How to Organize and Back Up Your Photos

Photos pile up quickly, so you need to browse them regularly to keep them organized and easy to search through. 📸 Delete all duplicates, failed shots, and just about anything you don't like or no longer find useful. We recommend going through the photos on your computer, where you can see the files best. 💻

Decide how often you will organize your photos. We don’t recommend waiting too long, because the longer you wait, the more time it will take. Make it part of your regular routine just like housework. 🧼

The specific system you use to organize your photos is up to you. We find sorting folders by years, months, specific dates, and event names work best for us. If you are an organized person by nature, you can assign labels or tags to individual files on Windows or Mac. For example, use tags with the names of the people that are in the photo or the names of the places where they were taken. This will make searching for individual photos quicker and easier. ✅

Since your pictures folder will most likely contain thousands, if not tens of thousands of photos, you’ll need to think about where you can store them. Sooner or later, your computer's storage won’t be enough. Also, it's always better to store valuable data in multiple locations. 🗄

Even our modern technology cannot be relied on 100%. Fortunately, we can choose from several options to back up data in different places all at once. Let's take a look at them. ⬇️

Phone storage 📱

Keeping photos on your phone only is not very reliable because you can lose it or it can break. Additionally, despite its advanced features, sorting photos on a phone won’t replace working with a computer.

We recommend at least using an SD card for storing photos on your phone. An SD card can easily be taken out and inserted into another device if the original device breaks down. Also, be sure to sync your phone to the cloud, so your pictures are automatically uploaded. More on that later.

Advantages: Photos are with you at all times, offline access
Disadvantages: Limited space, clutter, risk of loss, access only from phone, small area for display

Computer hard drive 🖥

Computers are great for compiling, organizing, and editing photos. However, just like phones, computers can easily break and files can be lost. Find another place to store your photos such as an external drive or cloud.

Advantages: Great for editing and browsing, offline access
Disadvantages: Limited space, risk of data loss, computer access only

External drive 💾

An external drive is a more reliable option than those previously mentioned. But be sure to use it properly: You should always have your backed up data on a separate disk that isn’t used for other purposes. For example, if you combine a backup drive with your movie database and use it regularly on different devices, the disk processor can eventually wear out and fail.

Advantages: Durability, offline access
Disadvantages: Photos are not available anywhere, risk of data loss, access only from external drive

Cloud ☁️

The cloud is one of the most reliable ways to back up your data. The biggest advantage of the cloud is that you can access your files anytime, anywhere. Your data is securely hidden in large server rooms and the chance of loss is close to zero. You can even have certain apps downloaded on your computer or phone, automatically backing up your photos whenever you're online.

Advantages: Can be accessed anywhere, low price, often offer unlimited space
Disadvantages: Privacy, the need for regular payments for a large amount of data, online access only

Where to store photos online

• Google Photos
• iCloud
• OneDrive
• Mega

Photo prints 🌉

The most beautiful and important memories deserve to be showcased. Although technology has made it very easy for us to store photos, going through physical photos still has its charm. 🏞 Thanks to Squared.one, you can create a photo album with regular or retro photos, wall art, or photo book using your favorite photos. You can decorate your home with photo posters 🖼 or cover the fridge with photo magnets. Technology is great, but traditional prints still certainly hold a place in today’s world.

The most common and probably the most reliable form of backup is a combination of multiple methods, ideally an external drive and a cloud. And have the most valuable photos developed into beautiful photo books or wall art. This will definitely make sure that you never lose them. 😉

How do you handle your photo organizations and backups?