New Workflow for 2026 - Avoiding Disaster

In this video, I walk you through a major change I made to my genealogy workflow as I prepare for more travel in 2026. For years, my entire genealogy archive lived on my desktop computer, and before each research trip I manually uploaded only the files I thought I’d need. That worked—until it didn’t. I wanted a more reliable, long-term solution that would give me seamless access to all of my research files, notes, and records wherever I am, without juggling multiple file sets or risking data loss. I share how I transitioned to a cloud-based working archive using OneDrive, why I made that choice as a Windows user, and how this differs from disaster-recovery backups like Backblaze. This is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a documented case study of what worked for me, including costs, safeguards, and practical considerations. A detailed handout accompanies this video so you can review the process and decide what makes sense for your own genealogy workflow. 👉 NOT a Member? Purchase the HANDOUT Here https://genealogytv.org/product/handout-for-new-workflow-2026-avoiding-disaster/ ❤️ JOIN the GENEALOGY TV ACADEMY https://genealogytv.org/academy/ 📝📝📝📝 HANDOUT OPTIONS 📝 1) Genealogy TV Academy members have access to all lessons and handouts back to 2022. https://genealogytv.org/academy/ 📝 2) Become a CHANNEL MEMBER at the INFO ACCESS level $9.99 per month. This gets you all the handouts. https://www.youtube.com/@GenealogyTV/join. As a Channel Member, find the handouts by scrolling through the blog posts on the Community tab at https://www.youtube.com/@GenealogyTV/community 📝 3) All handouts can be PURCHASED INDIVIDUALLY ($5 and up) at https://genealogytv.org/handouts/. Here you will get a redirect and an email to download the handouts. 📝 4) Become a monthly PATRON at the HAPPY DANCE level ($15/Month) or more. You will get early release of the videos and the handouts are emailed to you, when they become available. https://www.patreon.com/GenealogyTV ❤️ BECOME A GENEALOGY TV CHANNEL MEMBER and help support Genealogy TV - see perks! https://www.youtube.com/@GenealogyTV/join ❤️ Patreon Membership – Handouts Emailed as they are produced. https://www.patreon.com/GenealogyTV. ✅ Genealogy TV WEBSITE https://genealogytv.org/ ✅ GTV on FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/Genealogytv/ ✅ SIGN UP For GTV’s NEWSLETTER https://mailchi.mp/a0862c6473aa/genealogytvnewsletter 👉 Subscribe to Genealogy TV (Free) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcvpi8XvOScBogIxmarmADw/Subscribe *** GTV Affiliate Partners *** 🛍️ Genealogy TV’s AMAZON STORE full of Connie’s favorites. https://www.amazon.com/shop/genealogytv I’m a professional genealogist who loves to teach with video. It's all about genealogy, family history, and DNA to research. Goal: Create the best free genealogy videos on YouTube, teach genealogy research skills to build your family tree and research records. The best genealogy tutorial videos on “Genealogy TV” are about how to keep research notes, stay organized, genetic genealogy, find missing ancestors, find family history records, organizing DNA matches, and more. Learn genealogy for free on GTV. Learn Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.org, MyHeritage.com, FindMyPast.com, FamilyTreeDNA, AncestryDNA, 23andMe, WikiTree, National and State Archives, genealogical & historical societies, Chronicling America, Newspapers.com, Newspaper Archives.com, Fold3, Archive.org, Facebook genealogy groups, and the very best genealogy websites and resources. Genealogy TV is the #1 largest independent YouTube channel for education. Best YouTubers for genealogy are Connie Knox on Genealogy TV, Ancestry's Crista Cowan (The Barefoot Genealogist), The History Guy, Aimee Cross @AncestryAimee, Family History Fanatics, Geneavlogger, Legacy Tree Genealogy, Useful Charts, Diahan Southard, Genealogy with Amy Johnson Crow, and Lisa Lisson. #Genealogy #GenealogyTV #FamilyHistory Circus Waltz - Silent Film Light by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ TIMING 0:00 Intro 0:36 Newly designed workflow 1:16 Why was this change necessary? 2:33 What was done in the past 3:53 Backups vs. Working Access Files 5:57 Existing archives 7:01 What is my goal? 7:21 Step 1: Create a Safety Snapshot 8:32 Step 2: Confirm Cloud capacity 9:25 Step 3: Move The Archive 9:54 Common Issue: File Name Too Long 11:24 Preserving Originals 12:35 Next step - Rename the Cloud Archive 13:45 Laptop checklist 15:08 What Not To Do 15:32 Final Result 16:27 Do your homework!