To stop the Dropbox iPhone app from uploading your pictures automatically, open Dropbox, tap the account icon, tap Camera uploads, and turn camera uploads off. New photos then stay on your iPhone, and the pictures already in Dropbox are left where they are.
Camera uploads is the Dropbox feature that copies new photos and videos from your iPhone to your Dropbox account without you doing anything. It is a handy backup, but it can fill your Dropbox storage and use cellular data. The steps below follow the Dropbox Help article on camera uploads, which was last updated in September 2026.
Before You Start
- What this covers: the current Dropbox app for iPhone. The same account screen is used on an iPad.
- What you need: the Dropbox app installed and signed in to your account. You do not need a computer.
- What changes: only future uploads. Dropbox’s instructions describe this setting as turning uploads on or off; they do not describe it deleting anything.
- Where the old uploads are: Dropbox says camera uploads go to a folder named Camera Uploads in your account. You cannot change that folder, but you can move photos out of it after they upload.
How to Turn Off Dropbox Camera Uploads on iPhone
- Open the Dropbox app on your iPhone.
- Tap the account icon. It looks like a person in a circle.
- Tap Camera uploads. This opens the camera uploads screen, where Dropbox keeps the on/off control and the upload options.
- Turn camera uploads off. If Dropbox asks you to confirm, confirm that you want to turn it off.
Dropbox documents the first three steps and the Turn on camera uploads button, but it does not publish the exact wording of the off control, so the label on your screen may differ slightly from one app version to the next. Look for the option on the Camera uploads screen that turns the feature off.
How to confirm it worked
Go back to the account screen and tap Camera uploads again. If the feature is off, the screen offers to set it up again, ending with the Turn on camera uploads button. You can also take a new photo and check that it does not appear in the Camera Uploads folder.
How to turn it back on
Follow the same path. Dropbox lists these steps for iPhone: tap the account icon, tap Camera uploads, tap Upload from and then Settings to give Dropbox access to your photos and videos, choose what to back up and whether to use cell data, then tap Turn on camera uploads.
How to Block Dropbox From Your iPhone Photos
For a stronger stop, take away the app’s permission to read your photo library. Camera uploads needs that access, so without it there is nothing for Dropbox to upload. Apple describes this in the iPhone User Guide page on controlling app access.
Before you do this: removing photo access also stops you from picking photos inside the Dropbox app for a manual upload until you allow access again.
- Open Settings and tap Privacy & Security.
- Tap Photos. A list shows the apps that have asked for access to your photos.
- Tap Dropbox and turn its access off. Apple’s guide says you can turn access on or off for any app in the list; on recent iOS versions the off choice is usually labeled None.
To undo this, return to the same screen and give Dropbox access again. If Dropbox is not in the list, it has not asked for photo access on this iPhone, which also means camera uploads cannot have been running from this phone.
How to Keep Uploads but Use Less Data or Battery
If the backup is useful and the real problem is your data plan, you can leave camera uploads on and change one switch. Dropbox says camera uploads use cellular data by default when Wi-Fi is not available.
- Open the Dropbox app and tap the account icon.
- Tap Camera uploads.
- Turn off Use cell data to back up.
Photos then wait for Wi-Fi. Our guide on how to stop Dropbox from using cellular data for uploads covers the related settings.
Battery drain is usually temporary. Dropbox says camera uploads can use a lot of battery the first time your photos upload, that usage should return to normal afterward, and that the app stops auto-uploading by default when the battery is low.
The iPhone app also has overnight uploads, which keeps the app open with a dimmed screen to upload a large library. If that is what is running, tap the camera icon in the top-right corner of the Dropbox app and tap Exit overnight uploads.
Which Option Should You Use?
| Option | What it does | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Turn off camera uploads | Stops new automatic uploads from the app | You do not want automatic backups to Dropbox |
| Remove photo access in Settings | Stops Dropbox from reading your photo library at all | You want an iPhone-level block |
| Turn off Use cell data to back up | Keeps the backup, but only on Wi-Fi | Data use is the only problem |
What to Do With Photos Already in Dropbox
Turning the feature off does not clear out the Camera Uploads folder. If you want the space back, delete the pictures you do not need.
