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Save photos and videos to OneDrive automatically

If you connect a phone, camera, or other devices to a PC with Microsoft OneDrive, you might be asked if you want to add your photos and videos from that device to OneDrive.

To learn how to upload photos automatically or manually on your PC, see Upload photos and files to OneDrive.

If you're using a mobile device, see:

After you've uploaded your photos or videos, you can find them in your OneDrive under Photos.

Below are some common questions about saving photos and videos.

If your phone or tablet is set to upload your camera roll to OneDrive, you don't need to also add those photos and videos to OneDrive from your PC. If you do, you'll have two copies in different folders.

Download the OneDrive app for your device

All the photos and videos from the device that's currently connected will be added. New photos and videos will also be automatically added from removable devices you connect to in the future. Photos include these common image formats:

  • JPEG, JPG, TIF, TIFF, GIF, PNG, RAW

Photos in these less common formats will also be added: BMP, DIB, JFIF, JPE, JXR, EDP, PANO, ARW, CR2, CRW, ERF, KDC, MRW, NEF, NRW, ORF, PEF, RAF, RW2, RWL, SR2, SRW.

Tip:  OneDrive can't upload photos optimized for iCloud. To disable optimization, tap Settings > iCloud > Photos and clear the Optimize Storage box.

Videos include these common formats:

  • AVI, MOV, WMV, ASF, MP4

Videos in these less common formats will also be added: 3G2, 3GP, 3GP2, 3GPP, M2T, M2TS, M4V, MP4V, MTS, WM, LRV.

Learn more about Video formats you can play on the OneDrive website.

Files can't be more than 250GB in size. Some kinds of content are also prohibited. For more information, check the code of conduct. For files related to work or school, we recommend using OneDrive.

You can automatically upload to OneDrive from cameras, phones, CompactFlash (CF) cards, Secure Digital (SD) cards, miniSD cards, USB flash drives, and other removable devices—but only when all the files on the device are photos and videos. So if you use a device like a USB flash drive to move and share groups of files that aren't all photos, the photos won't be added to OneDrive.

Yes, they'll just import to a different place on your PC, the OneDrive/Pictures/Camera imports folder. You can get there in File Explorer by opening OneDrive in the left pane. Because your photos and videos are imported to your PC and not just uploaded to your OneDrive storage, you can still work with them when you're offline. The programs you use to edit photos and videos might not initially display files in your OneDrive folder, so you might need to follow the steps in those programs to include this folder.

You get free storage with OneDrive and can buy more storage if you need it. To learn more, go to OneDrive Plans. Most people are surprised by how much they can fit in their free OneDrive storage. If you use a metered internet connection, data rates will apply.

Yes, if you're connected to the internet, they'll begin uploading as soon as they're copied to the OneDrive folder on your PC. To control when your files upload, you can temporarily turn off your network connection when you connect devices and make changes (like deleting photos and videos you don't want to keep).

You can get to them by going to https://www.onedrive.com from any device with a web browser that's connected to the internet—then select Photos. You can also get to them by using the OneDrive app on a device with an internet connection.

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Notes: 

  • Camera Upload can only be used on one account at a time.

  • Photos uploaded through the Camera Upload feature will automatically be sorted by Year and Month into nested folders in the Camera Roll folder. This can be controlled by the “Organization” Settings in the Camera Upload settings page. Please note that moving, renaming, or deleting these folders is not supported or recommended at this time.

No. OneDrive stores copies of the pictures and doesn't touch the versions on your device.

If you see pictures you don't recognize in your OneDrive Memories or On This Day, it is because other apps' folders are included in your device's camera roll.

Examples of other folders included in your camera roll upload are social media apps, downloads, and screenshots.

How do I stop unrecognized pictures appearing?

Any pictures you see in OneDrive Memories or On this day are already included in your OneDrive. You can view the image details to see its filename and when the image was saved, or search for the filename online to see where it is stored.

If you don't want to upload photos from folders other than your own camera roll, you can unselect them in the OneDrive mobile app.

  1. Select Me  Person icon in OneDrive app for iOS

  2. Open Settings

  3. Select Camera upload

  4. Choose Organise by source

  5. Check or uncheck any folders you included or excluded.

  6. Select Categorize in sub-folders to upload within the Pictures folder instead (e.g. Screenshots).

Need more help?

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For help with your Microsoft account and subscriptions, visit Account & Billing Help.

For technical support, go to Contact Microsoft Support, enter your problem and select Get Help. If you still need help, select Contact Support to be routed to the best support option.

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Admins should view Help for OneDrive Admins, the OneDrive Tech Community or contact Microsoft 365 for business support.

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