Ways to Preserve Your Snapchat Memories for Free

Since its inception in 2016, Snapchat’s Memories feature has been a beloved tool for users to save and revisit their snaps. However, recent developments have caused quite a stir as Snapchat has announced the implementation of storage fees for this feature. This shift has left many long-time users feeling frustrated. Fortunately, there are effective ways to preserve your treasured memories without incurring any expenses. Below, we explore these options in detail.

Updates to Snapchat’s Memories Storage Plans

The Memories feature acts as an archive for users, enabling them to save snaps and stories for future reference. Initially, Snapchat underestimated the feature’s popularity, resulting in a substantial number of users relying on it to store years’ worth of memories. This has led the platform to introduce new storage plans tailored for users with extensive archives.

While Snapchat asserts that the change will impact only a tiny fraction of users, the online backlash suggests otherwise. Many users are quite dissatisfied with the new guidelines.

On a positive note, not all Memories will be subject to these fees. Users will still receive 5GB of complimentary storage, and only those exceeding this limit will need to select a paid plan, which includes:

100GB Memories-only option
250GB option bundled with Snapchat+
5TB option available through Snapchat Platinum

Moreover, this transition won’t happen immediately. Snapchat is offering a generous 12-month grace period during which users can continue to store Memories that surpass the 5GB threshold at no cost. During this time, users can opt for a paid plan or explore alternative methods to back up their Memories.

1. Save Individual Snaps

If your collection of Memories is manageable, you can manually sift through and select the snaps you truly wish to keep. Here’s how to save each snap:

Begin by opening the Snapchat app and navigating to the camera screen. Tap the icon located to the left of the Shutter button; if you previously used a lens, swipe left to reveal it.

Tapping the Memories icon in Snapchat app.

This action will lead you to your Memories library. Browse through it and choose a snap you’d like to save. Tap it to view it full-screen, then click the three dots in the upper-right corner.

Tapping on three dot icon on a snap in Snapchat app.

Select Export or Send Snap from the menu that appears.

In the Share to section, scroll to find the option to Download. Doing so will save the snap to your device.

Once the snap is safely stored, you can delete it from your Memories by clicking the three dots and selecting Delete Snap.

Deleting individual Snap from Memories in Snapchat app.

2. Bulk Saving of Snaps

If you have a vast collection of Memories, saving them individually may not be practical. In such cases, consider bulk-saving your snaps.

To do this, open the Memories section in your Snapchat app and click on the selection icon at the top.

You can then select multiple snaps, with a limit of up to 100 at a time. After making your selections, tap the Export button.

Tapping select icon in Snapchat Memories.

Then, simply click on Download.

After downloading them to your device, you can revisit your Memories and re-select those images to delete.

3. Request Snapchat Data

If you’re looking to secure your entire Memories archive without the hassle of exporting them manually, you can request your Snapchat data instead.

Open the app and navigate to your profile. Tap the settings gear icon located in the upper-right corner.

Scroll all the way down to the Account Actions section, and select My Data.

At this point, choose whether you’d prefer to export your data as an HTML or JSON file. There is also a Packet Size option that will compress large downloads into smaller files.

To download just your Memories, toggle the corresponding option on while keeping the rest off, and click Next.

On the subsequent page, select All Times, confirm your email, and press Submit.

Opting to download ALL Memories in Snapchat app.

You will receive an email notification once your file is ready for download; note that this process may take a few days depending on the size of your data.

4. Disable Saving New Snaps to Memories

To prevent your Memories library from expanding further, avoid saving new snaps to the feature entirely. Instead, you can configure Snapchat to save them directly to your device.

Unlike Instagram’s auto-archive feature, Snapchat requires users to manually save snaps to Memories. Nevertheless, you can modify how this feature works.

Open the Snapchat app and navigate to your profile before tapping the gear icon in the upper right corner.

Locate the Privacy Control section and tap on Memories.

Next, select the Save Button option.

Switch it to Camera Roll Only.

With this setting, Snapchat will only save your snaps to your device’s camera roll, allowing for an efficient backup solution without occupying your Snapchat account’s storage.

Regarding stories, they are typically auto-saved to Memories by default. However, you can modify this setting as well. Return to the Memories section and choose the option for Auto-Save My Story Snaps.

Switch this to Don’t Auto Save. As a result, you will need to hit the Save button manually when viewing a story in order to store it in Memories.

In an unexpected move, Snapchat now allows users to save chats indefinitely. This approach marks a significant departure from the app’s core principle of ephemeral content, and it may take some time for longtime users to adjust.

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