To upload videos from your iPhone to Dropbox automatically, open the Dropbox app, tap the account icon, tap Camera uploads, give Dropbox access to your photos and videos, choose what you want to back up (including videos), and tap Turn on camera uploads. New photos and videos then upload to the Camera Uploads folder in your Dropbox.
Older versions of the Dropbox app had a separate “Upload videos” switch. The current steps below follow Dropbox’s help articles on using camera uploads and troubleshooting camera uploads.
How to Turn On Video Uploads in the Dropbox iPhone App
- Open the Dropbox app.
- Tap the account icon.
- Tap Camera uploads.
- Tap Upload from, then Settings, and give Dropbox access to your photos and videos.
- Back in the Dropbox app, choose what you’d like to back up and whether to use cell data.
- Tap Turn on camera uploads.
Result: Dropbox starts uploading your camera roll. Dropbox says files go to a folder named Camera Uploads; you can’t change that folder, but you can move files elsewhere after they upload.
Camera Uploads Tips From Dropbox
Avoid Using Cellular Data
Videos are large. Dropbox says camera uploads use cellular data by default when Wi-Fi isn’t available. To stop that, open the Dropbox app, tap the account icon, tap Camera uploads, and turn off Use cell data to back up. More detail is in how to stop Dropbox from using cellular data for uploads.
Upload a Big Backlog Overnight
On iOS, Dropbox offers overnight uploads for large batches. Open the Dropbox app, tap the camera icon in the top-right corner, and tap Start overnight uploads. The app dims your screen while it uploads. Dropbox says to keep the app open, stay on Wi-Fi, and keep the phone plugged in. Tap Exit overnight uploads to stop.
Battery and Storage
Dropbox notes that the first upload can use a lot of battery, and that the app stops auto-uploading when your battery is low. Make sure you have enough Dropbox storage space, too; videos fill it quickly.
If Videos Aren’t Uploading
Dropbox’s troubleshooting guide suggests these fixes:
- Restart the Dropbox app.
- Check your internet connection, or try a different Wi-Fi network.
- Charge your phone.
- Make sure your Dropbox account has enough storage space.
- Update the Dropbox app and your iPhone’s software.
- On a Dropbox Basic plan, make sure the Dropbox desktop app is installed on a computer; Dropbox says it’s required for camera uploads on Basic.
If you’re on a Dropbox team and don’t see the camera uploads option, Dropbox says your admin may have turned it off. And if you’ve linked two accounts, camera uploads can only be on for one of them at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I upload Live Photos?
Yes. Dropbox says you can upload Live Photos in the Dropbox app. Live Photos uploaded from other apps are saved as normal photos.
Can I upload just one video instead?
Yes. You can upload individual files from the Dropbox app at any time; see how to add photos from an iPad to Dropbox for the manual approach.
How do I stop automatic uploads later?
Return to Camera uploads in the Dropbox app and turn the feature off. See also how to stop Dropbox from automatically uploading pictures.
Related Guides
Prefer to pick photos yourself? Here’s how to upload pictures from an iPhone to Dropbox manually.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.