End-to-end encrypted photo storage. Your memories encrypted before they leave your device. Available on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, and web.
Download Ente Photos from ente.io. It is available on Android (Google Play and F-Droid), iOS (App Store), Windows, Mac, Linux, and as a web app. Install it on your phone first — that is where most photos are. The app is open source and has been independently audited for security.
The Ente app opens on your phone with a clean interface. No ads, no tracking prompts.
Open the app and create an account. Ente offers a free trial to get started, then paid plans from 10GB upwards. Choose a storage plan based on your photo library size (check Google Photos settings to see how much storage you use). Ente stores your data encrypted across three data centres in different countries for redundancy. Set a strong password and save your recovery key somewhere safe — if you lose both, your photos are unrecoverable.
You are logged into Ente. Your storage plan and recovery key are confirmed.
Go to takeout.google.com. Click "Deselect all", then check only "Google Photos". Click "Next step", choose ".zip" format and a file size that suits your internet speed. Click "Create export". Google will prepare your photos and email you download links. This can take hours or even days for large libraries. Download all the zip files and extract them to a folder on your computer.
A folder containing all your photos organised by album or date. Open a few to confirm they look correct.
Use the Ente desktop app or web interface to upload your exported photos. Drag folders into Ente — it preserves your album structure. Every photo is encrypted on your device before upload, so Ente staff cannot see your images. Large libraries will take time to upload. Let it run in the background. You can continue using your device normally while it uploads.
Photos appear in the Ente app on all your devices. Albums are preserved. Images display correctly.
In the Ente app, go to Settings → Backup and enable automatic backup for your camera roll. Choose whether to back up on WiFi only or also on mobile data. New photos and videos will be encrypted and backed up automatically. Disable Google Photos auto-backup (Google Photos app → profile icon → Photos settings → Backup → turn off) so you are not running two backups.
Take a new photo. Within minutes, it appears in Ente on your other devices. Google Photos backup is off.