How to Download All Your Brightwheel Photos

How to Download All Your Brightwheel Photos

If your child's daycare uses Brightwheel, you've probably built up months, maybe years, of photos in the app. There are three ways to get them onto your own computer, and one of them saves far more time than parents expect. Here they are, best first.

The reason to do it now: as of writing, Brightwheel gives parents no one-click bulk download, and when your child moves on, your account is usually downgraded and the photos get much harder to reach.

1. Ask your daycare to export them (the fastest route)

This is the one most parents never try. Brightwheel gives schools and administrators export options that parents don't get, so the director can often pull your child's photos in a batch and share them with you directly.

Ask early, well before your child's last day, and ask specifically for the original files rather than a shared album link, which can stop working once your account is downgraded. Many centers are happy to do it; it takes them minutes and it's the only route that gets everything at once.

2. Save them one at a time from the app

Open a photo in the Brightwheel app or on the web and use the save/download option to store it on your device. It works, and it's entirely in your control, but for hundreds of photos it's an afternoon (or several) of tapping. Best used to grab the favorites you can't risk losing, alongside one of the other routes.

3. Do it while you still have full access

Whatever route you take, do it before your child leaves. Once your account is downgraded, those photos get much harder to reach, and the school isn't keeping an album for you. Put a reminder in your calendar for a month before the last day.

Does NurseryDownloader work with Brightwheel?

No. NurseryDownloader does not work with Brightwheel, so the three routes above are the way to save your photos. If your child also attends a center that uses Lillio, KinderCare, Procare or Famly, the one-click download works there today.

Already covered: Lillio, KinderCare, Procare and more

If your daycare uses one of these apps, or your child also attends a setting that does, the one-click download already works today:

• Lillio (formerly HiMama)
• KinderCare
• Procare
• Famly

See the full list on our supported apps page. Your first 20 downloads are free, so you can check the quality before you buy a license.

Read next: what happens to your child's photos when they leave daycare, app by app.