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Create a folder for each trip, event or collection. Share only the pictures you intend to show, while keeping unrelated photographs and documents in your account.
Review the audience for each shared folder. Use available link passwords and expiry dates where appropriate, and remove a share when it is no longer needed.
Bring pictures from different cameras together in one collection. Give contributors the access they need and decide who will organise the completed album.
Find out how to create an album, choose a viewing link, manage contributions and plan enough storage for photos and videos.
Permafiles provides a managed Nextcloud account. Albums on this page are collections organised in folders, with sharing controls for each folder; no server setup is needed.
1. Create an account. Start with 5GB for photos, videos and other files.
2. Make a clearly named folder. Try “Coastal holiday — August 2026” and upload your pictures.
3. Choose how to share it. Send a viewing link or invite users with permission to contribute.
Open the share on another device to check the audience sees the collection you intended.
Sign in to browse your own collection. Recipients can open a shared viewing link to selected content without being given your account password.
Nextcloud desktop clients can synchronise chosen folders with your account. Organise originals and shared collections clearly, and check which folders your devices are syncing.
A finished collection may need viewing access only. A group event may need upload permissions too. Review available controls before inviting people to edit an album.
Keep documents, conversations and media in the same managed account. These extras can help with planning a trip, organising an event or discussing the photographs you have collected.
Use folders by year, then by occasion. A structure such as “2026 / Holidays / Cornwall” makes a growing collection easier to browse. Add tags where useful and choose recognisable names.
Use Nextcloud Office for an itinerary or event checklist. Give documents their own sharing permissions, rather than assuming everyone viewing the photographs should also edit your plans.
Nextcloud Talk provides messages and video calls for users with accounts. Up to 10 participants can join a call to catch up or plan your next occasion.
Start with how you want to use your pictures. A private holiday collection, a wedding contribution folder and a larger camera archive can need different permissions and storage.
Try a small album first. Check how pictures open on a phone, how invitations work and what recipients can do before uploading a much larger library.
Count storage by file size, rather than by the number of albums. Long videos and high-resolution camera files use more space than smaller pictures. Leave room for future uploads and contributions.
Choose an organiser when several people can contribute. Agree on folder names and who can edit or remove files. Keep additional copies of important originals before allowing others to change a shared collection.
Open a sample link on a phone and computer. Check that it reveals only the intended folder, that any password works and that upload permissions suit the people you are inviting.
An online album makes pictures accessible from another place, but it should not be your only copy of irreplaceable photographs. Permafiles includes daily backups to support recovery.
Confirm uploads have finished and keep your own additional copies. If you synchronise folders, remember that file changes can also synchronise across devices.
Read about account protection and backups
Use a separate share for each collection instead of opening your whole library. Add available link passwords and expiry dates where appropriate, and review old invitations.
Access controls cannot prevent recipients from keeping a photograph they have downloaded or copied. Choose your audience carefully and agree on resharing before sending a link.
Understand privacy and sharing controls
A free account includes 5GB shared across photographs, videos and other files. Use it to try your first album, then compare paid capacity when your collection needs more room.
Get Started with 5GB Free
Permafiles uses Nextcloud servers in Germany. Customer files are stored through third-party S3-compatible storage in the United Kingdom, with specialist providers supporting the managed service.
View Storage Plans & Prices
End-to-end encryption is optional for supported files and clients. It must be enabled separately and may affect browsing and sharing. Check compatibility before applying it to an album you want others to open.
Share an individual photograph or an album folder. Select viewing or contribution permissions, use a password or expiry date where appropriate, and check the link before sending it.
Connect the Nextcloud mobile app to your account and configure automatic uploads if you want them. Check that photographs have arrived before deleting originals from your phone.
Read about Nextcloud sync clients
Use a strong password and enable two-factor authentication. Permafiles includes antivirus protection, while sharing permissions help you manage who can access each collection.
Explore Nextcloud account security
Upload a small set of favourites, give the folder a useful name and try a share with someone you trust. Start with 5GB free and explore the controls before moving a larger collection.
Ask about creating a collection, sharing permissions or choosing storage for your photographs. The FAQs also explain how to get started with Nextcloud.
