Use cloud storage if account-based access and automatic copying matter most; use a compatible external drive if you want a separate local copy. For family photos you cannot replace, using both gives you two routes to the files. Before erasing or handing over the old device, check that copying has finished, the destination has enough space and you can open or restore what you need.
The National Cyber Security Centre recommends keeping a copy of important data in a separate safe location. The right way to make that copy depends partly on what is happening to your old device.
If the old iPhone or Android phone will be erased, traded in or unavailable after setup, check the backup and open important photos, files and accounts on the replacement before letting the old phone go. Apple and Google document different backup and transfer steps, so follow the route for your devices.
Measure the photos and videos you intend to keep before choosing storage capacity. A local drive can hold a separate copy, but it still needs space for the library and a way to read the files when you need them.
Moving files among Android, iPhone, Windows and Mac devices calls for checks beyond capacity: account access, connectors, adapters and drive format can all affect the route you choose. Apple and Google also describe limits to particular transfer methods.
Decide whether you need an account-based backup, a separate local copy or both. Then check the restore route before choosing capacity and connections: a drive or cloud account is useful only if the files you need can be retrieved from it.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| A restorable copy | Check the backup date and contents, and work out how you will open or restore the files before resetting the old device. | If the old phone is about to be erased or handed over, I need to know the replacement can access the photos that matter. Around 25% of consumers put restore certainty first. |
| Large-library storage | Compare your library size with the destination’s free capacity; check the connection and whether a drive needs its own power. | When years of family videos need a separate local home, I want enough room to finish the copy and add more files later. Local capacity is the primary concern for around 25% of consumers. |
| Device compatibility | Check each device’s connector and the drive format; for direct iPhone storage, Apple specifies a supported format and a single data partition. | If my photos must move between a phone and computers running different systems, I need to know each device can read the chosen storage. Compatibility comes first for around 19% of consumers. |
| Automatic cloud access | Confirm the account, available storage, backup status and renewal terms; check how to retrieve or export the files. | I would rather have photos available through my account than remember to connect a drive, but I need the uploads to finish. Around 19% of consumers chiefly want that automatic access. |
| Selected-file transfers | Match a flash drive or card reader to the devices and confirm that the selected files have copied and can be opened. | If I only need a smaller set of photos or documents, I want a straightforward transfer rather than a whole-device backup. That is the primary need for around 12% of consumers. |
The routes are not interchangeable. Cloud access depends on the relevant account and available storage; a removable copy depends on having a compatible device and readable media. For photos you cannot replace, the National Cyber Security Centre’s guidance on keeping a separate copy supports considering both cloud and removable storage rather than relying on the everyday device alone.
Apple says that deleting a photo from a device with iCloud Photos enabled also removes it from iCloud and other enabled devices. Synchronisation alone therefore does not give that photo an independent copy.
Before deleting photos or resetting a device, check a separately stored copy of the files you want to keep and make sure you can open it.
A destination that fills during copying cannot hold the complete set of files. Microsoft says an over-quota OneDrive account cannot upload, edit or sync new files.
Check how much space your photos, videos and documents use, then allow room for further files and any additional copy you plan to keep.
Apple’s requirements for direct iPhone storage include a supported format and one data partition; it also notes that external hard drives often need separate power. A cable that fits is only one part of the check.
List the source and destination devices, then check their ports, adapters, drive format and power requirements before buying.
Direct connection may also call for an adapter, card reader or powered hub.
Apple advises against using removable USB flash storage or SD cards as the home of a Mac Photos library because of possible data loss.
If you intend to move the Photos library itself, follow Apple’s external-drive format and usage requirements, and keep a separate backup of the library.
These brands are relevant to particular backup routes, not substitutes for checking the devices, account and files in your own changeover.
Relevant to households using iPhone, iPad, Mac, iCloud Photos or computer-based device backups.
Relevant to Android households using Google Account backup or Google Photos during a phone change.
Relevant to households moving files between Windows PCs using external storage, File History or OneDrive.
Relevant as a portable-SSD brand when a household wants a removable local copy.
These removable drives suit a local-copy route before a device change: the SSDs and hard drive provide destinations for photo libraries, while the flash drive may suit selected-file transfers. Measure your files first, and check the format and connection needed by every device you plan to use.
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Consider this for a removable local copy when changing devices, provided its 1TB capacity fits your files.
The title specifies USB 3.2 Gen 2 and rated speeds of up to 1050MB/s read and 1000MB/s write; actual transfer speed depends on the devices used. If you plan to connect it directly to an iPhone, check the exact phone, connection, drive format and partition layout.
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This 4 TB portable SSD is an option for a local copy of a larger photo and video library if that capacity leaves enough room for your files.
The title specifies USB Type-C and USB 3.2 Gen 2. Check the required connection and drive format for each device, particularly if you intend to use the SSD directly with an iPhone.
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This is another 4 TB removable option for keeping a local photo and file copy before a device change.
The title specifies USB Type-C and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. Check the host connection if that interface matters to your transfer plan, and confirm the drive format and partition layout before relying on direct iPhone access.
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For selected photos or documents, this 512GB flash drive offers a removable transfer destination if the files fit.
Its title specifies USB-A and Type-C interfaces, USB 3.2 Gen 1 and a rated read speed of up to 570MB/s. Check your exact phone and the drive format before planning a direct-phone transfer; do not assume a flash drive replaces a separate backup of the full library.
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This 5TB external hard drive is an option for a local family archive copied from a compatible computer.
Before using it across Windows and Mac, check the drive’s format and the requirements of the files or applications involved. If direct iPhone use is part of the plan, also check the connection, format, partition layout and power requirements.
No: check that the intended backup has restored and that you can open important photos, files and accounts on the new iPhone first. Apple advises checking an iCloud backup’s date and size; for its temporary iCloud storage route, it specifically says not to erase the old device until the temporary backup has been restored.
No. Google identifies items that may not transfer during Android setup, including downloads, hidden-folder media, apps outside Google Play and some app or non-Google account data. Check those categories on the new phone before wiping the old one.
You can use compatible external storage, but a fitting plug alone is not enough. Apple says the device needs a supported format and one data partition; check your iPhone’s connector and any adapter, and note that an external hard drive may need its own power source.
Check the intended uses before choosing a format. Apple specifies APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for an external Mac Photos library and advises against putting that library on a drive used for Time Machine backups. A format chosen for general file exchange should not be assumed suitable for the Photos library.
Make sure the files you need are accessible elsewhere and check how much storage the account will have afterwards. Google says cancelling a paid storage plan stops its automatic renewal. Microsoft says an over-quota OneDrive account cannot upload, edit or sync new files, so confirm the provider’s terms and your stored amount before changing plans.