Since Google Photos handles backups, makes old pictures easy to find, surfaces memories at the right time, and offers plenty of editing tools, it’s been my default gallery app on Android.
Because of that, I never thought about replacing it. Most alternatives I tried felt too basic.
That changed when I came across OneDrive, which has become more focused on photos and videos. I didn’t expect to enjoy its new direction this much.
OneDrive doesn’t feel like OneDrive anymore
The new Gallery is the biggest change
I have used OneDrive on Android before, and it always felt the same: boring, with the Files tab at the front and center.
It was filled with folders, Office documents, PDFs, and random uploads. It worked fine as cloud storage, but I never enjoyed browsing the app.
The new experience changes that. OneDrive now opens into the Photos tab, so my pictures and videos are the first things I see instead of a wall of folders and filenames.
The redesigned Gallery is what sold me. I can scroll through my media library in a chronological timeline, and it feels familiar coming from Google Photos.
I no longer need to dig through Camera uploads or remember where a specific image is stored.
I can browse by date and jump through old memories. It even lets me lock the app with biometrics.
Like Locked Folder on Google Photos, OneDrive offers Personal Vault to keep my private memories safe.
People finally makes my library searchable
Moments gives me the Google Photos feeling
The People section is one of those features that immediately makes OneDrive feel more like a proper photo app.
Instead of scrolling endlessly through thousands of pictures, I can jump straight to photos of a particular person.
After OneDrive groups similar faces together, finding family photos, vacation shots, or pictures from a specific event becomes easier.
This is the kind of convenience I have come to expect from Google Photos.
I also like how Moments brings older photos back into view. I have years of pictures sitting in cloud storage that I rarely think about, so having the app surface them makes the experience feel personal.
It reminds me of one of my favorite parts of Google Photos, where old trips, birthdays, and random everyday memories suddenly reappear.
It turns OneDrive from a place where I store photos into an app I want to browse.
Search has been another pleasant surprise. Instead of relying only on filenames, I can search my library based on what I remember about a photo.
It’s not as robust as Google Photos, but for my needs, OneDrive search works just fine.
Microsoft is taking photo editing seriously
Good enough for me
Another reason I am excited about OneDrive’s new direction is that Microsoft is finally treating photo editing as more than an afterthought.
I can make quick changes without exporting an image to another app, which makes the overall experience feel more complete.
For basic edits, that convenience matters because I usually want to tweak a photo and move on.
Microsoft should also think about integrating more AI editing features into the app.
It has a strong ecosystem across Copilot and Designer. I would love to see more of that make its way into OneDrive.
Features such as object removal, smarter background edits, automatic enhancements, generative edits, and more advanced retouching could make a difference.
Microsoft adding AI editing tools can close one of the biggest remaining gaps with Google Photos.
It fits well into Windows
Better value for money, too
One of OneDrive’s biggest advantages for me is how naturally it fits into Windows.
Since it is integrated directly into the Photos app, my pictures are already available on the desktop without any extra setup or constant downloading.
I can browse photos from my phone, open older memories, and manage my library from a larger screen without thinking about where those files are stored.
That kind of continuity makes OneDrive convenient for my workflow, especially since I spend most of my day on a Windows PC.
The value proposition is just as compelling. Microsoft 365 costs around $10 per month, and that gives me 1TB of OneDrive storage along with access to desktop Office apps.
It’s a sweet spot for me, since Google’s 200GB plan always felt insufficient, and the expensive plans were overkill.
I am not purely paying for photo storage, which makes OneDrive feel like a much better overall deal.
The photo app I didn’t expect
Overall, I am impressed by how far Microsoft has taken the photo experience.
The new Gallery, People, Moments, powerful search, Windows integration, and the value of Microsoft 365 make OneDrive a more convincing alternative than I expected.
If you use OneDrive or pay for Microsoft 365, I strongly recommend trying the redesigned experience.