Warning: Dropbox states that deleting a file in the iPhone app deletes it from your Dropbox account and from every computer and device linked to that account. Make sure you still have the photo somewhere else, such as the Photos app, before you delete it.
- In the Dropbox app, open the Camera Uploads folder.
- Tap the more options button (three dots) next to a photo and tap Delete.
- To remove several at once, tap the select button at the top right (a rectangle with a checkmark), check the files, and tap Delete at the bottom of the screen.
Dropbox notes that deleted files do not count against your storage quota, and that depending on your plan you can restore them for a limited time. See the Dropbox Help article on deleting files, or our walkthrough on how to delete a picture from the iPhone Dropbox app.
Troubleshooting: Photos Still Appear in Dropbox
If new pictures keep arriving after you turn off camera uploads on the iPhone, something else is sending them. Work through these checks.
- Uploads that were already in progress. Close and reopen the Dropbox app, then confirm the Camera uploads screen still shows the feature as off.
- A second account. Dropbox says that if you have linked two accounts, such as work and personal, camera uploads can be on for only one at a time. Check that you turned it off for the account that is receiving the photos.
- The Dropbox desktop app. When you plug a phone or camera into a computer with the Dropbox desktop app, it asks whether to enable uploads for that device. If someone accepted, the camera roll uploads every time the phone is plugged in. On a Mac, click the Dropbox icon, click your avatar, choose Preferences > Backups, and turn off Camera Uploads. On Windows, go to Preferences > Backups, click Change AutoPlay Settings, and pick anything other than Import photos and videos (Dropbox) for Removable drive and Memory card.
- A remembered device. In the same Backups tab, click Forget next to a phone or camera you no longer want connected.
- Photos you do not recognize. Dropbox explains that someone who charged a phone on your computer may have accepted the upload prompt. On dropbox.com, open the photo’s more options menu, click Version history, and look at Added by.
The Camera uploads option is missing
If your account belongs to a Dropbox team and you do not see a camera uploads option, Dropbox says your admin may have turned the feature off for the team. In that case nothing is uploading automatically, and only the admin can change it. Dropbox’s camera uploads troubleshooting page also notes that Dropbox Basic accounts must have the Dropbox desktop app installed to use camera uploads. If the app looks different from these steps, update it from the App Store first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off camera uploads delete my photos from Dropbox?
Dropbox does not describe the setting as removing anything; it only turns automatic uploads on or off. Photos that already uploaded stay in the Camera Uploads folder until you delete or move them yourself.
Does it delete photos from my iPhone?
No. Camera uploads copies pictures to Dropbox, so the originals in the Photos app are separate. Turning the feature off simply stops new copies from being made.
Can I still upload a few photos by hand?
Yes, as long as Dropbox still has access to your photos. See how to upload pictures from an iPhone to Dropbox for the manual method.
Does Dropbox upload videos too?
It can. When you set up camera uploads, Dropbox lets you choose what to back up. Our guide on how to enable video uploads in the Dropbox app explains that choice.
Can I pick a different folder instead of Camera Uploads?
No. Dropbox says the Camera Uploads folder cannot be changed, but you can move photos to another folder in your account after they upload.
What if I want camera uploads on but they have stopped working?
Dropbox suggests restarting the app, checking your connection, charging the battery, confirming you have Dropbox storage left, and updating the app. The full list is in the Dropbox camera uploads troubleshooting guide.
Can I do the same on an iPad?
Yes. The iPad uses the same Dropbox app for iOS. To add pictures manually there, see how to add photos from an iPad to Dropbox.
Next Step
Once automatic uploads are off, decide what to do with the pictures already in the Camera Uploads folder, then free up room on the phone itself with our complete guide to deleting items from an iPhone. To keep the photos that are already in the app private, you can set a passcode for the Dropbox iPhone app.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are tested on current devices or checked against official product documentation, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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