Is Amazon Prime Photo Storage Really Unlimited? The Complete Truth in 2023
The quick answer is yes – Amazon Prime members get unlimited full-resolution photo storage as part of their membership. There are no caps, limits, or hidden fees. You can store as many high-quality photos as you want for free.
However, there‘s more to the story when it comes to fully understanding Prime photo storage. In this detailed guide, we‘ll dive into all aspects of this popular Prime benefit, including:
- Photo storage vs. video storage allowances
- Options for expanding capacity
- Accessing and managing your library
- Impacts of canceling Prime
- Privacy protections
- Deleting images
- Comparison to competitors
As an experienced Amazon seller and Prime member myself, I‘ve used Amazon Photos for years. I‘ll share my insight into this immensely valuable storage perk for Prime subscribers. Let‘s get started!
Breaking Down Prime Photo & Video Storage Limits
First, it‘s important to understand the storage limits of Amazon‘s free Prime Photos plan:
Media Type | Storage Limit |
---|---|
Photos | Unlimited |
Videos | 5 GB |
Photos
The unlimited photo storage is exactly what it sounds like – you get limitless storage for all your images. Here are key details on what‘s included:
- All photos – raw files, JPEGs, PNGs, bursts, edits, etc.
- All sources – DSLR, smartphone, drone, GoPro, scans, screenshots, and more
- Full original resolution – No compression or downsizing
- Unlimited storage – No caps on how many photos you can store
This is an unbeatable deal for photographers. Even pro photographers with massive photo libraries can take advantage of this free unlimited plan.
Videos
You get 5GB of storage included for videos. Here‘s what that translates to in terms of number of videos, based on average video file sizes:
Video Quality | Avg. Video Size | Est. # Videos in 5GB |
---|---|---|
HD 1080p | 500MB | 10 videos |
HD 720p | 250MB | 20 videos |
SD quality | 50MB | 100 videos |
As you can see, 5GB gives you a generous amount of storage for casual videos. But videographers and heavy video shooters will likely need to pay for more capacity.
Next we‘ll look at storage expansion options…
Expanding Storage Beyond the Free Limits
Since full-resolution photo storage is already unlimited, most Prime subscribers won‘t need more capacity. However, if you take a lot of high-quality videos, you may need to expand beyond the 5GB video limit.
Amazon offers paid storage plans for this purpose:
Storage Plan | Price |
---|---|
100GB | $1.99/month |
1TB | $6.99/month |
2TB | $11.99/month |
10TB | $59.99/month |
20TB | $119.99/month |
30TB | $179.99/month |
Based on average video sizes, here‘s an estimate of how many videos each plan can hold:
Plan | Est. # HD 720p Videos | Est. # SD Videos |
---|---|---|
100GB | 400 videos | 2,000 videos |
1TB | 4,000 videos | 20,000 videos |
2TB | 8,000 videos | 40,000 videos |
These plans get expensive fast. But for high-volume videographers, the storage may be worth the price.
My recommendation – only upgrade if you consistently shoot a huge amount of video. Casual users will be better off selective uploading only their best clips.
Next let‘s discuss how to access Amazon Photos and manage your library…
How to Access, Upload, and Manage Photos
Amazon Photos is available across all major platforms:
Here are your options for accessing Amazon Photos:
- Mobile app – Download for iOS or Android. Provides access, uploading, editing, and sharing.
- Desktop app – Download for Mac or Windows. Syncs folders automatically.
- Web browser – Go to Amazon Photos on any browser. Uploads can be manual or automated.
Once signed into the app or website, you have full access to your entire Prime photo library in one unified interface.
Ways to Add Photos & Videos
There are a few options for uploading your memories:
- Auto-sync – Use the desktop or mobile apps to set up automatic syncing of designated folders. New images will upload in the background as you add photos. No manual intervention needed.
- Manual upload – Drag-and-drop folders or individual files into the desktop or mobile app interface. Gives you control over exactly what gets uploaded.
- Shared albums – Other Prime members can share albums with you, automatically adding their photos to your library.
Auto-sync is the most convenient option if you want a complete backup of all your images and videos without having to think about it.
Managing Your Uploaded Content
Once photos are uploaded, Amazon Photos makes it easy to browse, organize, and manage your library:
- Search – Find photos by keywords, object labels, people, places, dates, etc. Works surprisingly well.
- Albums – Create custom albums to organize photos into logical groups.
