Home/How to back up Snapchat Memories to Google Drive
A folder, not a timeline
How to back up Snapchat Memories to Google Drive
Google Drive keeps the files. It does not turn them into a camera roll.
Free · 1 restore / day · first 15 photos
No Snapchat export yet? How to get one, and a sample to try
The tool needs the Memories ZIP from Snapchat. You request it once:
- Sign in at accounts.snapchat.com and open My Data.
- Under Select data to include, turn on Export your Memories (add the JSON files if Snapchat offers them), pick the date range, confirm your email, then submit.
- Snapchat emails you when the ZIP is ready. Download every ZIP part.
- Come back here and drop them. Nothing leaves your browser.
Snapchat says it aims to deliver within 7 days; big accounts can take longer.
Folder upload from a computer
- Download every My Data ZIP part onto the computer. The click path is How to download Snapchat Memories. A partial set is not a backup.
- Open drive.google.com and sign in to the account that should hold the copy.
- At the top left, click New, then Folder upload.
- Choose the folder that contains the ZIP parts. Wait until Drive finishes. You can also drag that folder onto the Drive page.
- Optional: restore in the box above, unzip, and Folder-upload the Snapchat-Memories folder as the pictures you can open. Keep the ZIPs as well.
Drive for desktop does the same job if you already use it: move the folder into the Google Drive folder on the computer and let it upload. Either way you are copying files you already downloaded. This site never signs in to Google or Snapchat.
Why the Drive date is the upload day
The modification time is the last time the file changed on the computer. Sorted by Date created, a 2016 Snap and a 2024 Snap both look new.
The ZIP is still the archive. If you need the year on a photo timeline, import the restored folder into Google Photos. Drive’s file list will keep showing the upload day.
What a useful Drive folder contains
Do not upload only index.html. Snapchat’s download article tells you to open that page and pull pictures from it. Those per-file links expire, and this site does not fetch them. The ZIPs are the backup.
The window people are racing is When does the Snapchat Memories grace period end?. Drive is the second copy, off the laptop, for that window.
- Every ZIP part Snapchat emailed, with the filenames they arrived with.
- memories_history.json if it arrived beside the ZIPs rather than inside the first part.
- The restored folder, if you want JPEGs and videos you can open without the HTML viewer.
Common questions
Can I transfer Snapchat Memories to Google Drive?
Yes, as files you upload. Snapchat does not have a Send to Drive button. Download My Data first, then upload that folder from a computer.
Does Google Drive keep the original Snapchat date?
Drive’s creation time for an uploaded file is the upload time. The date inside a restored JPEG is separate, and Drive’s file list does not sort your Memories by the year you took them.
Should I upload the ZIP or the unzipped pictures?
Upload the ZIP parts as the backup you can download again. Upload the restored folder only when you also want pictures you can open without Snapchat’s viewer.
Is Google Drive the same backup as Google Photos?
No. Drive is the documents. Photos is the library. A picture copied into both counts twice against the same Google Account storage.