Photo Storage
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FAQs
What is Shutterfly’s photo storage policy?
Shutterfly offers unlimited, photo storage as a benefit to our active customers. By simply making a purchase at least once every 18 months, your account remains active, and you can store an unlimited number of photos with Shutterfly. We will send friendly reminders when your 18-month deadline is approaching, or you can review your purchase history in your account.
Why did Shutterfly change its photo storage policy?
Over the last 20 years, across our family of brands, Shutterfly has hosted over 100 billion customer photos. We love helping preserve our customers’ memories, but as we’ve added new customers and invested in our functionality, we determined that we would offer this benefit to our active customers. To remain an active customer is easy; simply make a purchase at least once every 18 months to keep your account active and continue enjoying the benefit of, unlimited photo storage.
What does it mean to have an “active account”?
To enjoy the benefits of Shutterfly’s convenient and unlimited photo storage service, we require customers to maintain an active account. Simply make a purchase to keep your account active at least once every 18 months.
What do I have to do to keep my account active and preserve my photos?
Simply make a purchase to keep your account active at least once every 18 months to enjoy unlimited photo storage. An order of any Shutterfly product will meet our purchase requirement – from 4x6 prints, magnets or greeting cards to fleece blankets, canvas prints or photo books. There are plenty of options to choose from!
Can I place a free or discounted order to keep my account active, or does it need to be a full-priced order?
We ask that customers place an order - no minimum - every 18 months to keep their accounts active. You can redeem any offer/promo or gift certificate to make a purchase - including Free Offers/Orders - to keep your account active.
What happens to my photos and projects if I don’t purchase anything?
We hope our customers see the value of our convenient, unlimited photo storage service. It’s easy to keep your account active to enjoy unlimited storage: simply place an order once every 18 months. If you don’t plan to make a purchase to keep your account active, you can download your photos to a personal device so that they’re saved and available to you. Please note that projects cannot be downloaded or saved. Before making changes to your account, we will send you communication, so please ensure you are receiving important account updates by adding Shutterfly@em.shutterfly.com to your email address book.
How will I know when it’s time to make a purchase to keep my account active?
We will send you friendly reminders via email when your 18-month deadline is approaching, or you can review your purchase history in your account. If your last purchase was nearly 18 months ago (or longer), we encourage you to make a purchase to continue your unlimited photo storage for the next 18 months. Please note: before making any changes to your account, we will send you communication, so please ensure you are receiving important account updates by adding Shutterfly@em.shutterfly.com to your email address book.
If I choose not to be an active user, do I need to cancel my Shutterfly account, or will it be canceled for me?
If you choose not to keep an active account and have taken any necessary steps to ensure continued access to your photos after they’re archived from your account, you do not need to take any further steps. Please note that your Shutterfly account will not be deactivated, only your photos will be archived. If you want your Shutterfly account to be permanently deactivated, please contact our customer success team.
How can I get my photos before my account is deactivated?
While we hope you see the value of our, unlimited photo storage service, if you choose not to keep an active account with Shutterfly, you can download your photos so that you have access to them. Select the photos stored in your account and there is an option to download them. Your selected images will be prepared, and an email will be sent to the address on your account to download the files. Please note, before we make changes to your account, we will send you communication, so please ensure you are receiving important account updates by adding Shutterfly@em.shutterfly.com to your email address book.
I have two Shutterfly accounts – one is active, and the inactive account has photos I want to keep storing. How can I move the photos from the inactive account over to the active one?
You can download the photos from the inactive account and upload them to the active one. Simply select the photos stored in your inactive account and there is an option to download them. Your selected images will be prepared, and an email will be sent to the address on your account to download the files. Once downloaded, they can be uploaded to your active account.
What if I order something years from now, will my account be reactivated then?
Our photo storage policy requires customers to make a purchase every 18 months to continue enjoying unlimited photo storage. If your account becomes inactive, we cannot guarantee that your photos will still be available if you choose to order something in the future. We encourage you to keep your account active now by making a purchase every 18 months so that your photos are stored, and you’ll continue to have convenient access to them.
Does Shutterfly’s photo storage policy affect my Lifetouch digital images?
No, these updates do not apply to your Lifetouch school photos or JCPenney Portraits by Lifetouch images. These changes only apply to any photos you upload to your Shutterfly account yourself.
Who can I contact if I have questions about photo storage?
Please contact the customer success team if you have any questions about our photo storage policy, your photos, or anything else. Visit the Contact Us page to get in touch with a customer success team member.
What happens to the photos that I’ve shared with people if they’re archived? Will they be able to access the photo once my version is archived?
If original photos are archived from the sender’s account, photos that were shared can still be viewed and accessed by the receiver. Photos uploaded to Shutterfly accounts will be stored as long as the account remains active by making a purchase every 18 months.
What does it mean to have your photos "archived"?
Having your photos archived means they are securely stored in our system for long-term preservation. However, archived photos are transferred to slower, less accessible storage. While you can still use them to create projects and make purchases, you won’t be able to share or download your photos until they are fully restored. To restore full availability and enable faster photo storage, you must make a purchase at least once every 18 months—or at any time to regain full access. Rest assured, your photos will remain safe and preserved in their original quality.