How to Back Up Your Photos So You Never Lose Them

Why Photo Backups Matter

Hard drives have a lifespan of three to five years. Phones get lost, stolen, or broken. If your photos only exist in one place, a single accident can wipe out years of memories. A proper backup means your photos are safe even if the worst happens.

The 3-2-1 Backup Rule

The gold standard for backups is the 3-2-1 rule: keep three copies of your photos, on two different types of storage, with one copy stored offsite (such as in the cloud). For most people, this means: original on your device, a copy on an external hard drive, and a copy in cloud storage.

Cloud Backup Options for Photos

Google Photos offers free storage up to 15GB and automatically backs up photos from your phone. iCloud Photos does the same for iPhone users. Amazon Photos offers unlimited photo storage for Prime members. Set up automatic backup and your photos will be safe without you having to remember anything.

Backing Up Photos From Your Computer

If your photos are on your Windows PC, you can use OneDrive (built into Windows) to automatically sync your Pictures folder to the cloud. Alternatively, plug in an external hard drive and copy your Pictures folder to it regularly — at least once every three months.

How to Transfer Photos Off Your Phone

Connect your phone to your computer with a USB cable and it will appear as a drive in File Explorer. Open the DCIM folder and copy your photos to your computer. From there, back them up to an external drive or cloud storage. This is a good habit to do every few months.

Test Your Backup

A backup you've never tested is a backup you can't trust. Once in a while, open your backup location — whether it's an external drive or a cloud service — and confirm your photos are actually there and can be opened. Many people discover their backup wasn't working properly only when it's too late.