We’ve successfully digitized your cherished memories onto a USB thumb drive or an external drive, shielding them from the relentless wear and tear of time. Congratulations—this is an important first step!
Naturally, the question I hear most often at this stage is, “How do I back these up?”
To answer that, we’ll begin with straightforward methods and then explore more comprehensive strategies for ensuring your memories remain safe for years to come.
The easiest way to back up your digital memories is by creating duplicate drives and keeping them in separate locations. Many people achieve this by having us make extra copies to share with family members, or they choose to make the copies themselves. This way, you retain your own copy, but if something happens to it, a relative will have a backup ready.
In essence, it’s as simple as this: take your copy, make additional copies, and pass them out. That’s all it takes!
The next approach, and one that’s a bit more sophisticated, is the 3-2-1 rule.
The 3-2-1 rule recommends having three backups of your data, two of which should be stored on different types of hardware—such as a thumb drive or in the cloud—and one that is kept off-site, meaning it’s not stored in your home.
Three backups are ideal because if you only have two, losing one leaves you with just a single copy. Using different media types ensures your backups stay accessible as technology evolves. Finally, keeping one copy off-site is key to protect against disasters like floods, fires, or the loss of a thumb drive.
A straightforward way to apply the 3-2-1 rule is:
By following this plan, you’ll have three backups (2x thumb drives and a cloud copy), stored on two different types of media (physical drives and the cloud), with one securely located off-site. It’s a practical, reliable strategy to keep your memories safe.
External Hard Drives are another good option. They are more expensive than thumb drives, but are more robust.
Backing up your photos and movies to the cloud means storing them online, away from your home. Cloud servers are built to protect your data, with constant backups and safeguards, making them far more durable than USB drives or DVDs. This ensures your memories are safe from damage, loss, or disasters like floods or fires.
Many of our clients already use cloud backup services like Apple iCloud, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or Dropbox for photos, documents, and other important files. If you’re one of them, you can use the same service to back up your digitized movies and photos. Simply upload your files as you would any other.
Keep in mind that movie files are significantly larger than photos—often thousands of times bigger. Uploading them may take hours, so patience is key. Once they’re uploaded, though, you’ll have peace of mind knowing your memories are secure.
Note that you may need to keep an eye on the storage limits of your cloud plan to ensure you have enough space for larger files like movies.
One of the most advanced and user-friendly ways to back up your movies and photos is through Apple Photos or Google Photos. Both services are designed to store, organize, and manage large collections of photos and videos. For a small subscription fee (typically around $2 per month), they allow you to sync your collection to the cloud, making it easy to access, edit, and share your memories across devices. With features like facial recognition and keyword-based search, finding specific photos or videos becomes simple and intuitive. Apple Photos works seamlessly with Apple devices, while Google Photos is ideal for Google apps and Android users, ensuring your collection stays organized and accessible within each ecosystem.
To upload your vintage photos and movies, log in on a computer, plug in your thumb drive, and use the desktop version of the service. If you’re a Mac user, Apple Photos is likely already installed, and you can link it to your Apple account. Windows users with an iPhone can access Apple Photos via icloud.com or the Apple Photos app for Windows, though availability may vary.
For Google Photos, visit photos.google.com and log in with your Google account.
Both options provide sophisticated tools to preserve and enjoy your digital memories. Google Photos excels in search functionality, using powerful AI to let you search by person, place, or theme. For instance, a search for “John Doe at the beach” will locate images of him in beach settings. Apple Photos, on the other hand, shines for those deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem. It simplifies managing your collection on a Mac and makes it easy to view your movies and photos on your TV using Apple TV.
Nothing is perfect, and cloud storage has its drawbacks.
First, cloud services require a subscription fee, usually around $2 per month, though it can be higher for larger collections with many movies. Additionally, there are concerns about security and privacy. Some clients worry about hackers accessing their accounts, but this risk can be minimized by enabling two-factor authentication (2FA). With 2FA, even if someone steals or guesses your password, they won’t gain access without a code sent to your phone—a strong layer of protection.
Privacy is another concern. While many appreciate the convenience of Apple and Google, others feel uneasy about these companies' power or have lost trust in them. If that resonates with you, consider alternatives like Dropbox, a smaller player that still offers reliable storage.
Finally, there’s the question of longevity. While Apple and Google are thriving now, even major companies can disappear—Blockbuster is a prime example. For me, the possibility of a company folding is a bigger worry than hackers or privacy issues.
I often get asked, “what do you use?”
I prefer using Apple Photos to fully leverage the convenience of cloud storage and the Apple ecosystem (I have Macs, iPads, Apple TV, etc.). It automatically syncs new photos from my iPhone, and I’ve also uploaded my entire collection of old movies and photos. This includes everything from 8mm films of my grandparents in the 1960s all the way to the digital photos I’ve taken since getting my first smartphone in 2010. Thanks to the cloud, all of it is searchable and accessible within seconds.
To safeguard against the unlikely event that Apple’s services become unavailable, I back up my collection once a year to two external hard drives. This process is straightforward if you have a Mac: simply log into the Apple Photos app and use the export feature.
This approach follows the 3-2-1 rule. I maintain three copies of my data (Apple’s cloud and two external hard drives), with two different types of storage (cloud and external drives) and one copy off-site (in the cloud).
Forever.com is another popular option in the photo digitizing industry. They charge a big one-time fee for cloud storage, but the appeal is that you pay once and keep your files stored forever.
Mylio Photos is an alternative to Apple Photos and Google Photos. It offers a similar interface for browsing, sharing, editing, and searching, but with added flexibility. You can connect your own hard drives and cloud storage accounts, and it even includes “cloudless” features, allowing you to sync and manage your files entirely from external hard drives. This could be a great choice for those who want the functionality of Apple or Google’s platforms but prefer to avoid “big tech.” We’ve been experimenting with Mylio over the summer and plan to share a blog post with our findings soon.
Photo management tools are always evolving, and we’ll keep you updated as new options emerge. The most important thing is to make copies and ensure your photos and movies are backed up. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!
Jonathan Fouch is the founder of History Creators. He has spent the greater part of his 11-year career helping families build their legacy through technology. You can read his full biography here. Â
