Title: Album Importer for Google Photos
Author: Automattic
Published: May 13, 2026
Last modified: June 3, 2026
---
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# Album Importer for Google Photos
By [Automattic](https://profiles.wordpress.org/automattic/)
[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/album-importer-for-google-photos.1.0.0.zip)
* [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/album-importer-for-google-photos/#description)
* [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/album-importer-for-google-photos/#reviews)
* [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/album-importer-for-google-photos/#installation)
* [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/album-importer-for-google-photos/#developers)
[Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/album-importer-for-google-photos/)
## Description
Album Importer for Google Photos lets you easily import images from a public Google
Photos album into your WordPress site and display them as a gallery. Add the block
to any post or page, paste a Google Photos album URL, and start the import. From
there, the images are added to your site’s Media Library and displayed automatically.
#### Basic Usage
1. Create or edit a post/page where you want the gallery.
2. Add the “Album Importer for Google Photos” block.
3. From Google Photos, share your album and copy the public link URL. The format of
a public Google Photos album URL will be similar to: `https://photos.app.goo.gl/
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX`.
4. Paste the public link URL into the block.
5. Click Start Import.
6. The gallery is created automatically once complete.
### External services
This plugin relies on Google Photos (a third-party service operated by Google LLC)
to read and import publicly shared album content. No data is sent to any external
service unless an authorized user explicitly provides a Google Photos album URL
to the plugin. There are two triggers for requests to Google:
1. The “Album Importer for Google Photos” block in the post/page editor: pasting an
album URL and clicking “Start Import”.
2. The “Import from Google Photos” button that the plugin adds to the media-selection
modal of core Image, Gallery, Cover, and Media & Text blocks: pasting an album
URL into the modal and clicking “Load album”.
#### Google Photos
Google Photos is Google’s photo hosting and sharing service. The plugin uses it
to fetch the contents of a publicly shared album so the images can be saved into
the WordPress Media Library and rendered as a gallery.
What data is sent and when:
* **Verify the album (server -> Google).** When an authorized editor pastes an
album URL and triggers verification (clicking “Start Import” in the block, or“
Load album” in the media-library modal), the plugin makes a server-side HTTP
GET request to the album URL on `photos.google.com` or `photos.app.goo.gl` to
retrieve the album’s public HTML page and parse the list of image URLs.
* **Render thumbnail previews (browser -> Google).** After verification returns
the list of images, the plugin renders thumbnails directly in the editor by setting
each image URL as the `src` of an `![]()
` tag. This causes the editor user’s
browser to make HTTP GET requests to `lh3.googleusercontent.com` for each thumbnail.
* **Filename inference (server -> Google).** For each image to be imported, the
plugin makes a server-side HTTP HEAD request to `lh3.googleusercontent.com` to
read the `Content-Disposition` header (the import continues even if this request
fails).
* **Image download (server -> Google).** For each image, the plugin issues a server-
side HTTP GET request to `lh3.googleusercontent.com` to download the image bytes
and store them as a WordPress media attachment.
* No user credentials, account information, or telemetry are collected or transmitted
by the plugin. The only data the plugin sends is the album URL the editor pastes(
and the derived image URLs from that album).
Use of Google’s services is subject to Google’s terms:
* [Google Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms)
* [Google Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy)
### Source Code
The full, unminified source code for this plugin is publicly available on [GitHub](https://github.com/a8cteam51/importer-google-photos).
## Screenshots
[⌊Import a public Google Photos album and display it as a gallery block.⌉⌊Import
a public Google Photos album and display it as a gallery block.⌉[
Import a public Google Photos album and display it as a gallery block.
## Blocks
This plugin provides 1 block.
* Album Importer for Google Photos Import your Google Photos album images into
your WordPress site and display them in a beautiful gallery.
## Installation
#### From WordPress Admin
1. Go to Plugins -> Add New.
2. Search for “Album Importer for Google Photos”.
3. Click Install Now, then Activate.
#### Manual Installation
1. Download the plugin ZIP.
2. Upload the `importer-google-photos` folder to `/wp-content/plugins/`.
3. Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress.
## FAQ
### What album URLs are supported?
Publicly shared Google Photos album links (e.g., `https://photos.app.goo.gl/...`).
### Where are images stored?
Imported images are saved in your WordPress Media Library as standard attachments.
### Do I need a Google API key?
No. A publicly shared album link is sufficient for importing.
### Does it work with the block editor?
Yes. The plugin provides a Gutenberg block for inserting and importing the album.
## Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
## Contributors & Developers
“Album Importer for Google Photos” is open source software. The following people
have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
* [ Automattic ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/automattic/)
* [ Automattic Special Projects ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/wpspecialprojects/)
* [ Chuck Grimmett ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/cagrimmett/)
* [ Kathryn Presner ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/zoonini/)
* [ Kim Clow ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/kimclow/)
* [ Donna Peplinskie (a11n) ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/donnapep/)
* [ Dave Whitley ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/drw158/)
* [ Vegard S. ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/vevas/)
* [ Fernando Fernandes ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/fmfernandes/)
* [ luisasacchetto ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/luisasacchetto/)
* [ oh_hello ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/oh_hello/)
* [ racheleliza ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/racheleliza/)
“Album Importer for Google Photos” has been translated into 1 locale. Thank you
to [the translators](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/album-importer-for-google-photos/contributors)
for their contributions.
[Translate “Album Importer for Google Photos” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/album-importer-for-google-photos)
### Interested in development?
[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/album-importer-for-google-photos/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/album-importer-for-google-photos/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/album-importer-for-google-photos/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/album-importer-for-google-photos/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).
## Changelog
#### 1.0.0
* Initial public release.
## Meta
* Version **1.0.0**
* Last updated **3 weeks ago**
* Active installations **Fewer than 10**
* WordPress version ** 6.7 or higher **
* Tested up to **6.9.4**
* PHP version ** 8.2 or higher **
* Languages
* [Chinese (Taiwan)](https://tw.wordpress.org/plugins/album-importer-for-google-photos/)
and [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/album-importer-for-google-photos/).
* [Translate into your language](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/album-importer-for-google-photos)
* Tags
* [album](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/album/)[gallery](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/gallery/)
[Google Photos](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/google-photos/)[importer](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/importer/)
[media library](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/media-library/)
* [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/album-importer-for-google-photos/advanced/)
## Ratings
No reviews have been submitted yet.
[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/album-importer-for-google-photos/reviews/#new-post)
[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/album-importer-for-google-photos/reviews/)
## Contributors
* [ Automattic ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/automattic/)
* [ Automattic Special Projects ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/wpspecialprojects/)
* [ Chuck Grimmett ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/cagrimmett/)
* [ Kathryn Presner ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/zoonini/)
* [ Kim Clow ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/kimclow/)
* [ Donna Peplinskie (a11n) ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/donnapep/)
* [ Dave Whitley ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/drw158/)
* [ Vegard S. ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/vevas/)
* [ Fernando Fernandes ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/fmfernandes/)
* [ luisasacchetto ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/luisasacchetto/)
* [ oh_hello ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/oh_hello/)
* [ racheleliza ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/racheleliza/)
## Support
Got something to say? Need help?
[View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/album-importer-for-google-photos/)