We rely on our digital photos to preserve some of our most precious memories, but when was the last time you checked that your backups were actually working?
Setting up a backup system is an important first step, but it’s not something you should do once and forget about forever. Technology changes, devices wear out, and our photo collections continue to grow. A quick check every six months can give you confidence that your memories are protected and your backup plan is still meeting your needs.
Spring is the perfect time to review your backup systems. I like to do mine whenever we change the clocks – it serves as an easy reminder that it’s time to make sure everything is working as expected.
Check your backup systems by asking yourself these questions:
1. Can you access your back up copies and does everything look the way you expect it to?
2. Are you following your back up plan as you intended?
3. Are your back up plans meeting your needs?
4. Has anything changed?
We upgrade our computers, online sites change, computers and external hard drives crash, and new products come on the market. Make sure you are protecting your precious memories, and all your hard work organizing them, in a way that keeps your photos safe.
I recommend you follow the 3-2-1 Method of backing up your digital photos – keep at least 3 copies of your entire photo collection, stored on 2 different types of media or devices, with 1 copy stored in a different physical location. What would this look like? Perhaps you will keep one copy on your computer’s hard drive, one copy on an external hard drive and one copy in an online storage site.
Example of the 3-2-1 Method
Copy 1: On your computer.
Copy 2: An external hard drive.
Copy 3: An online storage site.
Now, if one device fails or is lost, you still have two complete copies of your memories.
It is also best if you can automate some of the process – select an automated backup of your computer that you can set and forget (for 6 months – until you check it!). I use Carbonite to run an automatic back up of our entire computer. When my computer crashes (and it will!) I’ll have a full back up copy of the contents.
Setting the photos and videos on your phone to back up with Dropbox, Forever, Amazon Photos, One Drive, or Google Photos automates the back up process. Just be careful that you are backing up and not syncing – if you are syncing and you delete the photo on your phone it will also be deleted from your back up. For this reason, I hesitate to call a collection that syncs an actual back up. Mistakes happen. Try to make your back up copies as secure as possible. I back up the photos on my phone automatically with One Drive and Amazon Photos.
A good backup system isn’t just about protecting your photos – it’s about protecting your peace of mind.
Take a few minutes this week to review your backup plan, make any updates that are needed, and put a reminder on your calendar to check again in six months. Those few minutes today could save years of family memories.
Remember, the goal isn’t to create a complicated system. It’s to build one you can trust. The more automated, consistent, and routine your backups become, the less time you’ll spend worrying about your photos – and the more time you’ll spend enjoying them.