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> Is it possible to lose all my photos stored in the cloud? Yes. Cloud services have lost customer data before, but it's more likely that you'll lose access to
by mceachen 6y ago
> Is it possible to lose all my photos stored in the cloud?
Yes. Cloud services have lost customer data before, but it's more likely that you'll lose access to your account with the cloud service. Many people have lost access to their Google accounts, for example.
> Are there any other better solutions to store photos safely ?
There is no single fool-proof thing you can do. This is an exercise in risk mitigation.
It's not terribly likely that you'll lose access to your Google account, but if you do, you'll lose everything off this is your only backup.
If you only have your photo library stored on one hard drive, it's likely that the hard drive won't be readable after 8-10 years (depending on luck and wear).
The best solution is to have multiple copies of everything, in multiple places. I wrote this up after many of my beta users asked me this exact question: https://photostructure.com/faq/how-do-i-safely-store-files/ https://photostructure.com/faq/how-do-i-safely-store-files/
- onecommentman 6y agoMay I also recommend burning a copy or two on CD or DVD, as well as keeping a copy on memory card. Even if many computers drop their optical drives, a lot will still be around, DVD players can display picture files, etc. If they are family pictures, send a copy to all other family members with a file documenting what the picture files are, who sent them, when. Get a photo printer and print out those valuable enough that you would be willing to put them in a physical album and document them. Ridiculous overkill? No, not at the cost of storage media. Someone 50 years from now will be very glad you did. Once the pictures are gone, they are gone...
- mceachen 6y agoPlease don't trust memory cards for long term storage: just like SSD drives, if they sit on a shelf and aren't energized, they can lose data in as little as a year.