How to Embed a Google Drive Photo Gallery on Your Website (2026): Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, Showit and Notion
Google Drive can't show a folder as a gallery on your website. Every option compared, with step-by-step embed instructions for Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, Showit and Notion, plan limits and troubleshooting.
Short answer
Google Drive has no built-in way to show a folder as a gallery on another website, and Google Photos only embeds single photos. Use a WordPress plugin (WordPress only), a paid widget, or a gallery service that reads the folder and gives you embed code. With GalleryLink, turn the folder into a gallery, open Share › Embed, copy the code, and paste it into a Code block (Squarespace), Embed HTML (Wix), Custom HTML block (WordPress) or Embed Code element (Showit). The gallery updates when you add photos to the folder.
You have the photos in a Google Drive folder, and you want them on your website as a proper gallery: a clean grid, a full-screen viewer, and new photos showing up without rebuilding the page. It sounds like it should be one click. It isn't, because Google Drive has no built-in way to show a folder as a gallery on another website.
This guide compares every way to do it in 2026, then walks through the exact steps for Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, Showit and Notion, including the plan limits that catch people out.
- The short answer
- Why Drive and Google Photos don't do this on their own
- Your options, compared
- Method: embed a GalleryLink gallery
- Squarespace
- Wix
- WordPress
- Showit
- Notion
- Making the embed look right
- Troubleshooting
The short answer
Google Drive can't show a folder as a gallery on another website, and Google Photos only embeds single photos. The practical options are a WordPress plugin (WordPress only), a paid gallery widget, or a gallery service that reads your Drive folder and gives you embed code. With GalleryLink you turn the folder into a gallery, open Share › Embed, copy the code and paste it into a code or HTML block on your site. The gallery then updates whenever you add photos to the folder.
Why Drive and Google Photos don't do this on their own
- Google Drive can share a folder as a link, but the link opens Drive's file browser. There is no "embed this folder as a gallery" option, and visitors see file names, not a gallery.
- Google Photos has no official album embed. Its own tools only embed single photos; a shared album shows up as a cover image linking to the album.
- Website builders' own galleries (Squarespace, Wix, WordPress) work well, but they need you to upload the photos again into each site, and re-upload whenever the set changes.
Your options, compared
| Option | Works on | Updates from Drive? | Things to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your website's built-in gallery | Any builder | No, re-upload each time | Best look and speed, most manual work |
| Share the Drive folder link | Anywhere | Yes | Opens Drive's file list, not a gallery; can't sit inside your page |
| WordPress plugin (e.g. "Image and video gallery from Google Drive") | WordPress only | Yes | Needs a WordPress site where you can install plugins |
| Paid gallery widgets (e.g. Elfsight) | Most builders | Varies | Monthly fee per widget; check whether it reads Drive live |
| Google Photos album tools (e.g. Publicalbum) | Most builders | Partly | Albums only, may refresh every few hours |
| GalleryLink embed | Any site that accepts an iframe | Yes | One gallery per folder; free galleries are shared for 24 hours, Pro keeps them online |
Method: embed a GalleryLink gallery
- Share the Drive folder as "Anyone with the link" (Viewer). Subfolders become sections in the gallery.
- Create the gallery in GalleryLink by pasting the folder link, and pick a theme and layout.
- Open Share › Embed. Choose a height (short, medium or tall) and press Copy embed code.
- Paste the code into your website (steps for each builder below), publish, and check the live page.
The embedded gallery shows just the photos (no cover banner), opens photos full-screen when clicked, and keeps your gallery's settings: downloads on or off, favourites, captions from file names. Free galleries show a small "Powered by GalleryLink" line; Pro galleries stay online with no time limit.
Password-protected galleries show an "Open the gallery" button inside the embed instead of the photos, because browsers block password checks inside another website's frame. For a gallery that lives on your website, leave the password off.
Squarespace
- Edit the page and click an insert point (or "Add block").
- Choose Code (in some versions, Embed → Code snippet).
- Paste the embed code. Make sure the block's mode is HTML.
- Save and view the published page, ideally in a private window.
Plan note: Squarespace's rules for what a Code block may contain depend on your plan, and guides disagree on the exact tier. If the gallery shows in the editor but not on the published page, your plan may not allow embeds in Code blocks; check Squarespace's plan comparison or use a button linking to the gallery instead.
Wix
Wix has two embed elements, and either can work:
- Embed HTML (Add → Embed code → Embed HTML): choose "Code", paste the embed code.
- Embed a site: paste just the gallery's embed link (the
https://gallerylink.live/embed/…address from the code).
Then drag the box to the size you want. Wix runs embeds in its own sandbox, and the editor runs on a different address from your live site, so always check the published page; an embed can look empty in the editor and work fine live. Wix requires https links, which GalleryLink uses.
WordPress
- Self-hosted WordPress (WordPress.org): add a Custom HTML block, paste the code, preview, publish. No restrictions.
- WordPress.com: iframes are only allowed on plans with plugins and hosting features enabled (the Business tier and up). On lower plans the embed can appear in the editor and then be stripped when you publish. On those plans, use a button or link to the gallery instead.
If you're on self-hosted WordPress and prefer a plugin that reads Drive directly, "Image and video gallery from Google Drive" is a free option; it works only on WordPress.
Showit
- In the design canvas, add an Embed Code element.
- Paste the embed code and size the element on both desktop and mobile views.
- Publish and check the live site on your phone.
Notion
Notion takes a link rather than code: type /embed, choose Embed, and paste the gallery's embed link (https://gallerylink.live/embed/…). Resize the block by dragging its edges. See our Notion embed guide for more.
Making the embed look right
- Height: medium (700 px) suits most pages; tall (900 px) for a gallery that is the main content; short (500 px) inside a longer page. The gallery scrolls inside its frame.
- Full width: the code is 100% wide, so place it in a full-width section for the best grid.
- Layout and theme: set them in the gallery's settings; masonry suits mixed portrait and landscape photos, grid suits product and property photos.
- Cover photo and title: the embed leaves them out, so put a heading on your own page above it.
- Mobile: always check the published page on a phone.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Shows in the editor, blank on the live site | Your plan strips iframes (WordPress.com, some Squarespace plans). Upgrade the plan or link to the gallery instead. |
| Blank in the editor, fine on the live site | Normal on Wix and some builders: the editor runs on a different address. |
| "Open the gallery" button instead of photos | The gallery has a password. Remove it for a website gallery. |
| Gallery closed message | A free gallery's 24-hour share has ended. Pro keeps galleries online. |
| New photos not showing | Check they're in the same Drive folder and that it's shared "Anyone with the link"; refresh after a minute. |
| Favourites not remembered in Safari | Safari blocks storage in embedded frames. Viewing and downloading still work. |
Ready to try it? Turn a Drive folder into a gallery, open Share › Embed, and paste the code into a test page first.
Sources
- Embedding Google Photos (labnol)
- WordPress.com: Custom HTML block and allowed tags
- Wix: embedding a site or a widget
- Image and video gallery from Google Drive (WordPress plugin)