Photo Library Backup and Archive Plan

Who this is for

Where the family photos are, and where the copies are. One table for every place photos come from, one for the archive folders and where each is backed up.

Households with photos spread across phones, cameras, old laptops and drives who want every picture in more than one place, and the person in the family who ends up looking after them.

What this helps you track

• Every source of photos in the house, including old phones and drives
• Roughly how much each holds and where it has been copied to
• When each source was last copied
• How the archive is organised by year or event
• Where each archive folder is kept and where it is backed up

How to use it

1. Write the owner or household, today's date and the date you will review the plan.
2. Go round the house and list every source of photos: each phone, camera, memory card, laptop, old drive and cloud account.
3. For each source, note its rough size, where its photos have been copied to and the date they were last copied.
4. In the second table, list the archive folders as you organise them, by year or event, with where each lives and where it is backed up.
5. Work through the checklist, and on the review date go round again to catch new devices and gaps.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How many copies should I keep?

That is your decision. Many people aim for more than one copy, with at least one kept away from the house, but the sheet sets no number. It shows where copies exist so a gap is easy to see.

What counts as a source?

Anywhere photos are first taken or currently live: each phone, camera, memory card, computer, external drive and cloud account. Old devices in drawers count too; they are often where the only copy is.

How should the archive folders be named?

However suits you, as long as it is consistent. Year then event is common. Writing the scheme in the second table helps everyone in the house file new photos the same way.

How often should I review the plan?

Set your own review date. A natural point is when a new phone or computer arrives, since that is when photos tend to get left behind.