Since we switched over in September 2026, I've noticed that photos are disappearing from my Google Photos account without me deleting them myself. They were stored for free before, but now I don't understand what's happening. Is this linked to a policy change at Google or is it a bug?
Don't make the mistake of assuming it's necessarily a bug - Google changed its policy a few years ago and does actually delete photos from inactive accounts or ones that exceed the limits after a certain period, but also check if you have a Google One subscription that expired, sometimes people forget their promotional offer ended and that triggers a cascade of deletions.
You probably have photos that exceed your free storage limit, and Google's deleting them automatically after sending you warning notices. Previously, free storage was unlimited for compressed-quality photos, but that changed a few years ago - since that change, all that matters is your 15 GB free quota shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos. Normally Google warns you multiple times by email before deleting anything, so check your spam or look in your account settings to see your actual usage. If you want to keep your photos, you can either buy extra storage or delete some of them to get back under the limit.
Before you panic, go check your Google Photos settings to see if you've turned on automatic deletion of items from trash after 30 days - that's a feature they beefed up and it's probably what's wiping out your photos without warning. Otherwise, also make sure you haven't exceeded your free storage quota, because once you go over a certain limit Google can get aggressive with deletions.
Check first if you've gone over your free storage quota - once you pass a certain point, Google starts deleting your old photos without really giving you a clear heads-up. If you want to keep your stuff, you either need to download it locally or switch to a paid plan.
Don't assume it's just a bug or a storage quota issue - check directly in the "Trash" tab in Google Photos, because sometimes photos stay visible there for 30 days before permanent deletion, and you can restore them with one click. Something nobody mentions: also check your sync settings (especially if you're using Google One or backing up from your phone) because duplicates can get silently deleted to optimize storage - it happened to me and I found my photos again by restoring them from trash! 📸
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