Choose cloud storage if automatic uploads and access across your usual devices matter most, but check the account allowance, upload quality and what happens when storage fills up. A computer and external drive give you a separate local copy if you can maintain an import routine and open the resulting files. For photos you cannot replace, using both routes avoids relying entirely on one account or one local copy.
iCloud Photos makes a library available across signed-in Apple devices, but Apple Support says a deletion also carries across those devices. A separate computer copy matters if you need protection from that kind of mistake. UK users who have not already enabled Advanced Data Protection cannot newly enable it for iCloud Backup and Photos, according to Apple Support.
Google Photos uploads draw on storage shared with Drive and Gmail. Check total account use and choose between Original quality and Storage saver deliberately; if you also copy files to a computer, test the phone’s USB file-transfer setting and cable.
Importing photos to a computer and copying them to an external drive can provide a route that does not depend on a continuing cloud-storage subscription. It does require a repeatable routine: check the connection, open sample files and keep track of where the copy is stored.
Start with where the copy will live, then check whether the latest files can be uploaded, opened and recovered through your chosen route.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Account capacity | Check current use across the account, not just photo size. Apple Support lists 5 GB of free iCloud storage; Google One Help lists up to 15 GB shared across Photos, Drive and Gmail; Microsoft Support lists 5 GB shared across OneDrive files and photos and Outlook.com attachments. | I want new photos to keep uploading as my library and other account files grow. |
| Deletion and upload behaviour | Confirm that recent uploads have finished before removing phone copies. Apple Support says iCloud Photos deletions carry across signed-in devices; Microsoft Support says OneDrive Camera Upload on iOS is one-way, so deleting an uploaded phone photo does not delete its OneDrive copy. | If I clear space on my phone, I need to know whether the other copy will remain. |
| Photo quality and formats | Google Photos Help says Original quality retains captured resolution, while Storage saver can resize photos above 16 MP and videos above 1080p. For Windows viewing, test downloaded HEIF or HEVC files; Microsoft Support says a codec may be needed. | I may want to edit, print or view the originals on a computer, not just see previews on my phone. |
| Local transfer | Check the phone, computer, cable and external drive connection together. Android Help says USB transfer requires selecting File transfer and that not every USB cable carries data; for iPhone imports to a PC, Apple Support says to download full-resolution originals first if iCloud Photos is enabled. | A local drive suits me only if I can reliably move the files onto it and open a test copy. |
| Recovery and privacy | Decide whether you need imported photos or a device backup, and check how you would access either after losing the phone. Apple Support says an encrypted computer backup cannot be recovered without its password; it also says UK users who have not already enabled Advanced Data Protection cannot newly enable it for iCloud Backup and Photos. | I need a copy I can actually use after replacing my phone, with account settings and backup passwords I understand. |
| Ongoing routine | For cloud storage, review the plan terms and monitor upload status. For a computer and drive, decide when you will import new files, where the drive will be kept and how you will check the copy. | Automatic uploads would be easier for me to maintain, or I can commit to making and checking local copies regularly. |
Apple Support says deleting an item in iCloud Photos removes it from other devices signed in to the same Apple Account. A synced library alone may therefore not preserve a photo deleted by mistake.
Keep an independent computer or external-drive copy of irreplaceable photos before clearing a synced library.
Google storage is shared with Gmail and Drive, and Google Account Help says a full account stops new Google Photos backups. Microsoft Support says an over-quota OneDrive account cannot upload or sync new files.
Inspect total account use and check that recent photos have finished uploading before relying on the cloud copy.
Android Help notes that some USB cables cannot transfer files. Microsoft Support says downloaded HEIF and HEVC media may need a codec to open on Windows.
Import a sample photo and video with the intended cable, open both on the computer and check the external copy before deleting originals.
Apple Support says an encrypted iPhone or iPad computer backup cannot be recovered without its password.
If you enable encryption for a device backup, keep the password in a secure place you can access when restoring it.
These services have different account, upload and deletion rules; their inclusion here does not determine which route fits your devices or files.
iCloud Photos is an Apple-device library service; iCloud and a Mac or Windows computer are also device-backup routes.
Google Photos uses storage in a Google Account shared with Drive and Gmail.
OneDrive Camera Upload is a cloud-photo route for people using a Microsoft account.
These Joybuy external drives are options for keeping a local copy after importing phone photos to a computer. Check the intended computer connection and file system, and test your import routine before relying on a drive.
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For a computer-based photo copy, this 2 TB external SSD gives you a named USB Type-C connection. Check that your computer can connect to it and that its file system suits your copying routine; the drive does not import phone photos by itself.
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This 1 TB external SSD is an option for storing a separate copy of photos imported through a computer. Check the connection and file system for that computer, and confirm the copying steps before treating the drive as your backup.
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The product name lists iPhone 15/16, PC and Mac compatibility and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 connection. If you plan to use it with a phone rather than only a computer, confirm the precise phone, connector and file-system requirements, then test how files are copied and opened.
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This 5 TB external hard drive is a computer-based option for a larger local photo collection. Check its file system against the computer you will use, particularly if moving files between Windows and macOS, and import the phone photos before copying them to the drive.
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The named 2 TB capacity makes this an external-storage option for a local photo copy. Confirm the connection and file system for your computer and phone-import workflow rather than assuming a direct phone backup will work.
No. Apple Support says deleting a photo in iCloud Photos deletes it from other devices signed in to the same Apple Account. Keep an independent copy before bulk deletion or storage cleanup.
Apple Support says UK users who have not already enabled Advanced Data Protection cannot newly enable it; iCloud Backup and Photos are among the affected categories. Do not choose that route on the assumption that this optional setting can be newly activated for them.
Unlock the phone, use a USB cable that transfers data and select File transfer when prompted. Android Help warns that not all USB cables can transfer files, so open a copied photo and video before relying on the import.
Not necessarily. Microsoft Support says downloaded HEIF and HEVC files may need a codec on Windows. Apple Support also says that, if iCloud Photos is enabled, you should download the full-resolution originals before importing them to a PC; test representative files before removing phone copies.