Cloud, computer or your own drive: how do the three options differ?
There are three basic ways to protect phone photos. With the cloud, your phone uploads new photos to an online service by itself, for example iCloud Photos from Apple or Google Photos. With a computer, you copy the photos over a cable. With your own storage, they go onto an external hard drive or a network-attached storage device (NAS), a small storage box on your home network.
Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) notes that a backup can live in the cloud or on a physical medium. What matters is that the copy is made regularly and kept away from the phone.
| Criterion | Cloud (e.g. iCloud Photos, Google Photos) | Computer | External drive or NAS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runs automatically | Yes, in the background once switched on | No, you start the copy yourself | Drive: no; NAS: depends on set-up |
| Where the copy is kept | On the provider's servers, outside your home | At home, alongside your other data | At home or, for a drive, at a second location |
| Running costs | Free up to the basic allowance, then a subscription | None while there is space on the computer | The device itself; a NAS needs care and updates |
| Protection against accidental deletion | Limited: in iCloud Photos, deleting affects all devices and recovery is possible for 30 days | Yes, as long as you do not delete there too | Yes, if the drive is unplugged after copying |
| What to watch | Storage space, account access, trust in the provider | A fixed routine; back up the computer too | Unplug it, store it elsewhere, check it can be read |
No single option is perfect. That is why Switzerland's federal cybersecurity office, BACS, recommends the 3-2-1 rule: three copies of your data, meaning the original and two backup copies, on two different storage media, with one copy kept off-site in a different location. For phone photos, that could mean the phone, the cloud and an external drive at home.
Which questions help you decide?
- How much space do your photos need? Check the storage figures on your phone. If they are well above the free allowance, expect to pay or rely mainly on local copies.
- How often do you use a computer? If rarely, copying is easy to forget. Then an automatic cloud backup is a sensible basic layer.
- Who do you trust with your photos? "Cloud services are a matter of trust", says BACS. It suggests checking whether the provider lets you restore previous versions and protects this with extra safeguards such as two-factor authentication.
- Can you always get back into your account? A cloud copy is only as good as your access to it. How to prepare fallback routes is covered in preparing for a lost phone.
Why is cloud syncing not a complete backup?
iCloud Photos keeps your library the same on every signed-in device. The downside: according to Apple, anything you delete is removed from all devices that use iCloud Photos. You can recover it from the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days; after that it is gone.
Apple also points out that photos in iCloud Photos are not duplicated in your iCloud backup, and advises you to keep backup copies of your library. The difference between syncing and backing up is explained with an example in synced or backed up?.
Also note the Optimise Storage option on iPhone: the phone then keeps space-saving versions, while the full-resolution originals stay in iCloud. The phone is then not a complete second copy.
How do you switch on automatic backup?
The steps come from Apple's and Google's official help pages. Some Android manufacturers adapt the interface, so labels can differ.
iPhone or iPad: iCloud Photos
- Go to Settings › your name › iCloud.
- Tap Photos.
- Turn on Sync this device.
- Optional, to save space: under Saved to iCloud, tap Photos › iPhone Storage, then choose Optimise Storage. In iOS 26 or earlier, just choose Optimise Storage.
Menu path as given in the manufacturer’s help; it may differ by device and version: support.apple.com
Android: Google Photos
- Open the Google Photos app and sign in to your Google Account.
- At the top right, tap your profile picture or initial.
- Tap Photos settings › Backup.
- Turn Backup on.
- If you can't access Wi-Fi, you can use mobile data to start the backup. Under Backup › Mobile data usage you can set a daily limit and will also find Back up videos over data and Back up while roaming.
Menu path as given in the manufacturer’s help; it may differ by device and version: support.google.com
The first backup can take a long time, depending on your connection and library size. Leave the phone on Wi-Fi and on charge overnight. If you allow mobile data, watch your data allowance, especially when roaming.
Tip: The next day, take a test photo, wait a few minutes on Wi-Fi and open your library on another device or in a browser. If the photo is there, the backup is working.
What happens when your cloud storage is full?
Apple gives you 5 GB of iCloud storage free when you set up iCloud. Once it is full, new photos and videos are no longer uploaded to iCloud Photos and your device stops backing up to iCloud. You can free up space or upgrade to the paid iCloud+.
Each Google Account includes up to 15 GB, shared across Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos. Once you are over the limit, you cannot back up photos and videos to Google Photos. If you stay over your quota for two years or longer, the content in your account may be deleted. Google says it will give you at least three months' notice first.
The tricky part: the phone keeps taking photos even when nothing reaches the cloud any more, so take storage warnings seriously. How to free up space without losing anything important is covered in cloud storage full.
How do you make the second copy on a computer or drive?
For a second copy, connect the phone to your computer with a cable, transfer the photos with the computer's photo app and copy them on to an external drive.
