Start with a second recoverable copy in a different place, rather than choosing a drive or service as the entire backup plan; The National Archives advises keeping at least two copies in different places. An external drive can hold a local library, a NAS can serve several household members, and cloud storage can provide automatic off-site access. Whichever combination you choose, check that it preserves the files you need and that someone in the household can restore them after a device or account problem.
If photos and videos are created on multiple phones, automatic copying and access from other devices may matter more than remembering to connect a drive. Google, Synology and Apple each document phone-photo or cross-device workflows, with different account and equipment requirements.
Folders spread across computers, cameras and old drives need a destination with enough capacity and a repeatable copying routine. Measure the combined collection, including videos, before choosing storage for both the library and its additional copy.
When several people need the collection, decide who can access it and who could restore it if a drive, device or account became unavailable. Account recovery and a separate backup destination matter alongside day-to-day sharing.
Choose where the recoverable copies will live before comparing storage devices. Backup software can help maintain a routine, but it still needs a drive, network location or other destination.
Consider it: When you regularly move a local copy between compatible devices or locations.
Allow for: A portable SSD is still only one copy; check the exact model’s capacity and connections.
Consider it: When a larger computer-based library needs a local backup destination.
Allow for: Capacity and scheduled-backup support depend on the drive and software, and a drive kept beside the computer is not a separate-location copy.
Consider it: When household members need a shared destination and someone can maintain its access and backups.
Allow for: A network-attached storage device needs its own backup elsewhere; Synology recommends a separate destination in its NAS guidance.
Consider it: When automatic phone uploads and access away from home are priorities.
Allow for: Check upload quality, available account storage and recovery access before relying on the service.
For a computer library, built-in backup tools may make copying more consistent. Microsoft says Windows File History can back up to an external drive or network location; check that the folders holding your photos and videos are included.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Separate copies | Identify each copy’s location and how it can be restored. The National Archives advises at least two copies in different places. | If losing a phone, drive or account could leave me without the family collection, I need another recoverable copy elsewhere. About 33% of consumers put avoiding a single point of failure first. |
| Automatic capture and access | Check phone support, included folders and how household members retrieve full files on their other devices. | With photos arriving on several phones, I want copying to happen routinely and the files to be accessible when needed. Roughly 27% of consumers make that workflow their primary concern. |
| Library capacity | Measure folders on phones, computers and old drives, including videos; check capacity for the additional destination too. | When I bring older collections together, I need room for the combined files rather than just the latest phone uploads. Around 20% of consumers prioritise capacity and consolidation. |
| Recovery and usable files | Check account or encryption recovery, original-quality settings and whether the household’s devices open the file formats. | If I cannot recover an account or open the saved originals on another device, having files stored will not be enough. About 20% of consumers put secure access and file usability first. |
A single device or account can remain a single point of failure. The National Archives advises keeping at least two copies in different places.
List the copies, their locations and who can restore each one. Keep an additional copy separate from the primary device or account.
Videos and folders on older computers or drives may take up space that a phone-only estimate misses. The second destination also needs sufficient capacity.
Measure the collection across all source devices before choosing a drive, then check the exact model’s stated capacity and which folders the backup covers.
Google says Photos Storage saver can resize photos above 16MP and videos above 1080p; Original quality counts towards Google Account storage.
Check the active quality setting and download representative photos and videos to inspect them before removing local originals.
Encryption can protect stored personal information if a device is lost, as the Information Commissioner’s Office explains. Apple’s account guidance also makes clear that recovery arrangements matter when stronger iCloud protection is enabled.
If you encrypt a drive or use account-based storage, keep the necessary password or recovery method accessible to the people responsible for the collection and check that they can use it.
SanDisk’s Extreme Portable SSD line is relevant when a household wants a portable local copy.
The Backup Plus Portable line illustrates an external-hard-drive route for a computer-based local library.
Synology offers a NAS route for a household that wants a shared photo destination.
iCloud Photos is relevant to households accessing photos across Apple devices and a Windows PC.
Google Photos offers an account-based route for automatic phone-photo backup.
These portable SSDs and external hard drives can serve as local destinations for a household photo and video collection. Compare their stated capacities with your combined library, then plan another recoverable copy in a different place.
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A portable local destination for bringing together photo and video folders, provided 4 TB meets the household’s measured capacity needs. The product name specifies USB Type-C and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2; check the computer’s port if that interface matters. Keep another copy elsewhere.
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A portable external hard drive to consider for a larger local library after checking the collection’s size. Confirm the intended file-system setup if computers with different operating systems will use it, and maintain a separate copy in another place.
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A portable local-copy option where the measured library fits within 2 TB. The product name specifies USB Type-C and USB 3.2 Gen 2; check connection compatibility with the devices that will supply or restore the files, and keep a second copy elsewhere.
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A portable local-copy option if the household’s existing files and expected additions fit within 1 TB. The product name specifies USB Type-C and USB 3.2 Gen 2; confirm device connections and arrange another recoverable copy in a different place.
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A portable local destination for a collection that fits within 2 TB. Its product name specifies USB Type-C and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2; check the household’s device ports and retain an additional copy away from this drive.
No: it can be one copy, but The National Archives advises making at least two copies and storing them in different places. Decide where the additional copy will live and how you would restore it if the drive failed or went missing.
A NAS can provide a shared household destination, but it does not by itself put a copy elsewhere. Synology recommends a 3-2-1 backup approach in its NAS guidance, so plan another destination outside the NAS’s location.
Choose Original quality if retaining the captured resolution is important and check the Google Account storage it uses. Google says Storage saver can resize photos above 16MP to 16MP and videos above 1080p to 1080p; inspect the active setting before depending on cloud copies of your originals.
Check who can recover the Apple Account, whether its trusted devices and phone numbers remain accessible, and how the household downloads full files to any Windows PC it uses. Apple’s guidance makes recovery planning particularly important when Advanced Data Protection is enabled.
Test the household’s actual devices before relying on a transfer or conversion workflow. Apple says HEIF and HEVC are space-efficient, while JPEG and H.264 are more broadly compatible; keep the originals and check that any additional compatible copies can be viewed and exported as needed.