About Our Photo Storage Policy
My Photo Storage
We provide secure storage for active users. An active user is someone who places an order with us at least once every 18 months.
This approach allows us to balance your privacy and our commitment to data security (including GDPR compliance) with the need to manage storage costs. By setting an 18-month timeframe, we ensure your photos are there when you want to create with us, without holding onto them longer than necessary.
After 18 months of inactivity, your photos and creations that haven’t been ordered previously will be deleted. Your account information, including your order history, will still be accessible.
Why do you delete photos?
To ensure the protection of your personal data, we are obliged by the GDPR not to retain customer data, including photos, for longer than we reasonably need it for our business purposes. In addition, we incur costs to provide photo storage. To manage these costs, we provide free storage only for active users.
What happens if I don’t place an order?
To be considered an active user, you must place an order at least once every 18 months. When your account becomes inactive and the order deadline has passed, your photos, as well as any saved projects* (creations that have not been purchased) will be permanently deleted.
*If you are using our downloadable Mac or Windows editor, the project files saved to your device will not be affected.
What stays on my account?
You can still log into your account with the same credentials. Your order history, invoices, and account data (such as your name and saved addresses) is preserved according to the standard retention period.
You can re-order a copy of any past purchases from your order history, but please note it is not possible to edit them before purchasing.
Where can I find more information about your terms and conditions?
You can find our full T&Cs below. The relevant section is Section 8: Photo storage.
https://www.photobox.co.uk/terms-conditions
You can also find more details about our data retention periods here:
https://www.photobox.co.uk/retention-periods
Managing Your Photos
My Photo Storage
We securely store your photos for 18 months, ready for you to turn them into one-of-a-kind photo products. You can access and manage all of your images in My Photos.
Want to keep your images accessible for creating albums, prints, and more? Simply place an order, and your storage will be automatically extended for another 18 months.
How do I keep my photos?
To keep your photos, simply place an order with us. Any order will reset the 18-month storage period.
Is there a minimum order value to keep my photos?
Any order placed with us will extend your photo storage for another 18 months.
You can explore options in our catalogue to get started, like a personalized gift or a thoughtful photobook. Need help with our tools or a bit of inspiration for your next project? Find some helpful resources below:
Creative Ideas
Getting started with the new Photobox editor
If you are subscribed to our newsletter, you will receive discounts regularly, which you can use towards your order. You can also take advantage of any of our on-site offers below:
Photobox Discount Codes
If I place an order, how long will you store my photos?
Placing an order will reset the storage period to 18 months from the date of your most recent order.
What if I want my photos deleted anyway?
No problem! You can manage and delete your photos at any time via My Photos.
How do I manage photos across multiple accounts?
Your photos and creations are tied to the specific account they were uploaded or created under, identified by its unique email and password. This means if you have multiple accounts—for example, one for work and one for personal use, or separate accounts shared with family members—you'll need to manage each account individually to maintain photo storage.
Each account operates independently regarding photo storage. To keep the photos and saved projects within a particular account active, that specific account must have an order placed every 18 months. If an account remains inactive for 18 months, the photos and non-purchased projects associated with it will be deleted. However, your account login and order history for that account will remain accessible.
You'll receive separate photo storage reminders for each account, based on its last order activity. This ensures you know which accounts need attention to keep their photos and creations from being deleted.
Photo Storage Notifications and Inactivity
Why am I receiving notifications about my photo storage?
We begin sending you notifications when our records show you haven't placed an order with us in the last 15 months. We want to remind you of our storage policy before any data is deleted, giving you time to place an order and keep your photos for another 18 months.
How do you keep me informed about my photo storage?
If your account has been inactive for 15 months, we will send you three reminders via email, with a deadline to place an order and keep your photos.
We updated our general Terms and Conditions in July 2024 to reflect this policy, and notified all customers accordingly.
What happens if I don't place an order?
If you do not place an order within 18 months, your photos and related data, such as any creations not previously ordered, will be permanently deleted from our systems.
Note: If you have previously ordered a photo product, you will still be able to re-order it directly from your order history. However, you will not be able to edit the creation before re-ordering.
Can I get my deleted photos back?
Unfortunately, once photos are deleted, we are unable to recover them. They are permanently deleted from our system after the deadline indicated in the emails and in your account overview.
By placing an order with us at least once every 18 months, you can ensure your photos remain accessible for all your creative projects. We encourage you to review our full Terms and Conditions and data retention policy for comprehensive details. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team.