- Face grouping – Automatically groups photos based on who‘s in them for easy browsing.
- Storage management – See storage usage and delete unwanted items to free space.
- Share content – Easily share photos, albums, or your entire library.
Overall, Amazon Photos provides robust tools for curating, organizing, and sharing your memories once uploaded.
What Happens if You Cancel Your Prime Membership?
One common question is what occurs if you cancel your Amazon Prime subscription.
The good news is – all photos and videos uploaded previously will remain in your Amazon Photos account after canceling Prime. So you won‘t lose any of that content.
However, your storage limits will change to:
- 5GB total for photos
- 5GB total for videos
So your total free capacity becomes just 5GB shared between photos and videos.
If you exceed this amount, you‘ll need to:
- Selectively delete older photos/videos
- Sign up for a paid Amazon Photos plan
- Switch to another storage service
Personally, I recommend using another storage provider if you cancel Prime, rather than paying Amazon for more capacity. Competition in this space is fierce, and non-Prime members can likely find better deals elsewhere.
But overall, canceling Prime means losing the unlimited storage perk, while retaining all previously uploaded content.
Who Can See Your Uploaded Photos? Security and Privacy Controls
Many prospective users rightly have concerns about privacy when storing photos in the cloud.
The good news is Amazon employs multiple security safeguards to keep your content private, including:
- Encryption – Images and videos encrypted in transit and at rest in Amazon‘s servers, preventing unauthorized access.
- Access controls – Only you and explicitly shared users can view photos.
- Employee restrictions – Amazon staff can‘t view photos without explicit permission.
- Compliance certifications – Amazon complies with data security standards like SOC 2 and ISO 27001.
In my experience, Amazon Photos is one of the most secure and private cloud storage services available today. Your content is tightly guarded against exploits.
However, users should still practice good account security, like:
- Using strong, unique passwords
- Enabling 2-factor authentication
- Being cautious when granting third-party apps account access
With sound account hygiene, you can feel confident your Prime photo library is not viewable to others without your authorization.
Removing Images You No Longer Want
A great thing about Amazon Photos is that it‘s easy to delete images you no longer want stored in your account:
- Web/desktop – Select photos > Click trash icon > Confirm deletion
- Mobile app – Tap and hold to select > Tap trash icon > Confirm removal
Deleted photos will go into the Trash folder for 30 days before being permanently removed. This gives you time to recover anything deleted accidentally.
Some other handy tips for removing photos:
- Use the storage management tool to find large files or duplicates to delete.
- Create albums like "Archive" for old content you want to remove.
- Unlike video, there‘s no limit on photos, so no need to actively delete these.
- Double check video usage if approaching 5GB limit.
Routinely removing unwanted content ensures you maximize storage efficiency.
How Amazon Photos Compares to Other Cloud Storage Services
When it comes to cloud photo storage, Amazon Prime members have an unmatched deal – unlimited photo capacity that no competitors can beat.
However, for those looking beyond Prime, here‘s a quick comparison of leading services:
Service | Base Storage | Max Size | Price Range | Perks |
---|---|---|---|---|
Amazon Photos | 5GB | 30TB | $1.99-$179.99/month | Facial recognition, sharing features |
Google Photos | 15GB | 30TB | $1.99-$299.99/month | Strong organizational features, creative editing |
Dropbox | 2GB | 2TB | $9.99-$19.99/month | File syncing, document editing, collaboration |
iCloud | 5GB | 2TB | $0.99-$9.99/month | Tight integration with Apple devices |
Microsoft OneDrive | 5GB | 6TB | $1.99-$9.99/month | Office file integration, advanced organization |
For Prime members, Amazon Photos provides an unparalleled amount of included free storage. But competitors like Google offer comparable (albeit not unlimited) capacity along with impressive smart organization powered by AI.
Still, when considering the value for Prime subscribers, Amazon Photos provides a virtually unbeatable storage solution for your precious memories.
Conclusion
Amazon Prime includes unlimited full-resolution photo storage and 5GB video storage as part of membership – arguably one of the biggest Prime perks available today. With a few exceptions, this free cloud backup for your memories really is unlimited.
Uploading, accessing, organizing, and sharing your content is easy from desktop, mobile, and the web. Security controls keep your library private. And removing unnecessary images is simple when needed.
While serious videographers may need to upgrade storage, this free photo offering alone makes Prime worthwhile for any photographer. I highly recommend taking full advantage of Amazon Photos to safely preserve your images forever in the cloud.