Start with one small, complete job: copy a recent group of photographs into a named folder, make an independent backup, then restore a few pictures from that backup. A successful restore tells you more than a reassuring upload icon.
This guide is for personal photo collections spread across cameras, phones, computers and online services. You will need access to the originals and enough space for a separate copy. Start with irreplaceable photographs if the entire collection feels too large.
Find the files worth protecting
List each place pictures live: camera cards, old computers, external drives, phone libraries and online accounts. Record who controls each account, whether full-resolution originals are present, and how you would export them. Keep recovery information in your usual secure account-management system; a public family album is a poor place for credentials.
The Library of Congress recommends identifying, selecting and describing important photographs, keeping copies in separate locations, and checking that the files remain readable. Turn that advice into a short inventory you can actually maintain.
Download the photo backup and recovery worksheet. It has space for each source, copy location and last recovery test.
Import a batch without losing its context
- Create a destination. A folder such as
2026/2026-10-family-visitcarries an approximate date and subject. Keep camera filenames inside it initially; different cameras can reuse the same filename. - Copy the originals. Keep RAW files, JPEG or HEIF originals, accompanying video and relevant sidecar files together. A sidecar is a separate file that can hold descriptions or editing instructions.
- Compare the result. Check the expected files, total size and a selection of full-size images. Play several videos. An application may show one item for a RAW/JPEG pair or a still/video pair, so reconcile differences before assuming a count mismatch is data loss.
- Add context. Record people, place, approximate date and uncertainty in a short text note. Preserve existing camera metadata; an incorrectly set camera clock deserves a note rather than an invented precise date.
- Keep edits separate. Put finished versions in an
exportsfolder and retain the source files used to make them.
For Apple Photos on Mac, Apple documents an unmodified-original export and an optional XMP metadata export. Export an edited version too when you want to retain its finished appearance. Other applications have their own export rules; test a small selection before moving an entire library.
Choose copies that fail independently
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways. Keyboard users can focus the table and use the arrow keys.
| Copy | Purpose | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Working library | The collection you organize and edit. | Are originals actually downloaded, or are some entries only previews? |
| Separate local backup | Recover from deletion, drive failure or a damaged library. | Does it keep earlier versions? Can it restore into a new folder? |
| Copy in another location | Recover when the main location or equipment is lost. | Can you access and export it independently, with your recovery information? |
One practical arrangement is a computer library, a versioned backup on a separate drive, and an additional copy stored elsewhere. Match the arrangement to the collection and how often it changes. Two folders on the same drive share that drive's failure; two devices syncing the same deletions can share a different failure.
For example, Apple states that deleting an iCloud Photos item also deletes it on other devices signed into the same account. Synchronization is useful for access, while a separately retained copy gives you another recovery path. Check a service's deletion, version-history and export behavior before counting it as that copy.
Prove that recovery works
- Choose a few recent and older files, including a large image, a video and any sidecar or edited version you care about.
- Use the backup's restore or download command and save into a new test folder. Leave the working files alone.
- Open the restored files in an appropriate viewer. Examine full-size detail, play the video and check the descriptions you expect to retain.
- Compare the restored original's file size and, when available, checksum with the source. A matching cryptographic checksum establishes byte equality; it does not prove the original picture was undamaged or that the whole collection is complete.
- Record the date, copy tested, result and any missing information. Fix failures and repeat the same test.
After a major import, update the copies. Review readability at least annually, and repeat recovery checks after changing a device, backup program or account. Replace failing media and migrate formats while you can still read them. Erase a camera card only after the intended copies and checks are complete.