How Should You Back Up Your Digitised Family Photos and Videos, etc?

Once your family photos and videos have been digitised, it is worth thinking about how you'll look after the digital files. One big advantage of digitisation is that you can easily copy the files. You can download them from the cloud, copy them from a USB, move them between computers and share them with other family members.

The basic rule is simple: don't keep all your copies in one place, and keep multiple copies.

Make Copies of Your Digitised Files

There are several easy ways to make another copy of your digitised files. If your files are stored in the cloud, you can download a copy to your computer or another storage device. If you have received your files on a USB memory stick, copy them to your computer and keep the USB as another copy. You can also copy files from one computer or storage device to another.

The aim is to make sure that if one copy is lost, damaged or becomes inaccessible, you have another copy available.

Keep Backup USBs & Hard Drives Somewhere Safe

If you keep your digitised files on USB memory sticks, store them somewhere secure where you can find them again. It is surprisingly easy to put a USB away for safekeeping and then forget where you stored it.

Clearly labelling the USB can also help, especially if you have several sticks with different family collections. For particularly important memories, consider keeping a backup somewhere separate from your main computer or other storage.

Share Copies With Other Family Members

One benefit of digital family memories is how easy they are to share. You can give family members copies of the files or send them a link by email or chat so they can download their own copies.

This can help ensure important family photographs and videos aren't all held by one person. If several family members have their own copies, the memories are less likely to be lost if something happens to one person's collection. Just remember to keep your own copy.

Don't Send Files by Email or WhatsApp

Email and messaging services can be convenient for sharing small files, but they are not always suitable for sharing your digitised photographs and videos at their original quality. Services such as WhatsApp may compress photographs and videos when you send them, reducing file quality.

If you want someone to have a copy of a digitised file, it is better to provide the file itself or send a link they can use to download it. This is especially important with video, where compression can noticeably affect quality.

Keep It Simple

You don't need a complicated backup system for your family memories. The important thing is to have more than one copy and, ideally, to keep those copies in different places.

You might keep one copy on your computer, another on a USB or external drive, and another in the cloud. You could also give copies to other family members so that they have their own versions of the photographs and videos.

Your family memories may have spent decades on photographs, videotapes, cine film or other physical formats. Once they're digitised, copying and sharing the files is relatively straightforward. A little thought about where you keep those copies can help ensure the memories remain available for many years to come.