How to back up your family archive

Keep the original photos and recordings, names and descriptions, source references, date uncertainty, and a readable explanation of how they connect. A family-tree file alone cannot hold all of that.

Make separate copies, keep one away from the others, and test opening them. The Library of Congress recommends organizing important digital photos, storing copies in different places and checking readability at least yearly. Read its personal archiving guidance.

1. Choose a small starting collection. Gather one album or interview, including captions and the backs of photographs. Keep the best available originals; edit copies.
2. Record enough context. Note who supplied each item, who or what it depicts, the recorded date or estimate, its source and who may see it. Keep unresolved names as questions.
3. Make a dated archive copy. Include descriptions and source notes alongside files. Record which collection and time period the copy covers.
4. Keep independent copies. Use a separate device or backup service and another location. A synchronized folder can repeat an accidental deletion; check its version recovery.
5. Try recovery. Copy to a fresh folder, open several photos and records, play a recording and check their descriptions. If checksums are available, verify all packaged files.
6. Leave instructions. Keep a private inventory of locations, access arrangements and the date of the last check. Choose someone who can find it when you cannot.

A family owner opens Settings → Export & backup, requests an export and downloads it when ready. Extract the entire ZIP, then open index.html. Keep the extracted folders together.

The readable pages accompany originals, a structured manifest.json, a GEDCOM tree file and file checksums. The README explains coverage. A generated export is a snapshot; download a fresh one after substantial additions.

Check the files you need before relying on the copy. A checksum detects changed bytes relative to the package; it does not establish who made a document or whether a historical claim is true.

The offline archive can be read without an Our Story account. You can also bring a supported Our Story backup ZIP back into the app as a separate new archive.

1. Sign in and open Account settings → Restore a backup. Choose the original backup ZIP, exactly as downloaded from Our Story, up to 256 MiB.
2. Upload the ZIP and wait for its files to be checked against the included checksums.
3. Review the contents, warnings and access changes. Choose a name and approve the restore.
4. When it is ready, open the new archive and check the people, sources and original files you need. Keep the backup until you have checked the result.

You become the owner of the new archive. Restoration does not replace or combine existing archives. Review membership before inviting relatives again; a backup does not restore another person’s sign-in access or restart a subscription.

Request links and pending voice replies are not restored. The new archive uses an unused free trial if you are eligible; otherwise it is read-only until it has a plan. The review step explains what will be preserved and what will change before you approve.

For a ZIP larger than 256 MiB, or recovery that must replace an existing archive, contact support to discuss the options. Keep independent copies even after a successful restore.

An owner export includes restricted material. App audience settings do not protect a downloaded ZIP: anyone with its files can read them. Use protected storage and review a copy before sharing it.

Digitizing also does not replace care of the physical original. Handle photographs by their edges or housing, avoid adhesives and seek appropriate storage for the material. The Library of Congress explains photograph care.