Technologies

Download Your Photos and Videos from Google Album Archive Before They’re Gone Forever

The search giant will soon delete some media shared across Google services. Here’s how to save it.

You might not be aware of Google Album Archive, but if you’ve used some Google app or service tied to a Google account that’s a few years old, you probably have some photos or videos stashed in the Album Archive — it’s a catchall destination for older media you’ve shared on Google services.

Google is contacting users this month to announce that Album Archive will be shutting down on July 19, 2023. You have until that date to use Google Takeout to export any files you’d like to keep.

Not sure what Album Archive is or how to use Google Takeout? Have no fear — we’ll show you everything you need to know to keep from losing those old photos and videos. For more, here’s what’s new in Google Maps and how to check out the next version of Android.

What is Google Album Archive?

Google Album Archive is a repository for photos and videos that you’ve shared on older Google services like Hangouts (now Google Chat) or Google Plus. It can also include media from Blogger and Picasa Web Albums, old profile pictures, YouTube channel art or automated backups.

Some of the images and videos in Album Archive are also available in Google Photos, Blogger and Google Chat, but others exist only in Album Archive. On July 19, 2023, Google will be eliminating Album Archive and deleting the files in it.

How do I save my photos and videos from Google Album Archive?

screenshot of Google Takeout step for selecting which data to export — The custom link to Google Takeout should automatically select your Album Archive data to be exported.

Google; screenshot by CNET

To save your media from Google Album Archive before it’s deleted, Google recommends using Google Takeout, the company’s tool for exporting data. A customized Google Takeout link will take you directly to a page for downloading your Album Archive data.

In Step 1, make sure that the checkbox next to «AlbumArchive» is selected, and then click the blue «Next Step» button to progress to Step 2.

google-takeout-select-destination — You can download files locally or transfer them to another location online.

Google; screenshot by CNET

Now you’ll need to decide where you want your files to go. You can either receive a ZIP or TGZ file via email, or upload your files directly to another storage service, like Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or Box. Once you’ve made your selections, click the blue «Create export» button to start downloading.

You’ll then receive a verification message that Google has started exporting your data and that the «process can take a long time (possibly hours or days) to complete.» You’ll receive an email when it’s complete.

I had only about 5MB of photos in my Album Archive, and I received a confirmation email from Google within 2 minutes that the process was complete. You can then use Google Takeout to download the ZIP or TGZ file directly, or manage your files on the storage service you selected.

Important note: The Google Takeout link to download your data will work only for 7 days. If you wait longer than that, you’ll need to start the Takeout process over again.

a screenshot of the Google Takeout screen for managing exporting data — Your data in Google Takeout will expire after one week.

Google; screenshot by CNET

Google’s email to users varied slightly from its messaging on the Album Archive page, so it isn’t entirely clear which photos and videos may be available in the future on various Google services. Take a look at the files you’ve got in Album Archive, and download anything you want to keep by July 19, 2023, to be sure you don’t lose it.

For more on Google, check out how its new AI search tool works, or see how Google Shopping now lets you try on clothes virtually.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Feb. 21

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 21.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s the long Saturday version, and some of the clues are stumpers. I was really thrown by 10-Across. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: «Jersey Shore» channel
Answer: MTV

4A clue: «___ Knows» (rhyming ad slogan)
Answer: LOWES

6A clue: Second-best-selling female musician of all time, behind Taylor Swift
Answer: MADONNA

8A clue: Whiskey grain
Answer: RYE

9A clue: Dreaded workday: Abbr.
Answer: MON

10A clue: Backfiring blunder, in modern lingo
Answer: SELFOWN

12A clue: Lengthy sheet for a complicated board game, perhaps
Answer: RULES

13A clue: Subtle «Yes»
Answer: NOD

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: In which high schoolers might role-play as ambassadors
Answer: MODELUN

2D clue: This clue number
Answer: TWO

3D clue: Paid via app, perhaps
Answer: VENMOED

4D clue: Coat of paint
Answer: LAYER

5D clue: Falls in winter, say
Answer: SNOWS

6D clue: Married title
Answer: MRS

7D clue: ___ Arbor, Mich.
Answer: ANN

11D clue: Woman in Progressive ads
Answer: FLO

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 21, #516

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 21, No. 516.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. I actually thought the purple category, usually the most difficult, was the easiest of the four. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Old Line State.

