
Tired of surrendering your precious memories to the cloud’s endless abyss? Imagine a sanctuary for your photos and videos, a place where privacy reigns supreme and you’re in complete control. Enter Immich, the open-source powerhouse that lets you self-host your media haven. Ditch the data-hungry giants and unlock a world of AI-powered organization, a sleek interface, and effortless browsing – all within the walls of your own server. Ready to reclaim your memories? Let’s dive into the world of self-hosting with Immich.
Immich: A Self-Hosted Alternative to Google Photos
Tired of surrendering your precious memories to the cloud? Immich offers a liberating alternative to Google Photos, placing you back in control. Imagine a world where your photos reside on your own server, safe and sound. With Immich, you can effortlessly upload snapshots from your phone, curate stunning albums, and revisit those moments from anywhere. Embrace privacy, embrace control, embrace Immich.
Installing Immich
Ready to unleash Immich on your personal server? Your adventure begins at Immich’s official GitHub repository. Snag the “example.env” and “docker-compose.yml” files – your key ingredients for a seamless Immich experience.

Unlock Immich with a Simple Rename! Just a tiny tweak rename that “example.env” file to “.env”. It’s the secret handshake that lets Immich’s Docker setup understand its mission. Do this, and you’re golden!

Open your terminal or command prompt and navigate to the folder containing the “.env” and “docker-compose.yml” files:
“`
cd
Downloads “`
Run the following command to start the Immich server:
“`
docker compose
up
-d
“`

Accessing Immich

Create a new Immich account by clickingSign Upand entering your admin/user email, password, and name:

Log in with your credentials to enter the Immich dashboard:

Complete the Initial Setup
Complete the initial setup by following the setup wizard titled “Let’s get your instance set up with some common settings”:

During this process, choose your preferredtheme, either light or dark:

Then select your preferredlanguagefor Immich:

Configure theserver privacysettings to control who can access your media:

Setuser privacypreferences according to your needs:

After this, you can enable or leave the storage template engine setting as it is:

Finally, set upautomatic backupsto ensure your data is protected:

Manage Your Media with Immich
Effortlessly transfer your memories to Immich! Simply drag and drop your precious photos and videos straight into the web app. Alternatively, unleash theUploadbutton to handpick cherished files directly from your computer.

Refresh thePhotostab to ensure your media files have uploaded successfully:

Now, you can navigate to theExploretab to browse your media collection:

Access theMaptab to view photos organized by location based on embedded GPS data:

Unleash your inner curator! Craft stunning albums to showcase your photos and videos. Group your favorites in the Sharing section, then generate secure, shareable links to send individual masterpieces into the world no need to open the vault!

Imagine your digital life beautifully organized. The Library isn’t just a folder; it’s your personal media sanctuary. Curate stunning albums, safeguard cherished memories in secure, locked vaults, and easily manage archives. Even the trash is neatly handled, ensuring everything’s accessible and perfectly placed.

Personalize and Manage Your Account
You can toggle between light and dark themes anytime for comfortable viewing:

Also, you can click on yourprofile iconto accessaccount settings, manage your profile, and performadministrative tasks:

Using Immich on Mobile Devices
Turn your phone into a personal photo vault with Immich! Grab the Immich app directly from your device’s app store. Android users, head to the Google Play Store. iPhone aficionados, find Immich on the Apple App Store. Download and start securely backing up those precious photos and videos today!

Time to unlock your Immich vault! Use the username and password you carefully crafted during the web setup phase to enter. Boom! Your mobile device is now tethered to your personal Immich fortress.

Unleash your Immich server’s full potential! The mobile app is your pocket portal, granting instant access to your entire media universe. Dive into albums, relive memories by date or location, effortlessly share snapshots and curated collections, and curate your perfect visual story – all from the palm of your hand. Favorite keepers, banish the bloat – your Immich library, precisely controlled.

Wrapping Up
Diving into Immich might seem like scaling a mini Mount Everest at first. Yes, there’s setup involved. But imagine this: a personal fortress for your memories, where every photo and video is underyourcontrol. That’s the power of self-hosting Immich. If climbing that Everest doesn’t appeal, don’t sweat it! Plenty of other self-hosted photo management solutions are ready to liberate you from Google Photos.
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