With the latest redesign of its Photos app for Windows, Microsoft retired several capabilities from Photos Legacy and added a number of new features. If you were a fan of the old app, you may have noticed that it had functionality that the new Photos app does not have, such as the ability to create slideshows, edit videos, and do intelligent searches. Rather, Microsoft discontinued the slideshow builder and certain sophisticated search tools completely and shifted video editing to Clipchamp. Nevertheless, the new software offers new features like iCloud integration, which makes it simpler for Apple users to sync their images with Windows devices.
Don’t worry if you want to make sure your albums and pictures transfer smoothly when you switch from the old Photos app to the new one. This manual will take you step-by-step through the procedure. Let’s look at how to move your pictures from Photos Legacy to the latest version of Microsoft Photos.
Contents
What’s new with the New Microsoft Photos?
A major upgrade to Microsoft’s Photos app has been released, improving functionality and giving Windows users a more seamless experience. One notable feature is the use of iCloud Photos, which facilitates content access for Apple users. Users can sync their iCloud photographs straight into the photographs app by downloading the most recent version of the iCloud for Windows software from the Microsoft Store. Their images will show up in the iCloud Photos area in a matter of minutes, making cross-platform content management easier.
The Photos app is now in line with the contemporary architecture that was first introduced on Windows 11 by utilizing the Windows App SDK and WinUI 3. This preserves all of the existing functionality while guaranteeing a steady, fast experience on both Windows 10 and 11.
The Gallery’s navigation panel has been changed to make it easier to navigate. A single view of all images, whether they are saved locally or on the cloud via OneDrive or iCloud, is offered by the Gallery option at the top. Content from additional folders on your device is consolidated in the “This PC” area; you can add more by using the Add Folder icon.
Visual Search with Bing, which allows users to locate relevant photos, items, or content online, is a noteworthy innovation. Users may rapidly search their images using Bing by clicking the Visual Search icon in the Viewer, which will open the results in Microsoft Edge.
Additional enhancements include the ability to edit photographs straight from File Explorer or the desktop using the “Edit in Photos” context menu, as well as improved startup performance with a background process option. Cropping, rotating, and applying AI-powered edits are simple tasks for users.
How to Move Photos from Photos Legacy To New Microsoft Photos?
Microsoft still offers all of us access to Photos Legacy, so you can always revert back to your doings. It can be used with the new Photos app which is present in the Microsoft Store. The heritage app’s stronger AI-powered search surpassed the new app’s metadata-only search, which will be appreciated by those who miss its ability to recognize people, places, and items. Let’s now discuss how to move your pictures across the two apps.
How To Get Photos Legacy
Installing Photos Legacy straight from the new Photos app is one of the simplest ways to guarantee that you can view your images in both apps. Here’s how to accomplish it:
- Open the New Photos App On your Windows station.
- To access the settings, click the level icon beside the “Import” area.
- To discover the “Photos Legacy” option, navigate down the settings page until you reach it.
- To install the old photo app, select “Open Photos Legacy.” This will take you to the Photos Legacy page in the Microsoft Store.
- To download and install Photos Legacy on your device, click the “Install” option on the Microsoft Store page.
- Just like other apps, Photos Legacy may be opened from the Start Menu after installation.
You can effortlessly move between the two apps based on your needs if you have both loaded. However, adhere to the instructions for the next method to guarantee a smooth transition of your albums and photographs.
How to Transfer All Photos To New Microsoft Photos
Using OneDrive as a bridge makes it simple to move images and albums from Photos Legacy to the new Photos app. Here’s a step-by-step guide to doing it:
- The initial move is to install Photos Legacy. To download and install Photos Legacy on your computer, follow the instructions in Method 1 if you haven’t already. After that, you will need to use Photos Legacy to create an album.
- On your Windows computer, open the Photos Legacy application.
- In the app’s interface, select the “Albums” tab.
- Choose the pictures you wish to move to the new Photos app by selecting “New album.”
- After choosing your images, click “Create” and give your album a name.
- Now locate and select the “Save in OneDrive” option in the album view. The chosen album and its images will be uploaded to your OneDrive account as a result. Make sure you have enough storage space in OneDrive and that you are logged into your Microsoft account.
- Open the New Photos App and navigate to the album.
- Open the new Photos app and select your OneDrive account’s “Memories” tab. The album you uploaded from Photos Legacy should now be visible to you.
Differences in Legacy and Microsoft Photos
Two distinct iterations of Windows’ photo management and editing software, Photos Legacy and Microsoft Photos, are made to meet the needs of various user types.
- Features and Interface
Photos Legacy’s more straightforward, conventional interface is geared at photo viewing, organization, and rudimentary editing. With an easy-to-use navigation system, it prioritizes usability. In contrast, Microsoft Photos has a slick, contemporary look that adheres to the Fluent look guidelines of Windows 10 and 11. Users may easily view cloud-stored photos thanks to its flawless integration with OneDrive.
- Editing Tools
Basic editing options like cropping, resizing, and filter application are included in Photos Legacy. With sophisticated capabilities like background blur, video editing, and AI-powered improvements like facial recognition and auto-tagging for improved photo organization, Microsoft Photos goes beyond editing.
- Performance and Compatibility
Photos Legacy’s low weight makes it perfect for systems that are older or have fewer resources. On the other hand, because of its sophisticated features and interaction with the Windows ecosystem, Microsoft Photos uses more resources.
- Cloud connection
While Microsoft Photos Legacy lacks cloud capability and is primarily intended for offline use, it does enable OneDrive connection, which allows for cross-device access and backup.
Restore Photos From Photos Legacy
If your OneDrive is connected to Photos Legacy, then deleted pictures will enter the recycle bin of OneDrive.Microsoft provides a solution to get back deleted files easily by storing them safely in the recycle bin. To Restore or recover photos again, do as follows.
- Enter the OneDrive website and sign in.
- When you can access all your files, go to the left navigation pane where “Recycle Bin” is available. After that, click on the bin.
- Choose any file or folder that you want to restore and simply hit ”Restore”.
Conclusion
It doesn’t have to be difficult to move your pictures from Photos Legacy to the new Microsoft Photos app. You can continue to use Photos Legacy for its sophisticated capabilities and take advantage of the new app’s redesigned interface and iCloud connectivity because Microsoft has decided to keep it available on the Microsoft Store.
The techniques described above guarantee that your memories are saved and available in both programs, regardless of whether you choose to install Photos Legacy using the in-app option or move your images using OneDrive. Combining the advantages of both programs will provide you with a flexible Windows photo management and viewing experience. Try these options now if you haven’t already, and you’ll have the best of both worlds!
