To upload pictures from your iPhone to Dropbox, open the Dropbox app, open the folder you want, tap the + button, and choose Upload Photos. Tap the pictures you want, tap Next, pick the destination, then tap Set location and Upload.
That is the manual method, and it is the best choice when you only want certain photos in Dropbox. You can also send photos from the Photos app with the Share button, or turn on camera uploads so new photos back up without any tapping. All three are covered below, along with fixes for uploads that stall.
What You Need Before You Start
- The Dropbox app, signed in. Dropbox’s system requirements currently call for iOS 17.0 or later and the latest version of the app.
- Photo access. The first time you upload, your iPhone asks whether Dropbox can use your photos. Dropbox cannot show your pictures until you allow it.
- Free space in your Dropbox account. Dropbox says free accounts start with 2 GB, and photos count against it. A full account will not accept new uploads.
- A good connection. Wi-Fi is the safer pick for a big batch, since uploads can use cellular data.
How to Upload Pictures From the Dropbox App
These steps match Dropbox Help’s guide to uploading on a mobile device.
- Open the Dropbox app.
- Open the Dropbox folder where you want to store the photos. To use a new folder, tap + and create the folder first, then open it.
- Tap the + (plus sign) at the bottom of the screen.
- Choose Upload Photos. Your iPhone photo library opens.
- Tap each photo you want to upload.
- Tap Next, then select where the files should be added.
- Tap Set location.
- Tap Upload.
The pictures upload to the folder you picked. Dropbox says uploaded files sync everywhere you use your account, so the same photos show up on dropbox.com and in the desktop app.
Uploading a Live Photo
A Live Photo is a picture that also records a few seconds of motion and sound. Dropbox keeps it as a Live Photo when you upload it this way with an up-to-date app. Before you upload, the Image preferences section lets you switch it to a Still image, and if the file type is HEIC (the space-saving format iPhones use), you can tap Save as JPG to convert it. JPG files open on almost any device.
How to Upload From the Photos App
If you are already looking at a picture in Photos, you do not need to switch apps. Dropbox works from the iPhone Share button.
- Open the Photos app.
- Open one photo, or tap Select and tap several thumbnails. Apple describes both options in its guide to sharing photos and videos on iPhone.
- Tap the Share button (the square with an arrow pointing up).
- Select the Dropbox app. You must be signed in to the Dropbox app for this to work.
- Select the Dropbox save location, then save.
The same route works from other apps that have a Share button, such as Messages. One limit to know: Dropbox says Live Photos uploaded from other apps are saved as normal photos, so use the Dropbox app itself when you want to keep the motion.
How to Back Up iPhone Photos Automatically
Camera uploads is the Dropbox feature that copies new photos to your account for you. Read the three points below before you turn it on, because they affect your data plan and your storage.
- It can use cellular data. By default, camera uploads uses cellular data when Wi-Fi is not available. Turn off Use cell data to back up if your plan is limited.
- You cannot pick the folder. Photos go to a folder named Camera Uploads. You can move them to another folder afterward.
- It can fill a small account. A whole photo library can be larger than a free account’s storage.
To turn it on, following Dropbox’s camera uploads guide:
- Open the Dropbox app and tap the account icon.
- Tap Camera uploads.
- Tap Upload from, then Settings, to give Dropbox access to your photos and videos.
- Back in the Dropbox app, choose what to back up and whether to use cell data.
- Tap Turn on camera uploads.
Dropbox warns that the first backup can use a lot of battery, and that usage should return to normal afterward. To include videos, see how to enable video uploads in the Dropbox app. To protect your data plan, here is how to stop Dropbox from using cellular data.
Two account notes from Dropbox: its troubleshooting page says Dropbox Basic (free) users must have the Dropbox desktop app installed to use camera uploads, and if you have linked a personal and a work account, camera uploads can be on for only one of them at a time.
How to Upload a Lot of Photos Overnight
For a large library, the iPhone app has an overnight uploads feature. Open the Dropbox app, tap the camera icon in the top-right corner, and tap Start overnight uploads. Dropbox keeps uploading through the night and dims the screen while it works.
Dropbox lists three conditions: keep the Dropbox app open, stay connected to Wi-Fi, and keep the phone plugged into a charger. Tap Exit overnight uploads to stop. This feature is on iPhone and iPad only.
How to Confirm the Upload and Undo It
To check your work, open the destination folder in the Dropbox app and look for the new pictures. Automatic backups are in the Camera Uploads folder. You can also sign in at dropbox.com on a computer and open the same folder there.
Uploading puts a copy of each photo in your Dropbox account. The Dropbox pages used for this article do not describe the upload removing anything from the Photos app, so check both places before you delete pictures from either one.
- Uploaded the wrong picture? Follow our steps to delete a picture in the iPhone Dropbox app.
- Changed your mind about automatic backups? See how to stop the Dropbox app from automatically uploading pictures.
What to Do if Photos Will Not Upload
Dropbox’s camera uploads troubleshooting page suggests these checks, which are worth trying in order.
- Restart the Dropbox app. Quit the app and open it again.
- Check your internet connection. Uploads slow down on a weak signal. Try a different Wi-Fi network.
- Charge the phone. Uploads can be slower when the battery is low, and Dropbox stops auto-uploading on a low battery by default.
- Check your Dropbox storage. If the account is full, delete files you do not need or move to a larger plan.
- Update the Dropbox app from the App Store, and make sure your iPhone runs a supported version of iOS.
- Check background settings. Open the iPhone Settings app, select Dropbox, and make sure Background App Refresh is on. If you upload on cellular, make sure Cellular Data is on for Dropbox too.
Dropbox adds that Low Power Mode and Low Data Mode can delay or block background uploads. If you do not see a Camera uploads option at all and your account belongs to a Dropbox team, your admin may have turned the feature off.
If Upload Photos shows no pictures, or only some of them, photo permission is a likely cause. Open Settings, select Dropbox, and review the Photos access setting. The exact wording of that setting varies by iOS version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I choose which folder my photos go to?
Yes for manual uploads and uploads from the Share button, because you pick the location before the upload starts. No for camera uploads. Those always go to the Camera Uploads folder, and you can move them later.
Does uploading photos to Dropbox use cellular data?
It can. Camera uploads uses cellular data by default when Wi-Fi is not available. To change that, open the Dropbox app, tap the account icon, tap Camera uploads, and turn off Use cell data to back up.
Can I upload videos the same way?
Dropbox’s manual upload instructions cover both photos and videos, and camera uploads lets you choose what to back up. Videos are much larger than photos, so they use more storage and take longer.
How do I share a photo after I upload it?
Send a link to the file so the other person does not need the original attachment. Here is how to email a link to a Dropbox file from an iPhone.
Do these steps work on an iPad?
Dropbox uses the same app on iPhone and iPad. For the tablet version, see how to add photos from an iPad to Dropbox.
Is there a way to get photos to my PC without Dropbox?
Yes. A cable or another transfer method works too. See how to transfer iPhone photos to a PC.
Next Step
Upload a single photo by hand first so you can see where it lands. If that folder is where you want every picture, keep uploading manually. If you would rather not think about it, turn on camera uploads and check the cellular data setting before you leave Wi-Fi. With your pictures stored in the app, you may also want to add a passcode to Dropbox on your iPhone.
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.