- Set a fixed date, for example the first Sunday of each month, and add it to your calendar.
- Copy all photos taken since the last date onto the external drive, for example into folders by year and month.
- Unplug the drive afterwards. According to BACS, a drive left connected can be encrypted by ransomware along with the computer.
- Do not keep it right next to the computer. Fire, water damage and theft are the risks BACS names; the BSI recommends storing a physical medium somewhere other than the device it backs up.
- Now and then, open a few photos from the drive. BACS recommends testing the recovery of individual files at regular intervals.
A NAS usually sits in the same home as the phone, so it does not replace an off-site copy. How to turn copying into a habit is explained in an external drive backup routine.
What do public bodies in Europe recommend?
| Country | Body | Key advice | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) | Back up to the cloud or a physical medium; keep the medium somewhere else | According to its 2025 Cybersecurity Monitor, only one in five internet users backs up regularly |
| Austria | Onlinesicherheit.gv.at | An external drive gives full control but can fail; the cloud requires trust in the provider | Check whether a service only syncs or keeps older versions, and look at encryption |
| Switzerland | Federal cybersecurity office (BACS) | 3-2-1 rule: three copies, two media, one copy off-site | Unplug the drive after each backup; test recovery |
| France | Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr | Back up regularly, disconnect the medium, keep a copy in a different place | Average lifespan of a burned DVD given as 10 to 15 years |
| Italy | Garante per la protezione dei dati personali | Back up all information on your phone, ideally as a regular habit | Mentioned as a step before travelling |
| Spain | INCIBE | 3-2-1 rule, for example with an external drive kept at a relative's home | Free, confidential cybersecurity helpline 017 |
The advice points the same way everywhere: more than one copy, one kept elsewhere, and an occasional test. Switzerland is not in the EU and publishes its own guidance, with the same result.
An example: Niamh backs up her family photos twice
Fictional example: Niamh from Galway has about 9,000 photos on her Android phone, many of them of her two children. She has never backed them up, until the phone slips out of her pocket on a bike ride.
Niamh turns on backup in Google Photos and leaves the phone on Wi-Fi overnight. In the morning she sees that the free storage is not enough, because her emails use space too. She buys more storage and notes when the subscription renews.
For the second copy, she buys two external drives. One stays with her, the other with her brother in Limerick. Every three months she copies new photos to the drive at home and swaps it for the other one on her next visit, opening a few random pictures each time.
Common mistakes
- Turning on backup and never checking that new photos actually arrive, for instance after the storage has filled up.
- Deleting photos on an iPhone to make space, even though iCloud Photos then removes them from the cloud and other devices too.
- Treating syncing as a complete backup.
- Leaving the external drive permanently plugged in and stored right next to the computer.
- Not securing the cloud account: if you cannot sign in any more, you cannot reach the photos either.
Your checklist
The checkboxes are for your own reference. No entries are sent to us. To keep a copy, print the page or save it as a PDF using your browser menu.
Common questions
Is it enough to have my photos in iCloud or Google Photos?
It is a good everyday safety net, for example if your phone is lost. But syncing offers limited protection against accidental deletion: in iCloud Photos, a deleted picture disappears from all devices and can only be recovered for 30 days. Apple itself advises keeping backup copies of your library. A second copy on an external drive closes that gap.
How much free storage do I get for photos?
Apple gives you 5 GB with iCloud, which is also used for device backups and iCloud Drive. Google includes up to 15 GB per account, shared across Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos. Check how much space your library already uses before you decide.
Can I delete photos from my phone once they are backed up?
Not with iCloud Photos: if you delete a photo on your iPhone, it also disappears from iCloud and your other devices. If space is tight, use Optimise Storage instead, which keeps space-saving versions on the phone and the originals in iCloud. With other services, check in the help pages how deleting works before you tidy up.
What happens to my photos if my storage stays full?
New photos are no longer backed up. With Google, there is a further rule: if you stay over your quota for two years or longer, the content in your account may be deleted. Google says it will give you at least three months' notice. So read storage messages carefully and act in good time.
Sources and further information
Primary sources from public authorities, consumer organisations and providers. A source may be in another language; follow the guidance that applies to your service and where you live.
- Apple Support: Set up and use iCloud PhotosSource review date:
- Apple Support: Manage your iCloud storage on your Apple deviceSource review date:
- Google Photos Help: Back up photos and videosSource review date:
- Google One Help: How your Google storage worksSource review date:
- Swiss federal cybersecurity office (BACS): Data securitySource review date:
- BSI: World Backup Day press release, 30 March 2026 (German)Source review date:
- Onlinesicherheit.gv.at: Choosing a backup medium (German)Source review date:
- Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr: Why and how to manage your backups (French)Source review date:
- Garante per la protezione dei dati personali: E-state in privacy (Italian)Source review date:
- INCIBE: Defining my backup strategy (Spanish)Source review date:
