Stay organized with collections
Save and categorize content based on your preferences.
All requests sent to the Google Photos APIs are counted toward a quota. We put these
limits in place to protect the system and its users.
Access to the API requires OAuth client credentials from a Google developers
project. This project must have the Photos APIs enabled as described in
Configure your app.
The quota limit for requests to the Photos APIs is 10,000 requests per
project per day. This includes all API requests, such as uploading, listing
media, and applying filters, but not accessing media bytes from a base URL.
In addition to these limits there are other quotas that exist to protect the
reliability and integrity of our systems. If you receive a 429 error, you've
likely hit one of these quotas. If you receive one of these errors, reduce the
number of requests you are making over a given time period. For more
information, refer to retrying failed
requests and
exponential
backoff.
Checking quota usage
To see how much of your available quota you have used, and to view or change
usage limits for your project, visit the
Quotas page
in the Google API Console and select either Photos Picker API or Photos
Library API.
Exceeding quota limits
If the quota of requests to the Photos APIs is exceeded, the API returns
an error code 429 and a message that the project has exceeded the quota. For
more information, see the Terms of
Service.
Requesting additional quota
The Google Photos partner program is geared towards large consumer
applications that require increased quota limits. If you believe your
application belongs in this category, express interest in the
partner program.
Photo storage and quality
All media items uploaded to Google Photos using the API are stored in
full resolution at original
quality. They count toward
the user's storage.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-05-07 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eAll requests to Google Photos APIs are subject to daily quotas to protect the system, with 10,000 requests for general API functions and 75,000 for accessing media bytes.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eAPI access requires OAuth credentials from a Google Developers project with enabled Photos APIs, and usage should align with the Acceptable Use Policy.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eExceeding quota limits results in a 429 error, prompting the need to reduce request frequency and potentially implement retry mechanisms like exponential backoff.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eQuota usage can be monitored and managed through the Google API Console Quotas page, offering insights into consumption and the option to request quota increases for eligible applications.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eMedia uploaded via the API is stored in original quality, impacting user storage, and applications should inform users about potential storage implications for large uploads exceeding 25MB.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["Google Photos APIs have usage quotas to protect the system. Access requires OAuth credentials and enabling the APIs in a Google Developers project. The general quota is 10,000 requests per project per day, excluding media byte access, which has a 75,000 daily request limit. Exceeding quotas results in a 429 error, requiring reduced request frequency. Quota usage can be monitored in the Google API Console. Uploaded media items are stored in full resolution and count toward user storage.\n"],null,["All requests sent to the Google Photos APIs are counted toward a quota. We put these\nlimits in place to protect the system and its users.\n\nAccess to the API requires OAuth client credentials from a Google developers\nproject. This project must have the Photos APIs enabled as described in\n[Configure your app](/photos/overview/configure-your-app).\n\nTo learn more about appropriate use of this API, see the\n[Acceptable use policy](/photos/support/api-policy).\n\nGeneral quota limits\n\nThe quota limit for requests to the Photos APIs is 10,000 requests per\nproject per day. This includes all API requests, such as uploading, listing\nmedia, and applying filters, but not accessing media bytes from a base URL.\n\nThe quota limit for requests to access media bytes (by\n[loading a photo or video from a base\nURL](/photos/library/guides/access-media-items#base-urls))\nis 75,000 requests per project per day.\n\nIn addition to these limits there are other quotas that exist to protect the\nreliability and integrity of our systems. If you receive a 429 error, you've\nlikely hit one of these quotas. If you receive one of these errors, reduce the\nnumber of requests you are making over a given time period. For more\ninformation, refer to [retrying failed\nrequests](/photos/overview/best-practices#retrying-failed-requests) and\n[exponential\nbackoff](/photos/overview/best-practices#exponential-backoff).\n\nChecking quota usage\n\nTo see how much of your available quota you have used, and to view or change\nusage limits for your project, visit the\n[Quotas page](https://console.cloud.google.com/iam-admin/quotas?service=photoslibrary.googleapis.com)\nin the Google API Console and select either **Photos Picker API** or **Photos\nLibrary API**.\n\nExceeding quota limits\n\nIf the quota of requests to the Photos APIs is exceeded, the API returns\nan error code 429 and a message that the project has exceeded the quota. For\nmore information, see the [Terms of\nService](https://developers.google.com/terms/).\n\nRequesting additional quota\n\nThe Google Photos partner program is geared towards large consumer\napplications that require increased quota limits. If you believe your\napplication belongs in this category, [express interest in the\npartner program](/photos/partner-program/overview).\n\nPhoto storage and quality\n\nAll media items uploaded to Google Photos using the API are stored in\nfull resolution at [original\nquality](https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6220791). They count toward\nthe user's storage.\n| **Note:** If your uploads exceed 25MB per user, your application should remind the user that these uploads will count towards storage in their Google Account."]]
