Photos and videos are the best way to relive memories and serve as critical professional tools also. Phone storage cannot accommodate all these media files. This is where cloud storage comes into play. However, after using a set quota of cloud storage, you have to pay an amount to get the cloud subscription.
The subscription fee might not be a considerable amount, but it can accumulate over time and snowball into a considerable amount. Not everyone can afford to pay out of their pocket for only keeping their photos and videos safe. An issue can also crop up if you want a different provider’s services or decide to switch devices. Here are some solutions to avoid the cloud subscription amount.
Physical storage devices
There are ways through which you can keep your media safe without churning up a subscription fee every month. The method is not exactly free since you have to make a one-time investment of buying devices like a hard drive, computers, etc. There is a chance that you already possess these storage devices. In such a case, you are not required to spend additional money.
Use free space effectively
You can avail some free cloud space by Microsoft, Google, or Apple without spending a dollar. They have robust syncing software that seamlessly transfers your files to your computer. However, the storage space you get from these platforms is limited.
Apple offers 5 GB of space through iCloud. Onedrive from Microsoft also offers 5 GB. Google has a bigger heart and provides 15 GB of space to use on its different apps like Google Drive, Google Photos, and Gmail. Dropbox gives only 2 GB to its free users.
Dropbox has an automatic syncing feature, and it will create a backup for the media across your different devices. To make the best use of the 2 GB limit, keep removing these files from time to time. The other cloud services also work in a similar fashion.
If you use an iPhone, you need to use iCloud for syncing photos, and Google Photos will be pretty useless here. iCloud can sync to Windows from your iPhone.
Choose the manual way
Apps are not mandatory to transfer files from your phone to your computer. You can simply connect both devices using a basic cable. This method varies from device to device, but the traditional act of copy and paste is a good choice if you do not want to involve the cloud.
After you plug in the device, you can view your Windows files under the File Explorer section. You will get a USB preferences notification on your device. Make sure you enable it. Browse the particular photo or video files you need and copy-paste them on your computer.
You can use iTunes if you are on an Apple device to transfer files to Windows. iTunes has features that can take a complete backup of your iPhone, including your saved photos and videos.
Create your computer’s backup
Tech experts often call the cloud the best form of storage since even if your phone and computer are destroyed, your files are still safe. You need to be prepared for such eventualities since they can happen to anyone. One way to do so is by storing all essential files on an external hard drive kept elsewhere.
Transferring the files to the hard drive is going to be an uphill task. There is various software that can assist you. On macOS, you can use Time Machine, and on Windows, File History is a great alternative. Generally, hard drives also have inbuilt backup software that can simplify the work for you.
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