From the photos of your 2017 Myrtle Beach trip to the dozens of selfies that you and your best friends took, it’s easy to have an endless number of photos, screenshots, and memes saved on your computer.
While having pictures of your memories is never a bad thing, it becomes something bad when you’re no longer able to find what you’re looking for. Luckily, there are some things you can do to organize your pictures and make finding them easier.
Keep reading to learn about how to organize photos on your computer.
Create a System and Stick to It
If you’ve never made an organizational system for your photos, starting one after accumulating hundreds or thousands of pictures can seem overwhelming. However, the important thing is to create something that works for you, then stick to it.
Whether you choose to organize your photos based on events, based on the subjects in them, or by using some other system, start with your most recent photos then work your way back.
Remember that it might take you some days, or even weeks to get everything organized properly. Approach it methodically by chipping away at your photos a bit at a time, and before you know it, all of them will be in the right places.
Be Consistent
Part of the problem that many people face is that once they organize everything, they see it as such a tedious process that they then fail to do it again in the future. This leads to the same organizational problems as before.
Make a point to go through the new photos that you take from time to time to put them in the right places. Some people recommend scheduling a time every month to sort through everything.
If you find doing it to be terrible, try to find ways to make it fun. Putting a show on in the background or listening to music can help make the process go by faster.
Eliminate Clutter
Once your photos are where they should be, part of the organizational process involves going through and deleting the redundant or low-quality photos. If you’re like most people, then you should have plenty of these.
Look for poor lighting, fingers in the frame, and anything else that takes away from the quality of the photo. Old screenshots that you took months before and haven’t look at since can go as well.
You’ll want to find a balance between being a hoarder and being ruthless. You might find it hard to delete photos of your children, but if you have 20 identical copies, try to look for just one or two to save.
Remember that once you delete a photo on a Mac, you can still access it. Check out this guide to learn how to recover deleted photos.
Use an App or Device for Help
If you’re struggling with finding a place to put all of your photos or want to use a built-in organizational system, there are plenty of resources that you can choose from.
Here are four apps and devices that can make organizing photos a breeze.
An External Hard Drive
Many people struggle with storing photos on their computers since they lack the space. If that’s the case, but you don’t want to worry about using a cloud-based storage system, consider getting an external hard drive.
External hard drives allow you to store massive amounts of data at a reasonable price. Just make sure that you create an effective organizational system for your hard drive as well, otherwise, that will quickly become cluttered as well.
iCloud
If you have a Mac, then you have access to Apple’s cloud-based storage program, iCloud.
iCloud lets you store photos, videos, and even other file types, like documents. It also comes with the benefit of allowing you to access your photos and other files from different devices, like your iPhone or iPad.
The first 5 GB of storage is free. After that, you can pay to upgrade to a larger storage capacity.
Google Photos
Whether you don’t have a Mac or just don’t want to use iCloud, Google also provides an easy way for users to store their photos with Google Photos.
Like iCloud, Google Photos provides users with a certain amount of free space. After you use that up, you can pay to get more. The rates for storage space on Google Photos are inexpensive, making it a cheap and easy way to store all of your files.
Google also allows you to access your photos from different devices and can help you organize your photos into different categories.
Amazon Photos
If you’re a fan of Amazon, you can also choose to use Amazon Photos. Provided that you have a Prime membership, Amazon Photos is free to use, making it one of the best options for people who use Amazon often. Non-Prime members have 5 GB of free space.
It comes with many of the features that the other photo apps offer, as well as easy ways to share your photos with friends and family.
Now You Know How to Organize Photos on Your Computer
Now you know how to organize photos on your computer. It might seem challenging, but by following the tips mentioned in this guide, you’ll have an organized system in no time. The key is to figure out a method that works for you and then stick to it.
Do you now have a better understanding of how to manage photos on Mac or PC? If you do, make sure to check out some of our other posts for more tech-related guides and business tips.