GUIDE
All our photos and videos of the kids are on one home computer. I'm not a tech person. How do I make sure we don't lose them if it dies?
By the seenow! teamLast updated:
Follow the 3-2-1 rule from CISA, the federal cybersecurity agency: three copies of your photos, on two kinds of storage, with one copy outside your home. For most families that means turning on the backup tool already built into your computer with an external drive, plus one copy kept somewhere else, online or at a relative's house.
WHY
Why this happens
When every photo of the kids lives on one computer, a single bad day can erase years: a drive that stops spinning, a spilled drink, a power surge, a lost laptop, or a house fire. Any of these can happen without warning. The photos feel safe because you can see them every day, but there is only one copy.
Backups sound technical, which is why many parents put them off. In practice, you do not have to understand how they work. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) sums up the goal in one rule that is easy to check at home: 3 copies, 2 kinds of storage, 1 copy away from the house. Your computer is copy one. Your job is to add two more, and make one of them live somewhere else.
| Option | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| External hard drive | Easy to set up; the computer can back up to it automatically | Can be damaged, lost or stolen; keep it unplugged and put away between backups |
| Online (cloud) backup | A copy outside your home; reachable from any internet connection | Your files are held by an outside provider; CISA says to weigh the risks for sensitive data |
| DVDs or Blu-ray discs | Discs that can't be rewritten can't be erased by accident | Discs do not last forever; handling shortens their life |
Source: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA): Data Backup Options
HOW TO
What you can do starting today
Find out where the photos actually areNo app needed
Before you copy anything, find every place the kids' photos live: the Pictures folder, a photo app's library, old camera memory cards in a drawer, and the phones. Write the locations on a piece of paper. On Windows, the Pictures and Videos folders are the usual home; on a Mac, the Photos library sits in the Pictures folder.
Plug in an external drive and turn on the built-in backupNo app needed
You do not need to buy software. On a Mac, Time Machine is built in: connect an external drive, ideally one with at least twice your Mac's storage as Apple recommends, and choose it as the backup disk. It then backs up every hour for the past day, daily for the past month and weekly before that, and deletes the oldest backups when the drive fills up.
On Windows, File History is built in. Connect an external drive, open Control Panel, go to System and Security, open File History and turn it on. It backs up your libraries, including Pictures and Videos. If your photos are stored somewhere else, add that folder to the Pictures library so it is included.
Source: Apple Support: Back up your Mac with Time Machine / Microsoft Support: Backup and restore with File History
Make the second backup live outside your houseNo app needed
CISA's rule asks for one copy offsite, because a fire, flood or burglary can take the computer and the drive next to it at the same time. You have two simple choices. One is an online backup or cloud storage service; compare a few, and check the privacy terms and what happens to your files if you stop paying. The other is a second external drive that you fill and then keep at a grandparent's or a friend's house, swapping it with a fresh copy on a visit.
Source: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA): Data Backup Options
Put the drive away between backups, and test a restoreNo app needed
CISA advises removing a backup drive from the computer when the backup is done and keeping it physically secure, so a virus or a surge cannot reach both copies at once. Pick a day that is easy to remember to plug it in, and put a repeating reminder on your calendar. Once, open the backup and bring back a single photo; on Windows, right-click a folder and choose Restore previous versions. If you can get one photo back, you know the backup works.
Source: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA): Data Backup Options / Microsoft Support: Backup and restore with File History
WITH SEENOW!
Doing it with seenow!
seenow! is a family app for short daily clips shared in a private group. It is not a backup tool, so it plays only a small part here.
- Moments shared in seenow! are seen by the family members you invite, and each week the app makes a recap video from the clips automatically. That gives the grandparents something to watch without anyone sending files from the home computer.
What seenow! can’t do
- seenow! does not back up your computer or your phone's photo library, and photos and videos already on your computer cannot be posted to it. Follow the 3-2-1 steps above for your existing photos.
Core features are free.
POINT
Things to watch for in this situation
A copy on the same computer is not a backup
Copying the Pictures folder to another folder on the same computer, or to a second partition of the same drive, does not help when the computer itself fails. Each backup must be on a separate device or outside the house.
Don't wait for warning signs
Slow startups, clicking noises or error messages can mean a drive is failing, but a drive can also fail without any sign. Set up the backup while everything still works.
Keep the old phones and cards until the backup is done
Old phones and camera cards in a drawer may hold photos that never reached the computer. Copy them to the computer first, then let the backup pick them up.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the 3-2-1 backup rule?
It is CISA's recommendation for important files: keep 3 copies (the original and 2 backups), on 2 different kinds of storage, with 1 copy stored outside your home.
Is an external hard drive enough to back up family photos?
It is a good first step, but it is still one place. A fire or theft can take the computer and the drive together, so add a second copy that lives outside your house, online or with a relative.
Are DVDs a good way to save family photos?
They can be one of your copies. Discs that can't be rewritten cannot be erased by accident, but CISA notes that optical discs do not last forever, so do not rely on discs alone.
Do I need special software to back up my computer?
Usually not. Macs include Time Machine and Windows includes File History. Both back up to an external drive once you turn them on.