next:

1. Once you've downloaded the photos you want to back up...

2. Reconnect your USB backup drive

3. Run your backup again

4. Now your photos should appear in View Backup

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Quick Recap:

Where Your Photo Is Stored	Will It Be Backed Up?
On your phone’s storage	Yes, will back up to Clickfree
In Google Photos cloud only (☁️ icon)	No, unless downloaded to device

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Still Need Help?

If you’re unsure or have a lot of photos in Google Photos — reach out to our team! We’re happy to help guide you through the process.

Extra Tip:

Google Photos and your phone’s photo gallery may look the same — but they aren’t always storing photos in the same place!

Backing up with USB drives like Clickfree or any other system will only grab what’s physically saved on your device — not online cloud content.