Green group hint: Hoops legend.

Blue group hint: Robert Redford movie.

Purple group hint: Vroom-vroom.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Maryland teams.

Green group: Shaquille O’Neal nicknames.

Blue group: Associated with «The Natural.»

Purple group: Sports that have a driver.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is Maryland teams. The four answers are Midshipmen, Orioles, Ravens and Terrapins.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is Shaquille O’Neal nicknames. The four answers are Big Aristotle, Diesel, Shaq and Superman.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is associated with «The Natural.» The four answers are baseball, Hobbs, Knights and Wonderboy.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is sports that have a driver. The four answers are bobsled, F1, golf and water polo.

Technologies

Wisconsin Reverses Decision to Ban VPNs in Age-Verification Bill

The law would have required websites to block VPN users from accessing «harmful material.»

Following a wave of criticism, Wisconsin lawmakers have decided not to include a ban on VPN services in their age-verification law, making its way through the state legislature.

Wisconsin Senate Bill 130 (and its sister Assembly Bill 105), introduced in March 2025, aims to prohibit businesses from «publishing or distributing material harmful to minors» unless there is a reasonable «method to verify the age of individuals attempting to access the website.»

One provision would have required businesses to bar people from accessing their sites via «a virtual private network system or virtual private network provider.»

A VPN lets you access the internet via an encrypted connection, enabling you to bypass firewalls and unblock geographically restricted websites and streaming content. While using a VPN, your IP address and physical location are masked, and your internet service provider doesn’t know which websites you visit.

Wisconsin state Sen. Van Wanggaard moved to delete that provision in the legislation, thereby releasing VPNs from any liability. The state assembly agreed to remove the VPN ban, and the bill now awaits Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’s signature.

Rindala Alajaji, associate director of state affairs at the digital freedom nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation, says Wisconsin’s U-turn is «great news.»

«This shows the power of public advocacy and pushback,» Alajaji says. «Politicians heard the VPN users who shared their worries and fears, and the experts who explained how the ban wouldn’t work.»

Earlier this week, the EFF had written an open letter arguing that the draft laws did not «meaningfully advance the goal of keeping young people safe online.» The EFF said that blocking VPNs would harm many groups that rely on that software for private and secure internet connections, including «businesses, universities, journalists and ordinary citizens,» and that «many law enforcement professionals, veterans and small business owners rely on VPNs to safely use the internet.»

VPNs can also help you get around age-verification laws — for instance, if you live in a state or country that requires age verification to access certain material, you can use a VPN to make it look like you live elsewhere, thereby gaining access to that material. As age-restriction laws increase around the US, VPN use has also increased. However, many people are using free VPNs, which are fertile ground for cybercriminals.

In its letter to Wisconsin lawmakers prior to the reversal, the EFF argued that it is «unworkable» to require websites to block VPN users from accessing adult content. The EFF said such sites cannot «reliably determine» where a VPN customer lives — it could be any US state or even other countries.

«As a result, covered websites would face an impossible choice: either block all VPN users everywhere, disrupting access for millions of people nationwide, or cease offering services in Wisconsin altogether,» the EFF wrote.

Wisconsin is not the only state to consider VPN bans to prevent access to adult material. Last year, Michigan introduced the Anticorruption of Public Morals Act, which would ban all use of VPNs. If passed, it would force ISPs to detect and block VPN usage and also ban the sale of VPNs in the state. Fines could reach $500,000.