Walgreens One Hour Photo: How to Prepare and Print a Passport Photo
Prepare a 4×6 passport photo template, avoid cropping mistakes and compare Walgreens same-day printing with its staffed passport photo service.
Quick Answer: Yes, many Walgreens stores can make photo prints in about an hour when you order online and choose same-day pickup, though it depends on the store and isn't guaranteed. Walgreens offers a staffed passport photo service in participating stores. Standard online photo-print ordering is a separate service; do not assume uploading an image includes passport formatting or a compliance check. The usual workaround is to put your compliant 2×2 photos on a 4 × 6 inch template and order a glossy 4×6 print for one-hour pickup, then cut the photos out. The print is the easy part. Your photo still has to meet State Department rules before you print. Prepare a compliant passport photo with PhotoOmni →
How Walgreens One Hour Photo Works
Choose an eligible print product and a participating pickup store when ordering online. Walgreens advertises same-day pickup, often in as little as one hour. The estimate depends on your product and store; wait for the ready-for-pickup notification before traveling. Both glossy and matte prints are listed for in-store same-day pickup, so use the availability shown at checkout rather than assuming a finish guarantees a one-hour turnaround.
Things to expect:
- Availability varies by store. One-hour service depends on equipment and staffing at your chosen store.
- Delays happen. Equipment problems or a busy photo counter can affect turnaround. Check your pickup notification and the store's hours before you drive over.
- Prices and promotions change. Check the final 4×6 print price, quantity requirements, discounts and taxes at checkout. See our Walgreens passport photo price guide.
What Walgreens Does and Doesn't Do for Passport Photos
- In-store service: Walgreens lists $16.99 for two printed 2×2 passport photos, with a digital copy by email at no extra charge. See the official Walgreens passport photo service.
- Separate services: standard online print ordering and staffed passport photo service are different. Check your selected location for passport service availability.
- For a file you prepared yourself: order a correctly sized 4×6 template through standard print ordering, rather than expecting it to be automatically converted into passport photos.
What Other Guides Skip
Pages for these searches mostly cover price, coupons and alternatives. They rarely walk through the passport photo itself: how to size the template, what to switch off at checkout, how to avoid cropping errors, and why a print shop doesn't check compliance. That's what the rest of this guide covers.
The Rules Your Photo Must Meet First
For a US passport, the State Department asks for a color photo taken in the last 6 months, 2 × 2 inches (51 × 51 mm), with your head 1 to 1⅜ inches (25–35 mm) from chin to top, on matte or glossy photo paper, with a plain white or off-white background, no glasses and no digital alteration. See the State Department photo requirements. For other documents, such as green card applications, the date and submission rules differ. See our green card photo requirements.
Walgreens prints the file you upload. It doesn't make a non-compliant photo compliant.
How to Prepare and Print a Passport Photo at Walgreens (Step by Step)
- Take or check the photo first. Use even light, a plain light wall, a neutral expression and no glasses. Check it with PhotoOmni before you print →
- Size each photo to 2 × 2 inches. At 300 dpi, that's 600 × 600 pixels, with the head 1 to 1⅜ inches tall.
- Build a 4 × 6 inch template. At 300 dpi a 4×6 sheet is 1200 × 1800 pixels. Arrange two, four or six 2×2 photos on it.
- Leave a margin around the photos. Six photos fill the sheet edge to edge (3 across by 2 down), so any trimming at the print edge can clip the outer photos. A layout with two or four photos and white margins is safer.
- Export a high quality image such as JPEG or PNG, without compression artifacts.
- Order on photo.walgreens.com or the app. Choose 4×6 prints, a photo-paper finish and a pickup option available at your store. Walgreens lists glossy and matte for same-day pickup; check the actual turnaround shown.
- Turn off automatic corrections. Decline auto-enhance, red-eye correction, auto-fit, borderless scaling and auto-crop if offered, and check the preview shows the whole template.
- Choose same-day or 1-hour pickup at a store that shows it as available.
- Inspect the prints at the counter: sizes, edges, color and background. Cut the photos out along the guides.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming Walgreens checks compliance. It doesn't, for uploaded files.
- Uploading a single 2×2 photo as a 4×6 print. The shop will scale or crop it. Use a template.
- Leaving auto-crop or auto-enhance on. It can change the size or look of your photo.
- No margins on the template, so edges get clipped.
- Assuming the finish guarantees the pickup time. Glossy and matte may both offer same-day pickup; the store and checkout estimate determine availability.
- Wrong head size or an old photo.
- Printing on plain paper. Use photo paper.
- Not calling ahead. One-hour service varies by store.
Cost and Time
| Option | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Walgreens in-store passport photo | $16.99 for two prints and a digital copy, per Walgreens | At the store |
| Your template printed as 4×6 | Current 4×6 price at checkout; promotions and tax vary | About 1 hour for eligible orders |
| PhotoOmni | One-time $5.99; printing charged separately | About 3–15 minutes for photo preparation |
Walgreens vs Other Ways to Print
| Walgreens in-store | Your template at Walgreens | PhotoOmni | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo taken by | Staff | You | You |
| Compliance check | Staff, in store | None | AI checks and expert review |
| Output | 2 prints and a digital copy | 4×6 print to cut | Digital file and print-ready layouts; verify the sheet size |
| Best for | Convenience | Lowest cost | Checking the photo first |
PhotoOmni offers photo preparation with AI checks and expert review. Its website lists a one-time $5.99 fee and a typical preparation time of 3–15 minutes. Before ordering a Walgreens print, confirm that the downloaded layout is specifically 4×6 inches with 2×2-inch photos; do not send an A4 layout as a 4×6 print. Review the refund policy for photo-related rejection terms. The passport authority makes the final acceptance decision.
Checklist
- Photo meets US passport rules (2×2 in, head 1 to 1⅜ in, taken within 6 months)
- Template is 4×6 in at 300 dpi with margins
- Photo-paper 4×6 print and an available pickup option selected
- Auto-crop, auto-enhance and red-eye correction off
- Store confirmed as available and open
- Prints inspected before leaving
FAQ
Does Walgreens still do one hour photo? Many stores offer 1-hour pickup for online photo print orders, but it varies by store and isn't guaranteed.
How long does Walgreens one hour photo take? About an hour for eligible orders at participating stores. Standard orders can take longer.
Can I print a passport photo at Walgreens? In store, Walgreens staff can take a passport photo. For your own photo, print a 4×6 template and cut it out.
How much is a passport photo at Walgreens? Walgreens lists $16.99 for two prints with an emailed digital copy at no extra charge. A self-prepared 4×6 template is charged at the standard print price shown at checkout.
Does Walgreens accept digital passport photos? You can upload a prepared 4×6 template through standard photo-print ordering. That print order does not include a passport compliance check. Online passport applications are a different process.
Will Walgreens guarantee my photo is accepted? Check the store's policy. For uploaded photos, the print isn't checked for compliance.
Bottom Line
Walgreens one hour photo works well for a 4×6 template print, but you're responsible for the photo being compliant, the template being sized and spaced correctly, and the auto-corrections being off. Check your photo first, then print. Check your passport photo with PhotoOmni →