Top 3 Ways to Back Up Your Photos Online
Credit: XPS
In a world where everything is digital and at your fingertips, it’s often easy to forget that you have memories that are easily accessible but can also easily be lost. Don’t be a victim of losing important memories to a failing computer, a lost phone, or lack of photo organization. I’m sharing the top 3 resources for backing up your photos so that you can have them forever.
Cloud-based storage is the easiest to access and has the lowest chance of failure, which means that your files are stored on a remote hard drive and accessed via the internet. With each of these services, you can access and download your files anywhere as long as you have internet access. In some cases, you can sync to your devices to access photos even if your internet is down.
Store Your Online Photos for Free
Google Drive
Credit: Andrew Neel
If you have a Gmail account, you might be familiar with Google Drive and its workspace capabilities. Accessing Google Drive is free for anyone with a Gmail account. You can store up to 15GB for free, then you can purchase more storage as needed.
Dropbox
Another simple and accessible cloud-based storage software is Dropbox. Unlike Google Drive, you don’t need a Gmail (Google-based email) account account to use Dropbox. You can store up to 2GB for free, and can pay for more storage if you need it.
Microsoft OneDrive or Apple iCloud
Both Windows and Mac have their own cloud-based storage. Microsoft offers OneDrive, which is a file storage and sharing service, and is free for up to 5GB of storage. You can access more storage if you subscribe to their Microsoft 365 suite for $100/year and get up to 6TB of storage.
Apple iCloud is similar to Microsoft’s service. You can sign up for iCloud and get 5GB of free storage, and you can upgrade your storage by choosing which iCloud subscription is right for you. You can choose from the 50GB, 200 GB, or 2TB plans, each priced accordingly.
Credit: Sarah Dorweiler
Traditional Hard Drive
Although the recommendations above are all cloud-based you can buy a traditional external hard drive from brands like Seagate. Pros: Hard drives can store more data for less, and you’re not paying for ongoing cloud-based storage fees. Cons: External hard drives can fail and you may not be able to restore the files in the future.
In the end, the choice is yours and with several free, easy options, you’ll be able to access your memories in the long run.