Add an External Drive

Adding an external drive is an effortless way for Mylio Photos+ subscribers to back up and protect their photos. Users can designate an external drive as a Vault to back up and protect their entire Mylio Photos Library or add an external drive for specific purposes such as a travel backup or archive for a particular group of media using a Custom Sync Policy. Mylio Photos includes several helpful Sync Policy Presets or you can make your own

Once an external drive has been added to your Mylio Account, Mylio Photos+ will update it using your selected Device Sync Policy whenever it is available and connected. If the drive is unavailable or disconnected, Mylio Photos+ will update it the next time it is connected.

*NOTE: Before adding a new external drive to Mylio Photos, ensure that the drive has been formatted for your operating system. We recommend using the NTFS format for Windows computers and the APFS format for macOS computers.

Using the Add Vault Wizard

1. Click the Dashboard icon  in the left sidebar.
2. Select Devices, then click the Add Vault button.

3. Review the Add a Protection Vault dialog, then click the Continue button.
4. Mylio Photos will scan your library to determine how much storage space is required for your Protection Vault, recommend the appropriate size to hold your entire library and provide adequate room to grow over time.

5. Ensure that the drive you want to use as your Protection Vault is connected and has adequate storage space, then click the Continue button.
6. Select the type of storage you wish to use for your Protection Vault. In this example, we’ll choose External Drive. For more information on adding a Cloud Service, click here.
   
7. Select the drive you want to designate as a Protection Vault, then click the Continue button.
8. Mylio Photos will automatically set up the newly added drive as a Protection Vault and begin syncing your Mylio Photos Library.

*TIP: If you don’t have a drive with adequate storage space, click the I need a hard drive button to view and purchase a new hard drive.

Adding an External Drive (Custom Setup)

1. Open Mylio Photos and ensure the external drive is connected to your computer.
2. Click the Dashboard icon  in the left sidebar.
3. Select Devices, click the ADD button at the top of the Devices section, and then choose External drive.
4. Select the external drive from the list you wish to use, then click the Continue button.

*TIP: If you need a new external drive, click the I Need A Hard Drive button to see a list of popular options.

5. Mylio Photos will analyze your chosen drive and recommend a setup based on your library size and the available storage on the drive you’re adding. In this example, Mylio Photos+ recommends that the new drive be set up as a Vault, which will designate this drive to keep a complete copy of the Mylio Photos Library.
   • To choose a different setup, click the Custom Setup button and select the Sync Policy Preset you’d like to use. Want to create a custom sync policy? Click here to learn how.
     

*TIP: Adding two or more external drives as Vaults provides backup and protection against device failure or loss.

6. Once you’ve selected your preferred sync policy, click the Looks Good button to complete the setup. Your external drive will be added and visible in the Devices section of the Dashboard.

!WARNING: Any photo deleted in the Mylio Photos+ app on any device will also be automatically deleted from your external drives (including Vaults). To create a redundant backup system that protects against accidental data loss due to user error, we recommend using a system backup utility such as Time Machine on macOS or a cloud backup utility such as Backblaze.

!NOTE: An external drive designated as a Time Machine on macOS cannot be used as a Mylio Vault. Apple adds proprietary code to Time Machine devices that limit the use of the drive for other purposes.

!NOTE: If your external drive is visible in the file system but not showing in Mylio Photos, click here for additional instructions.

Learn More:

• Using an SSD with a USB-C iPhone or iPad