topic Re: Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up in Galaxy S25

Turn off Screenshots from backing up

Robin621k — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:06:47 GMT

I consider myself pretty savvy tech wise, for the life of me I can't figure out how to turn off screenshots from backing up to Google Photos.

Any ideas?

Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up

LongHiker — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:25:10 GMT

@Robin621k You could try saving them to a different location which Google Photos doesn't have access to.

Open phone settings
Click on Advanced features
Click on Screenshots and screen recordings
Click on "Save screenshots in" and select a new folder.

Re: Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up

Robin621k — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:33:20 GMT

I don't want them saved at all. Google used to let you turn off screenshots, I guess they want you to clog up your space with screenshots. I clean out screenshots all the time on my phone. The are usually for the purpose of helping people on tlhis forum. I forget to delete them when I use them to help people.

Re: Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up

LongHiker — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:43:50 GMT

@Robin621k If you follow my instructions to save to a folder not available to Google Photos then it shouldn't be saved to Google Photos.

Re: Re: Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up

Robin621k — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:45:05 GMT

Yay!

Re: Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up

realaud — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:48:19 GMT

I have taken to going into Google Photos immediately after uploading the screenshots to a post and then deleting the screenshots just taken. Sometimes I wait til the end of the day and just delete the days' worth of screen shots. What @LongHiker is suggesting, is that you save them to a location other than the DCIM folder and that way a) they won't clutter up Google and b) you can just delete them from gallery or file manager when you feel like it.

Re: Re: Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up

Robin621k — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:53:02 GMT

I just did this!

Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up

Tom6068 — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 13:04:16 GMT

Google photos will always show what your device has in images, but that does not mean they are backed up (one can tell if they are not backed up because they will not have the function to download the images, but they will have the ability to delete the image using Google photos if one wants) I do not know if they are visible in another directory..

Moving the screenshot folder is one way as suggested by @LongHiker , but there is another:

Turn off Google Photos automatic backup that can be accomplished with the photos app itself...

Open Google Photos, click on user icon/Photo settings/Back up and toggle it off. You can still save images to Photos by opening on the image and using the upload to Google photos function (as well as to other functions/apps). That can be done by clicking the "Share" icon, then choosing Google photos and upload it there.

Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up

realaud — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 16:23:33 GMT

If one has Google backup turned on, the photos are instantly backed up to Google. You can see this by going to photos.google.com. The only way they are not backed up to Google if Google backup is on is if you are out of storage space in Google. Google only looks for photos in the DCIM folder, so if one does not want photos backed up, they should change their save location to somewhere else.

Re: Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up

Tom6068 — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 17:02:50 GMT

No that is not true. Google photos operates separately from the overall Google backup if one turns the photos backup as described by going to the Google photos settings.

Re: Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up

realaud — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 17:15:12 GMT

I beg to differ. It is true. And I can prove it I go to photos google.com after I take a photo and my photos are backed up there I don't just look at the Google photos app. I do not believe the Google photos backup operates separately, as the allocated free storage is divided among photos, drive files, and G-Mail. Says so right in the terms.

Re: Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up

Tom6068 — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 19:17:59 GMT

The first image is a screenshot of of my google photos apps contents and I took this after turning on backup on the app.

This shot is Google Photos online with my account (I deleted one image because it is political, note my avatar). Note the same screenshot on my phone with red square around it, uploaded just a few moments ago.

Now, after taking the above screenshot I deleted it from the same Google online account after I turned off the backup toggle on my Google Photos phone app. I had to delete because it backed up to my online account. I then logged out, cleared by browser cookies etc, then went back in to my online Google Photos account and it was gone. But it still show on my Google Photos phone app because the app directly accesses it as both the gallery and the app are on the same device, but I do not have backup toggled on.

Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up

realaud — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 19:24:51 GMT

I have Google backup on ALWAYS. My photos immediately backup to Google photos. When backup is on, when you delete the backup photo from Google Photos, it also deletes it from the Gallery. If you delete it directly from the Gallery, it stays in Google photos BECAUSE IT IS A BACKUP COPY. If you turn Google backup OFF, when you delete a photo from Google photos, it will remain in the gallery, because they are no longer synced for deletion or additions to Google photos. It WILL show in the Google photos app because the Google Photos app DOES read the DCIM folder so it will read whatever is there. Again, if you have backup turned on, it will back up immediately. If you turn it off, Google photos will still read your DCIM folder but not backup your photos.

Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up

Tom6068 — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 20:51:55 GMT

"If you turn it off, Google photos will still read your DCIM folder but not backup your photos."

That is what I said the first time and again earlier and goes against the previous two responses I got earlier.

Re: Turn off Screenshots from backing up

realaud — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 21:28:23 GMT

I have been consistent in my responses, it's you who decided you wanted to argue. My original statement was the if you have Google backup enabled, your photos back up immediately. I am done entertaining this subject.