Start with the bulk export or full-library download method supported by the service holding your photos, then keep a separate local copy that you disconnect between updates. A portable SSD is worth considering for frequent transfers, a hard drive for a capacity-led local copy, or a NAS for automatic uploads from several devices—provided you also back up the NAS. Cloud storage can add an off-site copy, but synchronisation alone is not an isolated backup.
If photos and videos are split between phones, computers and cloud accounts, you need a workable way to gather an extra copy. Export methods differ: Google documents a Photos archive, Apple a full-library download to a Mac, and Amazon says its browser download cannot take an entire album in one action.
If you need room for an exported collection and future additions, measure the files you intend to keep before choosing a drive. The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) describes a backup as a copy kept in a separate safe location, rather than the only copy on your everyday device.
If several people need a shared destination and automatic phone uploads, a home NAS may reduce manual copying. Synology describes automatic mobile-media uploads for its DS223; you would still need to set up the system and maintain another backup destination.
Work out how to get the originals out of their current service before sizing a local copy. Then choose a storage routine you can repeat and a separate place for another copy.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Getting files out | Check the export method for your exact service and whether it covers the files you need. Google documents Photos exports through Takeout; Apple documents downloading an entire iCloud Photos library to a Mac; Microsoft documents selected OneDrive folders downloading as a ZIP. Amazon says its browser download cannot take an entire album in one action. | I want to move a large collection without selecting photos individually. If my service requires selections, I need to allow for that work before planning the copy. |
| A separate copy | Choose where the extra copy will live and when a local drive will be disconnected. The UK NCSC reports ransomware incidents affecting connected USB and network backup drives. | I want a copy that remains available if something happens to the device holding my working library. |
| Capacity | Measure a complete export or the collection you intend to copy, then allow room for additions. For a NAS, check usable space with the drives and storage configuration you plan to use. | My photos and videos are growing, so the destination needs to fit the copy I am making and leave room for later updates. |
| Drive connection | Check the computer or phone connection, cable and stated interface before relying on a transfer-speed figure. Samsung’s stated T7 Shield maximums, for example, depend on a compatible host setup. | I expect to copy large files regularly and want a connection that works with the devices I will actually use. |
| Ongoing upkeep | Decide whether periodic drive copies or automatic uploads from several devices better fit your routine. If choosing a NAS, plan its separate backup destination; Synology documents USB, remote-system and cloud options for Hyper Backup. | Several people may add photos, but I only want an automatic system if we can maintain and check its backups. |
A synchronised library remains connected to the account and devices you use. The UK NCSC has reported ransomware incidents that also affected connected USB and network backup drives.
Keep an additional copy in a separate safe location. If you use a removable drive, disconnect it after updating the backup.
A drive’s stated capacity is only useful if it fits the collection you intend to copy, with room for later additions. NAS usable space also depends on its installed drives and configuration.
Check the size of a complete download or export before choosing storage, then decide where the next copy will go.
Google documents a Photos archive through Takeout, while Apple documents downloading an entire iCloud Photos library to a Mac. Amazon’s browser guidance says an entire album cannot be downloaded as one action.
Check the instructions for the service holding your originals before scheduling a large transfer or buying its destination drive.
A NAS can centralise uploads without placing another copy elsewhere. Synology documents backing up its NAS to destinations including external storage, remote systems and cloud services.
Choose a second destination and check that you can use the resulting backup before relying on a NAS for household photos.
A NAS also needs compatible storage drives and ongoing setup; its additional backup needs its own destination.
Its T7 Shield is one portable SSD example for making a local copy that can be moved between locations.
Its DS223 is an example of a home NAS for central files and automatic mobile-media uploads.
Apple documents routes for households moving an iCloud Photos library into another copy.
Google Takeout provides an archive route for a collection held in Google Photos.
These portable SSDs and an external hard drive are destinations for a photo library you have already downloaded or exported. Compare their stated capacities with your collection; they do not carry out the cloud-service export or cover the NAS and cloud-copy routes discussed above.
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A portable destination for an exported library if 2 TB fits the files you plan to keep. The product name specifies USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2; check the connection on the device you will use, and keep another copy separately.
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This portable SSD offers a 1 TB destination for a separately exported copy. Its product name specifies USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2; check both the connection and whether the complete library leaves enough space for later additions.
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Consider this portable SSD if a 1 TB local copy fits your library. The name specifies USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2. Samsung’s T7 Shield figures for this model are maximums that depend on the host setup; neither transfer speed nor a protective rating replaces a second copy.
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A 1 TB USB-C destination for a separately made photo copy. The product name specifies USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 and advertises a maximum transfer figure; check your device’s interface before relying on that figure. If buying for an iPhone workflow, confirm compatibility with your exact model.
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This portable hard drive provides a stated 5 TB destination for an exported photo and video collection. Check the collection’s size and your computer’s connection and file-system requirements before copying; disconnect the drive between backup sessions.
Yes. Google Account Help lists Photos among the products you can export and download through Google Takeout. Check the archive you receive before copying it to your backup drive.
On a Mac, Apple Support documents using “Download Originals to this Mac” to download the entire iCloud Photos library in full resolution. Make sure the Mac has space for the download, then copy the files to a separate backup destination.
No. Amazon’s customer-service guidance says entire albums cannot be downloaded in one action through the browser; you must open an album and select the pictures to download. Account for that selection step if avoiding individual downloads is your main concern.
Not necessarily. The UK NCSC describes a backup as a copy stored in a separate safe location and reports incidents affecting connected backup drives. Keep an additional copy, and disconnect a removable local drive when you are not updating it.