Organising and Backing Up Your Photo Library Simply

Photos/
  2026/
    2026-12 Family visit/
    2026-08 Beach holiday/
  2027/
    2027-01 Birthday/

Using YYYY-MM at the start of folder names keeps them in date order.

Culling

Once a month, spend ten minutes:

1. Delete blurry and duplicate shots.
2. Keep the best few from each burst.
3. Delete screenshots you no longer need.

Fewer photos means less storage, smaller backups and easier browsing.

Backups

A common guideline is 3-2-1: three copies, on two kinds of storage, with one kept elsewhere.

Copy	Example
1. Your phone	the working copy
2. A computer or external drive	a second copy at home
3. Cloud storage or a drive kept elsewhere	protection from fire, theft or loss

A monthly routine

• Copy new photos to a computer or drive.
• Check that a few files open properly.
• Keep the cloud sync running on Wi-Fi.

Originals and working copies

• Keep originals at full quality in your archive.
• Make smaller copies for sharing, email and uploads.
• Name them clearly so you can tell them apart.

Naming

Meaningful names help: 2027-03-12-park-picnic.jpg. Many phones name photos by date already, and that's fine for large sets. Add names for special events.

Privacy

• Protect your backups with strong passwords.
• Think about sensitive photos. Store them where only you can access them.

Final check

Once a year, test a restore: can you open old photos from your backup? A backup you've never tested may not work.

Tools

A lightweight resizer helps you create smaller sharing copies from your originals, keeping your archive intact.

Try Image Compress & Resize Tool →