Guide

How Much Storage Will You Need in Five Years?

Capacity planning is easier when you measure current use and plan for the files you are about to create.

Plan for growth, not just today’s full drive.

A family adding 4K video, RAW photos, and editing projects can grow much faster than a document-only household. Start with an actual device or service storage report, then estimate annual growth. Add working headroom so you are not forced into an emergency migration.

Plan in four steps

  1. Measure photos, videos, documents, and current backups separately.
  2. Estimate annual growth from a typical year, then add headroom.
  3. Size both your primary space and a separate backup copy.
  4. Recheck each year and before major device upgrades.
Remember: usable capacity is lower than a drive’s headline number, and a backup capacity target must cover the data you actually intend to recover.
Calculate a five-year estimateCompare recurring storage costs